LUXE magazine owner and Editor in Chief Samia El explains why she chose to devote a full issue to the subject of creativity. She also shares her long-term vision for the magazine and describes the goals she is hoping to achieve.

Why did you choose to devote this issue to the art and creativity scene in Montreal?

To me, luxury is most of all a question of art, talent, and creativity. We are very fortunate, in Quebec, to have lots of passionate and creative people, be they entrepreneurs, artists or craftspeople. All are helping to showcase who we are and the outstanding goods and services that are available to us.

Luxe Magazine now has a vibrant website. Does one have to display creativity and increase the number of platforms to make it in the media industry?

Absolutely! Technology never stops progressing. Magazines must adapt in order to continue being read. People are getting their information more and more from their mobile phones and tablets; they surf social media and are eager to get to the information quickly. Investing in an online version for our readers, and also for our clients and advertising partners, was becoming crucial for us. Moreover, contrary to conventional media, our strength lies in the use of all media formats, and this applies to the web, to social media, and to events with business communities. This multiplatform presence provides added value to our members.

UNICEF is listed as one of your partners. Why is that collaboration important to you?

Over time, the magazine is becoming more widely known, which is providing us with access to a vast network of businesspeople. So, each year we want to partner with a foundation in order to provide it with greater visibility. To me, all causes are good, and businesses must get involved in helping them. Just imagine how much our society would bene t if, tomorrow, every business decided to partner with a foundation and ask its employees to donate part of their salaries to it! We would collectively be helping to drive things forward. Charitable donations should be part of everyone’s philosophy. We are all affected directly or indirectly by someone going through a dif cult time. That’s why I believe that, besides the fundraising events that keep appealing to the same people, we should come up with a broader solicitation method that would get everybody involved. You don’t have to be rich to dedicate $1 from your salary to a good cause. It’s less a matter of money than a matter of responsibility.

Since you have been the owner of the magazine, you have given it a business focus rather than a design focus. Why is that?

Our business model is largely based on strategic partnerships with companies that are active in the luxury industry, which provides us with a network of important businesspeople in many parts of the world. We have just entered into a major partnership with one of New York City’s largest agencies, Lauren Berger Collection, which specializes in luxury property rentals. My greatest strengths lie in creating solid links with businesspeople, putting them in touch with each other, and giving them visibility. LUXE is more than just a magazine. It is a business network as well as a community of leaders at the national and international levels. In the art world, Arsenal Contemporary Art, an art centre located in Montreal, Toronto and New York, is one of our partners too. We are also about to announce another major partnership with one of the world’s largest private aviation companies.

Your magazine regularly features luxury real estate projects being developed in Montreal. Are these a reflection of the city’s vibrancy, in your view?

Yes. The numerous real estate projects that have sprung up over the last few years testify to the city’s vibrancy, but they also reflect a greater demand for high-end building projects, frequently in the downtown core. Canada is viewed as one of the most stable and safe countries in the world. We have excellent universities that admit students from all parts of the world, year after year. Often, those students’ parents make investments here by buying an apartment close to the university. The price of those condos in the middle of downtown is quite affordable compared to that of similar condos in many other countries. Nonetheless, there is a chance that it will be increasing over the next ten years. Having a property in Montreal, or even in Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary, is an excellent investment, in my opinion. Real estate has always fascinated me—that’s why I’ve decided that it would be at the heart of the LUXE magazine. We emphasize the most attractive current projects while creating targeted events for foreign investors.

How do you see the magazine evolving in the longer term?

LUXE magazine is gradually being recognized in North America as a reference for high-end real estate projects that are likely to attract potential buyers looking for a luxurious way of life. We also do features on incredible businessmen and businesswomen in order to introduce our readers to them and share their passion with them. In the longer term, we hope to play the role of a private club by helping bring together businesspeople from here and from around the world.

Text: Diane Sthehle

Founded in 2010 by Adam Neumann and Miguel McKelvey, WeWork is a workspace sharing network that spans the globe. Designed for the individual freelancer right up to companies with over 500 employees, WeWork takes the stress and guesswork out of running an office. Joining WeWork is much more than accessing a beautiful, functional office space; it’s about creating and joining a community that celebrates life and personal fulfillment.

Welcome to WeWork

WeWork is an international community that serves as a collaborative platform for a vast range of business models including entrepreneurs and start-ups as well as enterprise level established companies. Office spaces are designed to warmly welcome employees from the moment they step through the elevator doors.

Each floor is designed with glass walls, a communal kitchen (stocked with micro-roasted coffee, tea,craft beer and fruit-infused water) as well as spacious unique common areas featuring lamps, desks, chairs, lockable filing cabinets and more. Meeting rooms as well as phone booths for private conversations are also readily available on every floor.

From Sydney to Tokyo, New York to Vancouver, each space is staffed by office managers who are dedicated to making the WeWork experience as exciting and enjoyable as possible! Want to organize a networking event or set up a conference room for a product analysis meeting? The on-site staff is there to help with every foreseeable detail.

It’s all about community

From decision-makers, fashion designers and artists to freelancers, technological entrepreneurs and business owners, the WeWork model attracts those with a vision and the drive to take their enterprise to the next level. Becoming a WeWork member means businesses can focus less on the functional details of an office (leases, furniture, computers, office supplies and adequate space) and devote themselves fully to the pleasure of expanding the quality of their enterprise.

