Nike Canada HQ Branded Environment

Nike’s Workplace Design team out of Beaverton, Oregon approached Jacknife to help envision Nike Canada’s brand new headquarters. The brief? Bring to life a workspace that inspires creative thinking and connects staff and visitors to each other and to the brand.

We needed to create a branded environment which celebrates the uniqueness of the Canadian market while also establishing deep ties back to the World Headquarters. To achieve this we developed a “Rough and Refined” theme – a celebration of the diverse nature of the Canadian landscape and its people, from the roughness of our natural landscape to our refined modern urban centres. As Canadians, we take pride in our sometimes harsh environment and the unique grit required to be an all seasoned athlete here.

Throughout the process, we had access to archival Nike brand assets and the collective knowledge of their in-house design team. We scrutinized every detail in the pursuit of creating the most engaging environmental experience possible.

We developed an extensive series of art-based installations through the new offices including a massive sculptural “Just Do It” made up of iconic shoe patterns floating on a dimensional map of Toronto, an intricate wooden slat wall and ceiling installation forming the Nike logo, a boardroom wall and seating installation made from actual basketball court material and a hand-painted logo, multiple large-scale wall murals featuring both the brand and the fabric of Canada, iconic footwear painted on concrete columns throughout the space, custom tile work “Run Faster” in employee kitchen, and a wooden type installation featuring chainsaw cut letters.

In order to execute on such a broad array of interactions, we assembled and orchestrated a team of highly skilled local craftspeople from a variety of disciplines ranging from sign painters to woodworking experts and speciality sculptors. Ultimately, we created a modern space that embodies the spirit of the Nike brand, tells intriguing and discoverable stories and inspires their team on a daily basis.