KPMG has moved almost 1,000 of its Calgary employees to a new 120,000-square-foot office in the city’s downtown, a site that emphasizes connectivity, health, accessibility and comfort.

Located in 240 4 Ave. SW, the 31-storey KPMG Tower, formerly known as 240FOURTH, now hosts the professional services firm as a key tenant. KPMG relocated after 46 years in Bow Valley Square, with staff moved in by mid-January.

With Avison Young as project manager and spearheading tenant improvement, the interior design, furniture and signage of the office were revamped, along with the addition of an interconnecting staircase that joins five levels.

The workspaces of KPMG’s office are tailor-made for flexibility, with a layout that combines collaboration zones, focus areas and mentor pods. Inclusivity is another centrepiece of the design, incorporating physical accessibility and accommodations for the neurodiverse.

“They’ve been in the same spot for a long period of time, and I think they found a great partner in the owners of the building that they’re now in,” Mark Solomon, associate director of project management at Avison Young, said in an interview with RENX.

Flexibility, inclusiveness

Key to the new home for KPMG Calgary is a “community feeling" and "connectiveness,” Solomon said, where people can be easily brought together for collaboration. KPMG “is very, very proud” of a floor reserved solely for meeting space, Solomon said, where staff can connect with clients and coworkers.

Similarly, an internal staircase that provides a path to five floors, was installed to stimulate “movement, spontaneous conversation and a shared sense of identity across the whole organization,” Avison Young said on the website for the project. 

Another guiding principle of the office is adaptability, the ability to “have flexibility for all of what they need to do,” as Solomon described. “You need a room for 20 people or you need a room for 40 people or 60, you can do that very easily in this space.”

The offices feature Teknion Tek Pier systems, a wall-integrated, height-adjustable work surface that includes computer monitors and acoustic barriers. Group meetings, virtual calls and private meetings can be held in one space using the systems.

Another way openness is maintained is through the design, which meets the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification, and the inclusion of neurodiversity-inclusive spaces such as quiet zones and soft seating areas.

Sustainability, comfort

To enhance comfort for occupants, promote wellness and enhance productivity, the EcoAir System made by Surgically Clean Air was installed. Described by Solomon as the next level of comfort, the overhead filtration units over the workstations have a secondary role as sound masking. The equipment outputs a gentle hum that is more comfortable and natural than having a separate system, he explained.

“It’s really about making sure that when people are in this space, they feel comfortable being there and want to be there."

To aim for the LEED Gold certification, Avison Young selected materials, building systems and even construction in line with the sustainability standard, Solomon said.

KPMG staff have been “very impressed” with the new digs, he said, with the headlining features making it easier to come in to the office.

Calgary office market in flight for quality

KPMG is entering an office market that showed modest growth in Q2. Avison Young data for Calgary found total absorption of 203,836 square feet in the quarter and a 0.3 per cent overall decrease in vacancy from Q1.

There was negative absorption of 20,551 square feet in the downtown Calgary market for Q2, with vacancy “effectively unchanged” at 27.8 per cent.

Mergers and acquisitions in the energy sector added upward pressure on the sublease vacancy rate, Avison Young said, and the resulting negative absorption offset leasing gains in Calgary’s downtown. A Colliers analysis ended on the same conclusion.

The growth of the Calgary sublease market could end with tenants finding opportunities to upgrade their spaces at a better cost, Avison Young said, fuelling the flight to quality trend.

While the Calgary office market is facing persistent challenges such as vacancy rates staying consistent, Solomon said the demand for top-tier spaces is strong. Leasing activity for trophy buildings in the city’s downtown core is “fantastic,” he said.

Solomon is seeing rent rates rising from tighter market conditions, and he expects that trend to continue this year and into 2027.