When do the rules and theories of contemporary workplace design not apply? In the case of Woods Bagot’s new Melbourne headquarters, project lead Bruno Mendes threw the rule book out and picked up a cookbook instead.
January 16th, 2018
Perhaps one of the stiffest challenges an architect will face during their career is designing their own studio. “There really is nothing harder,” confirms Bruno Mendes, Melbourne based principal with Woods Bagot (WB).
In taking up the mantle of project lead on WB’s new, in-house designed Melbourne studio, Mendes had some clear terms: “I said, ‘If I do this, you’ll leave me alone and I’ll do it’.”
The project would be designed and built over a tight period of two and half months, and the studio’s staff of 100+ were to be brought in at three vital points during the process: at briefing, which involved a studio-wide survey, and for the presentation of those survey findings (return briefing). On receipt of the keys, “I brought the entire studio over to see the [raw] space, and then they didn’t see it until it was completed,” says Mendes.
Mendes’ staff survey threw up lots of interesting results – key terms that ranged from ‘boring’ to ‘woeful’ to ‘exciting’. “The one that worried me most was ‘non-collaborative’,” says Mendes. In presenting his findings back to his team, the call for a variety of collaborative spaces formed a major part of the brief.
Mendes makes no bones about the fact that he isn’t a workplace architect. “There’s a lot of theory and terminology that’s been developed around workplace [design]. Frankly speaking, I didn’t buy into any of it. To create our new space it was always going to be focused on the team, worked along with a clear architectural vision around materiality and craft. It wasn’t a workplace vision we were creating, more a vision for our new studio.
The idea of craft is extremely important, especially when dealing with timber and steel. The studio is very much an extension of the lessons learnt from building my own house ‘Law Street’ – an experiment in crafting steel and timber.
“In our old premises, we lacked a variety of sufficient collaboration areas. We had an insufficient number of meeting rooms and as a result most of our meetings were at our desks.” When it came to the new tenancy: “The bones were good, but spread over two floors,” notes Mendes. “We needed to immediately connect the two floors and break down the ‘us and them’ mentality. It called for a significant gesture.”
That gesture was inspired, in part, by “one of the cheapest you’ll buy online!” says Mendes. The Family Meal by Ferran Adria from El Bulli is filled with the recipes of the dishes eaten by the El Bulli team at staff mealtime. Perhaps what struck Mendes most about this cookbook was its spirit of sharing.
“It reveals the importance of that time in the day when they sit down, collaborate and share new ideas over food and wine – it’s that idea of breaking bread together.”
For Woods Bagot too, the most creative moments happen when they get away from their desks. The central auditorium is Mendes’ ode to that idea of ‘family time’. Connecting the upper staff area with the entry level reception, it hosts presentations, get-togethers – even karaoke sessions – among staff. More recently it has gained the attention of external parties who come in to host their sharing sessions here as well.
“It was one of the most crucial moves,” says Mendes. “Everything else just flowed from that.” As Mendes points out, the forum may appear as architectural expression, but really it’s a “framework to allow that collaboration to happen.”
This project was entered in the 2017 INDE.Awards. Enter the INDE’s now and be part of the Asia Pacific’s biggest design award program.
–
Want to know what’s specified? Read the Dissections for Woods Bagot Melbourne. This project originally appeared in issue #66 of Indesign.
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!
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
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.
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
Paying homage to that wonderful tool of life, the book, SJK Architects’ design for the new headquarters of Penguin Random House is both a temple to the library and a captivating place to work.
Simon Liley, Principal Sustainability Consultant at Cundall, writes about how cyberpunk dystopias haven’t (quite) come to pass yet – and how designers can avoid them.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Continuing our new series on the design enthusiasts who work in all sorts of different roles across the industry, we hear from Innerspace’s Creative Collaborator and State Manager NSW.
Salone del Mobile 2024 is only a few weeks away, so we’re highlighting here seven special events, spaces and installations that we’re certainly planning to check out.