The Finishing Touches

Has the couch been ordered? Did the plumber fix the pipe behind the coffee maker? Is the white board paint here? To anyone outside of CSI, the answers to these questions won't seem critical, but to us, they are of the utmost importance. The answers represent the finishing touches to Suite 160, CSI's third space in the Robertson Building at 215 Spadina. Finishing touches I felt pretty darn excited about.

In April of this year, just after CSI acquired Suite 160, Eli asked me to show the space to a few contractors. "We know you are interested in the physical space aspect of CSI," he said. "This might be just the opportunity for you to explore that."

An opportunity indeed. After that first conversation, I worked with AutoCAD, mapped new electrical, telephone and data outlets on floor plans, designed the layout of the kitchen, purchased light fixtures, paint, furniture, and more. The file labelled Suite 160 on my desk quickly tripled in size, each paper representative of one knew experience or skill set.

Looking back though, I see that the project provided much more than a professional development opportunity for me. I see the team building moments it provided the staff.  I see the excitement on tenants' faces, when they poked their heads in to sneak a peak at the new offices. I see the ten plus social innovators we were able to welcome into the space. And, I suspect, I see what other people at CSI have seen for quite some time. While the physical aspects of the space are fun to work with, they are really just a platform for so much more.

A comfy couch, a kitchen table, a wicked coffee maker, and a bold paint colour are ingredients for a great looking space, but it's the people here and how those ingredients make people feel that encourage creativity and innovation.

Is it silly that a CSI staff member is pointing this out? Yes? No? Maybe. People here talk about it often, but I like being reminded. And, I enjoyed coming to the same conclusion on my own.

Suite 160 opened for business at the beginning of July. We had a party to celebrate the opening, and everyone who came confirmed my suspicions. Sure, guests took a moment to appreciate the features of the new space, but they quickly moved on to the more important things: chatting to a new office neighbour, starting up old conversations, and just having good time.

Thanks Suite 160. Who knew partitions, paint, and plumbing could teach a girl so much about social innovation.