The Vancouver studio of ZAS Architects + Interiors has promoted Leigh Collyer, B. Arts, LEED ID+C AP to principal. As interior design director, Collyer has played an integral role in the growth and development of the firm’s Vancouver office.
Through building a talented and collaborative team, Collyer has successfully won long-term contracts with major financial institutions including HSBC, Bank of Montreal, and other credit unions. Her flexible and strategic approach to interiors has been pivotal in supporting clients with the recent acceleration of shifting demands and behaviours in the workplace, particularly as Canadians cross-country prepare to return to the office with the lifting of pandemic restrictions.
“Workplace design has reached an exciting and crucial moment, accelerated by the pandemic and ubiquity of remote work across many sectors. There has been a significant shift in the way we think about our offices and how we collaborate and connect. Gone-are-the-days of static cubicles or workstations – it’s time now that we continue to develop new strategies for vibrant and healthy workspaces that produce results through our interior design,” says Collyer. “It has been so rewarding to work closely with our clients to create amazing spaces that support new ways of working.”
Collyer has nearly 20 years of design and project management experience, servicing numerous long-time clients from Canada’s leading financial institutions. In 2022, Collyer has been focused on supporting HSBC’s new head office design, representing an entirely new way of working for bank employees through a hub-and-spoke workplace model. Another recent project includes directing the successful completion of new corporate offices for Microsoft, one of the largest adaptive re-use projects in the office’s history.
“Leigh has always been an extremely valuable and celebrated part of the ZAS team. Her leadership and results speak for themselves, having built our interior design studio from the ground up, maintaining and growing relationships with some of Canada’s top financial institutions for many years. It was important for us to recognize her work, tenure, and many contributions to ZAS’ practice. Congratulations from the entire ZAS team Leigh, we look forward to many more years of success together,” says Paul Stevens, senior principal, ZAS.
