Sun Life Financial officially opened its new corporate headquarters at One York Street in Toronto’s financial district on Sept. 13. The 35-storey, 800,000 square foot tower supports the company’s digital transformation and sustainability leadership, says the insurer.

The building provides floor-to-ceiling windows, open workspaces, 200,000 square feet of retail, and is designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification.

"Our new building is bright and sustainable – inside and out," said Dean Connor, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sun Life Financial. "It aligns with Sun Life's transformation as we leverage the latest in digital innovation, data and analytics to create solutions for our Clients. At the same time, it offers our employees more choice and flexibility in how and where they work – supporting our culture of high performance, inclusion and collaboration."

Called the Sun Life Financial tower, the new headquarters houses more than 2000 Sun Life employees on the 17 of 35 floors occupied by the company. Among other features, the building includes “The Ignite Studio – a floor committed to digital and client innovation and created for agile project delivery, design thinking workshops and innovation activities,” says the insurer.

The building also provides 300 bicycle racks, nine electric vehicle-charging stations, and two large rainwater cisterns, contributing to an anticipated annual savings of over five million litres of potable water.

"Sustainability is part of who we are as a company, reflecting our long-term commitment to employees, clients and communities," added Connor. "Our investment in One York is one more step along the journey of reducing our environmental impact. Leveraging technology, reducing the amount of energy we use during peak hours, and using less paper are just a few things we're doing to keep sustainability top-of-mind."