Executive Summary

Dulcedo needed a headquarters that could do more than “work.” It had to host talent and brand partners, support content creation, and feel unmistakably aligned with a creative industry all inside an older downtown building that came with real constraints. Truspace delivered a full multi-level transformation, including major base-building upgrades, and hit the must-move deadline: ahead of an internal launch on April 10th.

Client Context

Dulcedo operates at the intersection of talent, culture, and brand. Their office isn’t just a place for desks and meetings. It’s where talent drops in, partners visit, shoots happen, and teams move quickly between collaboration and client-facing work.

Their downtown Toronto building didn’t reflect that reality. It needed a complete shift in look, performance, and how the space supported daily use.

The Challenge

This project had three pressures from day one: time, building condition, and downtown site control.

A space that felt stuck in the 1990s
The existing interior reads like an old corporate office closed-in, dated, and disconnected from the brand Dulcedo represents. The goal wasn’t simply “renovated.” The goal was a headquarters that felt current, confident, and creative with daylight and openness working through the full building.

Skylights that had leaked for years and winter was coming fast
The skylight system was more than 20 years old and had been leaking for years. Replacing it before winter was non-negotiable. Doing that work in a rainy fall season, while coordinating a full roof replacement and ongoing interior construction, required tight sequencing.

Security during a front entrance rebuild
The building sits in a high-traffic downtown area. Security was a constant concern, and it peaked during the entrance glazing replacement. The front façade work meant the most sensitive area of the building, the controlled entry point, was under construction.

Older-building surprises you can’t see on a drawing
As demolition and rooftop work progressed, existing conditions surfaced that weren’t visible during design. The team needed solutions that protected schedule and safety without cutting corners.

The Solution

Truspace approached this as a full reset: re-plan the building for how Dulcedo works, then back it up with the envelope and mechanical performance to match.

1) Rework the space around real use

The interior layout was redesigned across multiple levels to create flexible areas that can shift between everyday work and hosting. The space now supports:

• talent and influencer visits
• client and partner meetings
• content creation and photo shoots
• small gatherings and collaborative work

Open areas were balanced with privacy where it mattered. Fire-rated and acoustic partitions were installed to control sound and separation, and upgraded doors with integrated access control helped support a secure, downtown-ready environment.

2) Bring daylight back into the building

The building’s new skylights aren’t a background feature, they change the experience. Openings on the upper floors bring natural light down through the building, creating a brighter feel and stronger visual connection between levels. What used to be a long-standing problem is now one of the most commented-on features.

A ceiling paint transition in the third-floor kitchen adds another signature moment, a small detail that signals the space was designed with intention.

3) Upgrade performance where it counts

This wasn’t just an interior refresh. Truspace coordinated major base-building improvements to strengthen durability and long-term performance:

• front entrance glazing replacement and façade improvements
• full roof replacement
• skylight replacement/repairs
• rooftop mechanical upgrades, including new rooftop units and AC improvements
• structural coordination for rooftop mechanical loads

4) Keep the building secure during the riskiest phase

During façade and entrance glazing replacement, the team maintained controlled access with layered protection:

• a hoarding wall installed during façade work
• the existing front door kept in place to preserve secure entry
• a security fence installed around the entrance area
• a camera mounted on the front pillar for continuous monitoring

5) Solve the biggest “surprise” without losing the deadline or the budget

The biggest curveball showed up during rooftop mechanical installation. The engineering assumption was that existing RTU locations already had the concrete supports required to meet load limits. Once the roof was opened, it was clear those supports weren’t there.

Truspace worked closely with the engineers to develop a code-compliant solution that was straightforward to execute in winter conditions. The roof was reopened and new concrete blocks were installed to properly support the equipment, without delaying the schedule and at no additional cost to the client. This is where Truspace’s lump sum guarantee matters: when hidden conditions surface, the project stays controlled, and the client isn’t asked to absorb surprise costs.

Results

Dulcedo’s building went from dated and closed-in to bright, modern, and built for a creative, client-facing agency.

Outcomes delivered:

• Handover completed April 7, 2025, meeting the planned deadline
• Internal launch held April 10, with move-in beginning in early April
• A complete aesthetic shift from “1990s corporate” to a modern, open headquarters
• Leaking skylights were replaced and transformed into a hero feature that brings daylight deep into the space
• Improved flow and flexibility across multiple floors to support shoots, meetings, hosting, and everyday work
• Security maintained throughout construction, including during entrance work
• Delivered on time and on budget
• Only minor deficiencies noted at completion — a strong closeout for a retrofit of this size and complexity