office
More Creative Ways to Produce Privacy In An Open Office Space Environment
As much as the open office space is a preferred design with most of today’s companies, certain office activities still require a bit of privacy… or the opportunity to get loud without causing too much distraction for fellow employees. As a result, both furniture and office space design companies have come up with a variety of creative solutions to create “privacy” without compromising the open-concept design. We’ve covered a few of them in previous blogs — office pods, partial living walls, Everblock®and Tetris® furniture and walls, use and placement of storage cabinets…but here are a couple more options an organization can take into consideration:
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The Rotating Office Screens – A similar concept to vertical blinds, the rotating office screen is actually a series of double-panel slats, each of which rotates on its own pointed base plate. Each slat and base unit can easily be oriented into specific formations in relation to the other slat-base units to create an interesting decor within the open office space design while in “open” position. Once a private meeting is required, the same slats can be turned to the “closed” position, instantly creating a semi or fully private meeting area.
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Acoustic Office Screens – Not entirely new to the office space design world, acoustic office screen panels are now available in a variety of sizes, colours and shapes to offer flexibility and interesting decor to an ever-changing open office space environment. Each panel is designed to either stand on casters or on its own unique base, so they can be easily positioned to either add a design to a main
wall or create a semi-private space for individual or collaborative activities. In some cases, the panel shapes are irregular but can interlink to make a visually stimulating wall design or collaboration area. In other cases, the walls are stackable or can easily “nest” into one another, allowing for easy storage. What is even more advantageous is the acoustic office screens are made with soft materials designed to absorb sound, so they help lessen sound disturbances in an open office space environment.
The best part about these solutions is that they not only provide a “privacy” option to the open-concept office space design, but they also enhance flexibility within an open office space design.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
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References:
Urban Office, “Viswall Rotating Screen”, https://www.urban-office.com/office/office-screens/viswall-screen.html
Urban Office, “Wannabetree Screen”, https://www.urban-office.com/office/office-screens/wannabetree.html
Urban Office, “Alp Screen”, https://www.urban-office.com/office/office-screens/alp-screen.html
Office Space Ideas That Take Flexibility to a Whole New Level
OK. Do you remember one of my previous blogs stating that flexibility would be key in office space design? Well, there are actually some office space ideas, concepts and materials that take “flexibility” to a whole new level.
Take, for example, the Everblock®. If you were ever a Lego® fanatic or ever dreamed of living or working in a room built of Lego® blocks, your dream could easily become a reality. Inspired by Lego®, Everblocks® are sturdy modular plastic life-sized interlocking blocks that can easily be used to build a wall divider or room whenever needed– but that’s not all. These same blocks can be used to build chairs, desks, sofas, shelving, cabinets….pretty much any furniture your office would need… and your team can be the creative “Masterbuilders” of it all. Talk about flexibility!
How about the sliding inflatable wall that doubles as a lounge bed? That’s right. A glossy transparent inflatable screen resembling a giant form of bubble-wrap is set within a frame on castors to create a great sliding office partition that can easily be moved around to define certain office areas without compromising too much on the open office space concept. This same inflatable screen can slide out of its frame and be laid on the floor to create a lounging area or bed. That’s flexibility.
If you are more of a Tetris® fan, then here is an idea for your office– Tetris® inspired furniture pieces which when fitted together can either be a table with chairs (suitable for a lunchroom setting), a lounge sofa, a full length display table, shelving, a storage unit…the possibilities are seemingly endless.
What is great about these ideas is that they not only facilitate flexibility in an office space, but they also encourage active creativity while taking into account the well-being of staff. Now that is thinking outside of the box.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
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References:
Everblock Systems, http://www.everblocksystems.com/
Trendir, Sliding Office Partition, Inflatable Free-Standing Screen From Sacea, http://www.trendir.com/sliding-office-partition-bablo/
Ackerman, E, Oh Gizmo, Space Efficient Furniture from Tetris, Http://www.ohgizmo.co/2007/09/10/space-efficent-furniture-from-Tetris
Tags: office, office space, flexibility, office furniture
Bigger Companies, Smaller Office Spaces – What Gives?
Well, 2016 is gone but the trends of larger growing companies occupying a smaller office space footprint and fitting more people in smaller work spaces will still be strong in 2017.
