GWLRA unveils refreshed lobby at Berczy Square

GWL Realty Advisors (GWLRA) has unveiled extensive renovations to the lobby at Berczy Square.

Located at 33 Yonge near the intersection of Yonge and Front Streets, the revitalized lobby marks the culmination of a 2-year renovation and rebranding initiative aimed at transforming the tenant and visitor experience.

“In today’s market, landlords have to earn the commute. Tenant needs and expectations are evolving, and the best office buildings are adapting,” says Devan Sloan, Vice President, Asset Management and Leasing at GWLRA, adding that Berczy Square is 96% leased. “That means real innovation in workplace design and amenities. Berczy Square sets a new standard for creating welcoming spaces that help connect Toronto’s downtown and the people who live and work in them.”

At the centre of the redesign is a striking 90-foot LED screen that runs the full vertical length of the building’s atrium. The installation serves as a dynamic canvas for atmospheric digital art created by Gentilhomme, an acclaimed Montreal-based creative studio. 

“The artwork is the heartbeat of Berczy Square; it responds to the city and the rhythm of the people within it,” says Thibaut Duverneix, Founder and Executive Creative Director of Gentilhomme. “We have treated the screen as an architectural feature, a canvas for atmospheric art rather than advertising, to create a landmark experience that invites the community to slow down and look up.”

Led by Alison McNeil of architecture firm DIALOG, the refreshed Berczy Square aims to balance hospitality and productivity while creating a distinctive connection between Yonge Street’s commercial heart and the iconic Berczy Park in Old Town.

"The lobby at Berczy Square represents a shift in how the office building has evolved," says Alison McNeil, partner, DIALOG. "No longer simply a place to pass through, we’ve reimagined the lobby as a destination for gathering and connection — a space that reflects both the building’s location and identity."

The redesigned lobby space evokes nature-inspired atmosphere with features like tree-like columns, a reflecting pool, a vapour fire element, hanging moss, greenery, and new seating. Notably, all of Berczy Square’s new fittings were intentionally designed to maintain the building’s architectural character, using 100% Canadian materials.

Originally built by WZMH Architects in 1982, 33 Yonge (Berczy Square) is a 13-storey office building that spans a two-acre site between Wellington and Front Streets. It also features the only atrium-style lobby in Toronto’s Financial District.

GWLRA undertook the renovations and rebranding on behalf of the property owners, the Great-West Life Canadian Real Estate Investment Fund No.1 (CREIF) and the London Life Real Estate Fund.