Belonging to the WeWork community comes with all sorts of additional benefits. Members can opt-in to buying items such as computer software at a discounted rate. Each floor’s various common spaces promote conversation, information gathering sharing and networking opportunities. More formal member-driven networking opportunities, wellness activities, wine- tastings, panel discussions and so much more are also available on a daily basis. The sheer variety of members’expertise and personalities of the members in each office drives the dynamic energy of the community’s shared experience.

Members are also connected worldwide through a digital app that enables them to source project partners and business solutions rapidly. Whether it’s legal advice regarding a patent or the search for a qualified project manager, a WeWork survey revealed that seven out of ten members used the application to answer their business needs.

What’s next?

WeWork opened its first location in Canada in Montreal’s iconic Place Ville Marie office tower in the heart of downtown in March 2016. A second Montreal location haswas opened, as well as a location in downtown Toronto and, most recently, in the Burrard station in Vancouver. A second location for Toronto and Vancouver are slated to open at the end of this year and at the beginning of 2018. WeWork sites are chosen based on their city-centrality, in neighbourhoods that feature a high concentration of creative and technological communities. Members also have access to all other workspaces throughout the world when they are travelling.

Driven by demand and the dynamism of the a community-modelled workplace, WeWork will continue to expand its offering all over the globe. Learning opportunities, such aslike courses to increase enhance skill- sets (such as coding) are also on the horizon. As a complementary offering to WeWork, WeLive is also in the works: Private private apartments that have communal access to amenities such as a chef’s kitchen, a yoga studio and a screening room.

For more information on WeWork, visit: www.wework.com.

Text: Shauna Hardy

For 30 years now, Claude Marcotte has worked in large consulting engineering and architecture companies. In his busy career, he has participated in the planning of theGriffintown neighbourhood and in the implementation of the Tour des Canadiens and the Bois-Franc project, among others. He is now a Partner at Carbonleo, a prominent Quebec property development and management company, and has been involved in several flagship projects in metropolitan Montreal, including theQuartier DIX30TM, the Four Seasons Montreal and RoyalmountTM. This passionate urban planner shares his vision for Montreal with us on the occasion of the city’s 375th birthday.

Why do you so strongly believe in the future of Montreal?

Montreal embodies the millennial spirit. It’s a young, connected, vibrant city that is experiencing an unprecedented real estate boom. Millennials like experiences. With its hip, European character, its bilingual culture and its calendar of international events, Montreal has become their city of choice.

Is it difficult to manage large projects in Montreal?

The situation has changed a lot in the last few years. Public administrations, whether at the Ville de Montréal, the Ville de Mont-Royal, or the Quebec government, are much more interested carrying out flagship projects in the metropolitan area and are showing a spirit of collaboration.

Tell us about your Four Seasons Montreal project.

We’ve been working on this prestigious project for a few years. We have entered into a partnership with Four Seasons that will allow us to create a luxury ecosystem in the heart of downtown Montreal. In addition to hotel rooms and residences, this exceptional project will include a huge ballroom, a restaurant, a unique lounge and speakeasy, as well as high-end commercial spaces. Visitors and residents will also have direct access to the Ogilvy/Holt Renfrew store.

Do we have the expertise in Montreal to carry out this kind of spectacular project?

Absolutely. We’re working with local firms like Lemay and Sid Lee for architecture, BPA and Elmea for engineering, Philip Hazan for interior design and Zebulon Perron for the restaurant and the lounges. We are doing business with external firms and are maintaining close collaboration with local companies to keep expertise in Montreal. That’s the case with the Parisian architecture agency Gilles & Boissier, which is very involved in the interior design of the Four Seasons Montreal. For the Royalmount project, we have hired the London architecture company Benoy. Once again, we have fostered a constructive partnership between Benoy, Lemay and Sid Lee to create a smart and inspiring design.

You mention the Royalmount project. We heard a lot about it some time ago, but you seem to be more reserved now. What’s going on with it?

We’re working very hard on the project, which will become a model cultural and commercial hub. It will offer many experiences and services in one location. We’ll disclose more information on the project next fall.

Why have you chosen that location to conduct such a large-scale project?

Royalmount will be located at the heart of the island of Montreal, at the intersection of the two busiest highways: Highway 15, which connects the north and south shores, and Highway 40, which connects the east and west of the province. It will also be linked to the De la Savane subway station by a pedestrian walkway.

How are you going to connect with the new generations and adjust to the constant changes in retail trade?

Consumers’ expectations fluctuate, just like the industry. Immersive experiences will soon become the only way to appeal to new generations. Royalmount will be a unique entertainment and gastronomy destination. It will have a diversified commercial offer that will be joined by hotels and offices. Furthermore, for its construction, we’re paying special attention to sustainable and responsible development initiatives. Montreal is celebrating its 375th birthday.

In your opinion, does the construction of the Four Seasons Montreal contribute to our city’s international reputation?

Yes, absolutely. Four Seasons is a brand that’s very present in all large cities around the world: in London, Paris, New York, Toronto, and now Montreal. Our city has changed a lot in the last few years and the Four Seasons will improve its offering in terms of luxury hotels.

What is your greatest achievement?

I would say all my projects as a whole, but in a 30-year career, a project as complex as that of the Four Seasons, which includes private residences, a luxury hotel, boutiques, an entertainment space and direct access to Ogilvy, has to be among the top. The building is also magnificent.

Are those exactly the types of complex projects that drive you?

Yes, because there is complexity as much on the architectural level as on the conceptual and construction levels. Once the Four Seasons Montreal opens its doors in December 2018, I will be very involved in the management of the hotel and its operations, which will be another great challenge. At Carbonleo, we’re a small team, but we manage ambitious projects.

www.carbonleo.com

Text: Diane Stelhe