Why? Well, there are a few contributing factors:
- Companies operate differently – Throughout 2016, more and more companies adapted the “Workplace 2.0” style of operations. Instead of stringent 8am-4pm or 9am-5pm working hours for most staff, organizations allowed more flexible hours for their workers. Instead of assigned workstations, office and workstation “hotelling” or reservation-based seating became a popular practice. There were increasingly more opportunities for staff to work from home. Some organizations even found it more economically sound to outsource some of their administrative or in-office operations to outsiders who wanted to work from home. In addition, part-time and contract hires were on the rise. These trends are likely to continuing through 2017.
- Technological advances – Video conferencing, teleconferencing, Smartboards and other technological advances have lessened the demand for staff to physically meet in the same room, thus lowering the need for large meeting room spaces. The introduction of virtual storage spaces like the Cloud lessen the need for a lot of physical filing and storage space. In fact, physical filing and storage units have been re-purposed to store personal belongings, limiting the need for physical storage to be at the workstation itself. Most work is done on electronic devices (laptops, Ipads, etc) which are physically thinner and smaller. Even signatures are electronic– thus limiting the need to deal with physical paperwork.
- Economy – Though demand for commercial real estate remains relatively high in Toronto, there is an overall level of uncertainty about how the Canadian economy will be affected by key international events like Brexit and the US election results. The low oil prices and the low Canadian dollar, however, seem to make Canada an attractive country for international organizations to invest and expand in, which could be why commercial real estate vacancies could experience a slight decrease in 2017.
So what gives? Big companies, both local and international, will likely continue to occupy smaller office spaces throughout 2017 in order to maintain a competitive edge in a volatile economy.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
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References:
PWC and Urban Land Institute, “Emerging Trends In Real Estate: Canada and the United States 2017”, http://read.ca.pwc.com/i/741231-emerging-trends-in-real-estate-2017/5?utm_source=communities-etre&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=emerging-trends-in-real-estate-2017
Kirby, J., Macleans, “75 Charts Every Canadian Should Watch in 2017”, http://www.macleans.ca/economy/economicanalysis/75-charts-every-canadian-should-watch-in-2017/
Keywords: Space
tags: office space
5 Objectives Colours and Textures Fulfill in an Office Space Design
Throughout the history of office space design, the use of colours and textures have helped companies strive towards the image and business goals they aimed to achieve. Below are just a few objectives colour and texture can fulfill within an office space design:
- To Establish or Reinforce Corporate Identity – the colours within a company’s logo, for example, can be applied throughout the decor of the office space in order to further emphasized corporate identity to both staff and visitors
- Promote a Positive Mood – it has been said time and time again that a positive environment promotes positive mood, which in a corporate environment promotes productivity. Choosing the right colour and texture combination in an office space design to bring about a positive environment can in turn help increase productivity.
- Inspire Creativity and Innovation – I believe that similar to promoting a positive mood, the right colour scheme mixed in conjunction with a variety of textures sends an unconscious or subconscious message to its onlookers that “anything goes”. As a result, employees, though consciously unaware, are spurred on to “think outside the box”, and come up with creative and innovative solutions to whatever challenges the company faces.
- Differentiate workspaces and meeting areas – There was a time when walls and doors defined a workspace. Over time, walls became shorter or more transparent in order to promote a more collaborative open office space design. Today, walls, for the most part, have disappeared but both colour and texture are used in conjunction with one another to help differentiate workspaces and meeting areas.
- Help organize individual workspaces – Files are not the only thing that get colour coordinated within an office environment. Companies are now “splashing” individual workspaces with specially coloured desk trays, filing cabinets, pen holders and other workspace related items in order to help the users of those workspaces remain organized while working in those areas.
Over time trends in office space design have changed, but colour and texture, though re-purposed, have been two of the primary tools used to ultimately create the ideal office space.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management company of choice for the Toronto, GTA and surrounding areas. If a renovation or relocation of your 2,000 – 25,000 sq.ft. office space is in your plans, contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. We guarantee that by the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
Oil & Office Real Estate– Is There Hope For Recovery?
At the risk of stating the obvious, the plummeting oil prices in our economy today has had quite an effect in the office real estate industry. Many industrial companies across Canada that are highly dependant on oil have contracted their operations in efforts to slash their costs, giving up valuable assets, including office space. This has led to increased office space vacancies across the country which owners are fighting to not sell or lease out below their market value. Meanwhile, some trust companies are selling off their assets in order to have more liquid funds. Their goal– to purchase properties that they foresee being quite profitable once the market changes. But with all this fluctuation and activity, I dare ask, is there a light at the end of the tunnel for the current office space market?
