Element AI is one of the foremost companies in the artificial intelligence industry. They've decided to stay in Montreal and develop their roots in this burgeoning city. Of course, we heavily drew on the cultural diversity of Montreal which heavily inspired the Village within EAI's new office space.
The Village is a collection of meeting rooms, phone booths, and paring spaces which aim to reflect the visual impact of Montreal. Special attention was placed on materiality and colours which manifest in brick cladded rooms and coloured doors.
One central aspect of the Village is the Church of Learning. This room is a library which takes visual cues from the multiple churches in the surrounding Mile-Ex neighbourhood. The Church of Learning faces the iconic Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal.
Element AI has also heavily integrated the culture of academia within their company; drawing on the top researchers from around the world to contribute to and further the understanding of artificial intelligence. To accommodate this, we've designed special rooms which are occupied by researchers for months at a time. As well as these special rooms, there are rooms for sleeping and laundry.
One of EAI's big goals is the democratization of artificial intelligence. Through their innovative product, they're allowing more and more people to be able to employ AI and making it more accessible. To help convey this message through the design of the space, we've located The Ducky Room, their main robotics testing lab, in the public corridor. This gives the public a glimpse into the future of AI research in a way that was not possible before.