A new headquarters for EMI Australia is the perfect embodiment of the company’s inner urban culture, writes Paul McGillick.
June 5th, 2012
The project to find and fit out a new headquarters for music company, EMI Australia, was very much driven by its Chairman, Mark Poston. Stuck in a building in Cremorne that everyone hated, but tied to a lease, there was plenty of time to search for a new location.
The building in Flinders Street, Surry Hills, came up on the radar very early and, despite looking at many other sites, Poston was convinced from the beginning that Flinders Street would make the ideal home for EMI.
The building brought with it quite a lot of history. This had effectively begun with a makeover by the legendary Burley Katon Halliday (BKH) for Space Furniture (later ECC and Gelosa occupied the building).
BKH had stripped the building back to its concrete shell, sandblasting the concrete back so that you could see the aggregate.
They had also installed two stairways which set up an intriguing spatial dynamic which Andrew Cliffe – Director of The World is Round, who were commissioned to design the fit-out for EMI – describes as a “kind of figure of eight” and which he was keen to exploit in order to generate a constantly interesting spatial experience with continuously emerging views and a feeling that everything and everyone was integrated into an exciting whole.
Determined to respect the original BKH makeover, Cliffe says, “There was a component there of making sure you didn’t wreck what was already there. It was important to figure out what not to do as much as what to do.
“The idea was not to fix anything into that slab that didn’t need to be there, to keep it as honest and raw and as clean as possible. Also making sure that we didn’t inhibit the flow of the space and to respect the light and the views.”
The brief required 10 enclosed offices, one for each department head. Otherwise, it was to be a free-flowing space.
The offices, for example, are pushed to the core, maximising natural light and views for people at workstations. Cliffe also made optimal use of the ’figure-of-eight’ to break up the open plan and create a variety of spaces – and surprises.
Hence, the space unfolds as a series of mixed intimate and more expansive spaces.
This is an excerpt from an article that appears in Indesign #49, available now.
Photography: Tyrone Branigan
The World Is Round
theworldisround.com.au
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.
100% Belgian with a twist, Limited Edition rugs only need a single glance to attract attention, but that is only because they are the result of hours – sometimes even days – of intensive manual work. Discover a surprising world of 100% Belgian, age-old craftsmanship and distinctive design.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
The AIA Alta Wellness Haven offers the complete package for health and wellbeing away from the busy city life in Hong Kong and does it through a stellar interior design.
Adaptive reuse is all the rage across the design industry, and rightly so. Here, we present a selection of articles on this most effective approach to sustainability.
As one of the many entries to The Social Space category at the 2024 INDE.Awards, this community centre is something out of the ordinary through its architectural design, that also provides a place for community and connection for many.
Welcome to the year of the Design Effect. This year’s theme aims to showcase the profound ripple effects that exceptional design can have on people, place and planet. Join in shaping this narrative by contributing your perspective before May 3, 2024, and become a part of the Design Effect movement.