Well, market history dictates that what goes down eventually goes back up again. In 2008, a global recession caused oil prices to drop to $40 per barrel after being peaked at over $150 per barrel between 2000-2008. Then economic recovery efforts between 2009 and 2014 brought the oil prices back up to $125 per barrel1. Oil prices have steadily gone downwards since 2014 but fluctuating world demand and supply could change that in the foreseeable future. In direct relation, the office vacancy rates have increased from 8% in 2012 to over 18% in 2016, but could go down again once demand and thus pricing for oil goes back on the rise.
In the meantime, there is the possibility of foreign interest. With the low oil prices and lower Canadian dollar value, foreign investors, particularly from Asia, are showing interest in Canada’s available office space. In fact, four of the past five purchases of major downtown office space in Canada have been to foreign buyers who have been flocking to the relative safety of the country’s hottest real estate markets, Toronto and Vancouver2.
So, is there hope for the office space market? With oil prices slowly on the rise and with increased foreign interest in Canada’s available office spaces, I would say that there is.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of Choice for the Toronto, GTA and surrounding areas. If a renovation or relocation of your 2,000 – 25,000 sq.ft. office space is in your plans, contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. We guarantee that by the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
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References:
1Peresio, Greg, Investopedia, “Why did Oil Prices Drop so Much in 2014?”, http://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/030315/why-did-oil-prices-drop-so-much-2014.asp
McLean, Steve, Property Biz Canada, 2016-02-28, “Firm Capital Property Trust Ready to Buy”, http://renx.ca/firm-capital-property-trust-ready-to-buy/
2McMahon, Tasmin, Report on Business, 2016 02 23, “Office Real Estate Sectors Settling in for a Tough 2016”, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/housing/the-real-estate-beat/office-retail-real-estate-sectors-settling-in-for-tough-2016/article28858197/
TD Economics, Special Report, July 12, 2012, “Canada’s Commercial Real Estate Markets Primed for Growth”, https://www.td.com/document/PDF/economics/special/sg0712_commercial.pdf
The Link Between Lease Negotiations and A Rushed Office Relocation
We see this quite often. Companies that know that they will need to relocate to a new office space start the process two, sometimes three years in advance, but they still end up rushing the physical office relocation procedures to within the last three months prior to their scheduled relocation date. Why is that?
Well, let’s look at the process. Companies planning an office relocation begin by engaging a real estate agent whose main focuses are to (a) find an ideal office space and (b) negotiate and close the lease. Often, however, the new location requires some redesign or reconstruction to “fit” the image and culture of the business that is moving in. That process requires a designer to be engaged to view the new location and draw up the plans for the company’s approval before office construction or build specialists are brought in to do the work…
Stop. Here is where the common error lies—Companies often are led to believe that they should not engage a designer until the lease is 100% finalized and signed. Getting to that stage of the lease negotiation process, however, could take up most if not all of the two or three years set aside for planning and putting into motion the physical office relocation!
So, when should a designer be brought into the picture?
Well, despite what most real estate agents may advise, we suggest that when there is an 80% commitment to the lease, even though the lease is not signed, that a designer be brought in to learn about the company’s goals and vision for the new office space, view the new office space, and draw up office design plans for approval. By the time the final office design plan is approved (an approximate three month process), the lease should be fully finalized, which means the office construction and build process along with the furniture research, purchase, delivery and set-up, and finally employee relocation-in can happen.
Leases are an important part of the office relocation process but they should not be the main cause of a rushed office relocation.
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DJ McGauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Relocation, Design, Reconstruction and Reconfiguration Project Management Company of choice for the Toronto, GTA and surrounding areas. If an office relocation or reconstruction of your 2000 – 25,000sqft office space is a remote possibility, consider contacting us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. We guarantee that by the end of that meeting you will know all that would be required to make your office relocation/reconstruction project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931 , email [email protected], or visit our website to complete our contact form.
Why Your Employees Should Not Manage Your Office Move
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One of my clients recently moved to a new office building and in an attempt to save on moving costs, decided to have members of their staff coordinate the office move.
The next business day after the move was complete, the employees went into the office only to find that their phone lines were not working– someone forgot to contact the phone company to inform them of their move date. As a result, employees were forced to use their personal cellphones to conduct business.
In addition, they found out that all the company mail was still going to their old location — someone forgot to contact the postal service and alert them of both the move date and the change of address. So, the receptionist took two to three hours out of her work day to travel back to the old office location to retrieve the mail and distribute it to the staff accordingly for an entire week.
