Elenberg Fraser Office

Elenberg Fraser are not your average architects, so it should come as no surprise that their office is not your average architectural studio. Standing in stark contrast to minimalist white spaces, this is a modern take on the old-fashioned architectural practice. We wanted our new office to be an incubator of ideas, so we removed the idea of celebrating context or taste – our studio is a commitment to the architectural project, which is only alive when the unknown is possible. So, we created a space of black and light; from the moment you walk through the Elenberg Fraser reception you begin to understand how we work. The black Deathstar decal on the front door and black neon feature lights give way to classic touch points such as the chesterfield pin-cushioned, black latex seat literally built into the reception desk, and the ebonised oak floors. The profiled picture frames containing aerial views of Melbourne pinned with Polaroids of our work immediately transport visitors into a new reality where you must abandon preconception and expectation. The fitout revolves around the library and salon space, where the flexibility and fluidity of the design process is facilitated by tables which project teams can stand around to have the important discussions, pointing at plans and renders or reaching for books from the library for inspiration or illustration. The main seating of the office unfolds back from this space and to the drawing room. The cellular structure of the practice is apparent in the workspace layout – there are six to eight smaller practices working in one space, each resisting the urge to become monolithic and taking on multiple identities that proliferate throughout our practice. Meeting rooms and offices are equipped with less expected contemporary art installations from artists including Brendan Van Hek, Callum Morton and Jonathan Jones, which create a collection of ideas and voices. The whole studio is about taking the best of the old and combining it with the best of the new. Some may see the latex furniture, PVC tables and black rubber drawing desks as kinky, but it is merely a modern interpretation of the traditional green linoleum that architects have always drawn on. Elenberg Fraser is about the generation of ideas and possibilities, rather than the anticipated rollout of a house style, and our studio provides the perfect Petri dish for that creative germination.