Is this a question of incompetency of the staff assigned to coordinate the office move? Hardly! They are experts in performing the job they were hired to do….which I bet was not to coordinate an office move.
Having company staff coordinate such a demanding project as an office move, I believe, is an incompetent decision. Here are four reasons why:
- An office move is a full-time project. From coordinating the move date with all stakeholders and third parties, to planning and implementing a communication strategy with all parties involved, to working with all utility companies, postal services and all other external services your company relies on to stay operational, plus working with construction managers if the new site requires reconstruction, the furniture movers, the moving truck and on-site lease managers, an office move could be considered a full-time contractual job.
- Unless you are a moving company, your staff would most likely not be trained to know and handle every detail of an office move.
- Your staff already fills a 40hr week applying their skills and talents to other duties related to your business operations. Adding an additional full time project to their plate that is not directly related to your business operations would only be a recipe for important details (like not informing the phone company and post office of your office move) being missed and neither job being done well.
- The thought of saving your company money via using your office staff in an office move is a myth. If five of your staff members were assigned to coordinate the office move and they each earned approximately $300 – $900/day, the cost to you would be $1,500 – $4,500 per day on staff being diverted from their regular business responsibilities. Add the loss of incoming revenue because of missed business opportunities (an estimated average of $ 10,000 per day), and the added cost of mistakes like those described at the beginning of this blog (mobile fees, extra mileage expense payouts), and you have an idea of how much it really costs to have your staff involved in an office move.
So what is the solution?
If your business is moving into a 2000sqft or more office space, consider finding an office move project management company in your area to take the lead and handle all the details related to your office move. Your company will be better off financially, incur minimal disruption, and enjoy hitting the ground and running once in your new office space.
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DJ McGauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Move, Reconstruction and Reconfiguration Project Management Company of choice for the Toronto, GTA and surrounding areas. If an office move or reconstruction of your 2000 – 25,000sqft office space is a remote possibility, consider contacting us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. We guarantee that by the end of that meeting you will know all that would be required to make your office move/reconstruction project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931 , email [email protected], or visit our website to complete our contact form.
10 Reasons an Office Move is Not Like a House Move
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Whether you are moving into a new house or moving into a new office space, a move is a move, right? Well it may seem like that on the surface, especially when some of what needs to be done in both an office move and a residential move is the same (e.g. arrange change of address, pack, call the phone company, etc). In comparison, however, an office move has a much greater impact and greater risks associated with it, so it cannot be fully treated the same way as a residential move.
There are many factors that effect and that are affected by an office move that may have minimal to no effect in a house move. Some of those factors are outlined in the chart below:
| A House Move… | An Office Move… | |
| 1. | Impacts a family unit | Impacts 5 – 25000 + employees |
| 2. | Causes a mild interruption to family life | Can cause a major interruption to all employees |
| 3. | The cost of making a mistake (e.g. forgetting to arrange the forwarding of the mail) is minimal | The cost of making a mistake (e.g. forgetting to arrange the forwarding of the mail) could have a significant impact regular business operations |
| 4. | Minimal to no effect on incoming household income | Possibility of significant revenue being lost due to regular operations being disrupted and sales opportunities being missed |
| 5. | Minimal moving expenses (i.e. expenses can be limited to renting a moving truck and having friends help load and unload for a pizza meal) | Moving expenses being limited to renting a moving truck means higher expenses incurred by company to pay employees and disrupt regular business operations |
| 6. | No strict packing rules – items can be packed in irregular sized boxes | Strict packing rule – all items must be packed in boxes of the same dimensions to facilitate easy stacking in the truck |
| 7. | One family member can take time off of work to focus on the move on moving day | One staff member can be assigned to coordinate the office move but will be unfocused as that staff member would also be expected to fulfill his/her regular 40hr/week business duties |
| 8. | No operating expenses involved in family life | Organizations are obligated to pay staff even if their attention is diverted away from performing regular business duties |
| 9. | Lead time required for a successful move is two months | Lead time required for a successful move is two years |
| 10. | DIY approach can work successfully | DIY approach is not recommended |
These issues will be discussed in more detail in upcoming blogs. In the meantime, if your company has five or more employees and is planning to move into a 2000sqft – 25000sqft office space, why not contact us to arrange a 20-minute no-obligation site meeting. We’ll be able to advise you on what to expect, what to budget and how we can help.
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DJ McGauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Move, Reconstruction and Reconfiguration Project Management Company of choice for the Toronto, GTA and surrounding areas. If an office move or reconstruction of your 2000 – 25,000sqft office space is a remote possibility, consider contacting us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. We guarantee that by the end of that meeting you will know all that would be required to make your office move/reconstruction project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931 , email [email protected], or visit our website to complete our contact form.
7 Things To Know Before Your Next Office Move
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Your organization is outgrowing your current office space, so much so that an office move into a 2000sqft to 25000sqft office space is very possible. If this describes your organization, then there are a few things you should know before you plan your next office move.
- An office move should not be treated like a Do-it-Yourself project. Compared to a residential move, an office move can be more involving in terms of getting your equipment, computer and communications systems up and running so that your business can function optimally. Thus, it would be wise to consider seeking the help of a professional office move management company that can help take care of such details for you.
- A successful office move is one that is planned two years in advanced.
- An office move represents change and could add significant disruption and stress to your staff of five or more, so empower your staff by implementing an organizational communications plan.
- Having your staff be responsible for packing up the office up will not save you any money. If you compare the total of your staff’s daily wages to the cost of utilizing a professional office move company for a day, you will find that using your staff to pack up your office actually costs you more money than using a professional moving company to do the same.
- If your original office furniture was purchased from IKEA, it may not make it through an office move. Consider purchasing industrial-grade office furniture for your new office space.
- The planning of your new office space needs to be based on the actual (not assumed) measurements of both the office space and your office furniture.
- The smallest details in an office move such as informing the postal service of your new address and effective move date, could have the biggest impact on your business operations.
I’ll share some real stories related to the above in upcoming blogs. In the meantime, if an office move into a 2000sqft to 25000sqft office space is in your short-term future, why not contact us to arrange a 20-minute no-obligation meeting. We’ll be able to advise you on what to expect, what to budget and how we can help. Call us at 416-239-1931, email us at [email protected] or submit your queries on our Contact Form.
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DJ McGauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Move, Reconstruction and Reconfiguration Project Management Company of choice for the Toronto, GTA and surrounding areas. If an office move or reconstruction of your 2000 – 25,000sqft office space is a remote possibility, consider contacting us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. We guarantee that by the end of that meeting you will know all that would be required to make your office move/reconstruction project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931 , email [email protected], or visit our website to complete our contact form.
Good Project Managers Sweat the Details
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Have you ever looked at your office space and thought, “I think the kitchen/kitchenette area would look better and serve our staff more conveniently if it was shifted over a few feet”? Or maybe, “it should only take a few days to move into our brand new office space and be fully operational by Monday”? If you have, then you need a good project manager take care of the details and make it happen.
What is a good project manager”? Well for an office move, renovation or reconfiguration, a good project manager is one that looks at a project and thinks about all the details that no one else would think of to get from the project’s starting point to its desired end.
For example, my client that wanted the office’s kitchen area moved over approximately 50ft was surprised when I quoted her the estimated cost of $50,000 and responded, “Can’t you just unplug the kitchen unit from here, cut an outlet and plug it back into the new spot?” What she didn’t realize is that her request would require some extensive reconstruction and rewiring behind the wall before a new outlet could be created and her kitchen area successfully moved over the 50ft.
A good project manager sweats the details so that neither you nor your staff has to. In an office move, for example, a good project manager would call in, coordinate and manage all the necessary engineers and construction professionals to
- wire or rewire the electrical to PEng standards to better suit your business needs,
- build new offices or take down walls to create an open office space,
- install and test phone and data lines to accommodate complex phone systems, computer servers and connections to and from each planned work station,
- activate utilities
- dismantle and reassemble workstations
- pack and move furniture
- check and change all florescent light fixtures
- paint
- clean, shampoo the carpets, polish the floors, and wash the windows
- ensure office temperature is optimal for your staff and equipment
So, if an office move or reconstruction of your 2000 – 25,000sqft office space is a remote consideration, don’t sweat it. Instead let an office move/office reconstruction project manager sweat the details for you.
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DJ McGauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Move, Reconstruction and Reconfiguration Project Management Company of choice for the Toronto, GTA and surrounding areas. If an office move or reconstruction of your 2000 – 25,000sqft office space is a remote consideration, consider contacting us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. We guarantee that by the end of that meeting you will know all that would be required to make your office move/reconstruction project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931 , email [email protected], or visit our website to complete our contact form.
Corporate Space Planning & Relocation Advice 