Workplace

Demonstrating an admiration for craftsmanship and a sense of locality, the new head office for Salta is a warm and inviting space that celebrates the conviviality of a distinguished business that places people first. Having worked with Salta on its previous Melbourne workplace, Carr was once again engaged to reflect and support the business’s growth in a new ‘future office’. With the lease coming to an end and the significant evolution of the company over the past 50 years, Salta seized on the opportunity to invest further in its people and cultural environment to ensure the transformed workplace was a platform that reflected Salta’s values and progressive mindset. Sharyn Cairns Before any design decisions, Ca... More

Leading architecture and interior design firm FCA is pleased to unveil its renovated Philadelphia headquarters. Through a two-year process of comprehensive research, employee surveys, and design charrettes, FCA developed a forward-facing workplace tailored strategically to the needs of its employees and the engagement of their clients in the process. The refreshed office embodies the firm’s strategy in practice, serving as a springboard for future workplaces across the country. “It was an exciting challenge to reimagine our own workplace,” says Aran McCarthy, AIA, NCARB, President at FCA. “It required us to dig deep and discover what our team truly wants from an office. Our new office needs to give people something... More

Abrams Books retained Spacesmith for the site selection and design of their new 40,000 sf headquarters. Our team began by evaluating multiple locations while working with Abrams to develop new workplace standards to comfortably accommodate employees and provide them with needed collaboration spaces, as well as enhanced amenities. A 19th century landmarked building was chosen giving Spacesmith the opportunity to juxtapose the iconic with the new, a nod to Abrams long history in the publishing industry and its contemporary branding effort. Photo credit: Eric Laignel Multiple workplace strategies were studied, and Abrams chose a 90% open workplace, a large departure from their previous headquarters which held private offices. To manage t... More

LOM architecture and design have worked with NatWest Group to transform a 20-year-old desk-centric building into an engaging and social head office. 250 Bishopsgate, an 11-storey glass and steel building at the edge of the City of London, was chosen as the bank’s future head office when NatWest streamlined their London office portfolio from 6 major buildings to 2. After a multi-year refurbishment programme, the building now works harder, is more sustainable, and healthier. © Nicholas Worley LOM’s transformation was carried out over multiple phases before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, with the building remaining operational throughout.  © Nicholas Worley The major retrofit project set out to radical... More

SpaceInvader was commissioned by Aviva Investors to refurbish the central area of an existing mixed workspace at 201 Deansgate in central Manchester. Built on a former Quaker Burial site, the 6-storey modernist building at 201 Deansgate, which was constructed in 1997, sits on one of Manchester’s most vibrant and diverse thoroughfares in an important commercial location that can be easily accessed from surrounding prime retail, civic and legal community districts. All images by Andrew Smith of SG Photography “Competition is high for landlords in this area and the refurbishment needed to be of a high standard to help retain the scheme’s existing tenants, moving forward into the future, as well as to attract new ones. I... More

The complete refurbishment of Stopford House for Stockport Council by Manchester-based designers SpaceInvader has now been shortlisted for a BCO North Award 2023. Stopford House is a key asset in Stockport Council’s workplace estate and was purpose-built in 1975 to accommodate a wide range of Council services. The Brutalist-style, 6-storey building, which has a net internal area of 72,505 sq ft, features concrete external panelling that matches the council’s Neo-Wren Town Hall building directly opposite. When the Council came to SpaceInvader in late 2020 to carry out an initial workplace strategic review, this included assessing the building’s current and ongoing fitness for purpose. After a thorough examination of the bu... More

Workplace, hospitality and wellbeing come together in Mercedes-Benz Lifestyle, a mixed use project situated along Brisbane’s Breakfast Creek and Brisbane River. David Chatfield The project is aimed at Mercedes-Benz's clientele, with a full car showroom and workshop across four levels. The new lifestyle precinct also goes beyond to engage with a wider audience through dining, health and wellness, and function offerings. David Chatfield The design response captures one of site topography, where air, land and sea-styled interiors define and zone the enormous 3900 sqm floorplate. Spaces are carved up for individual office tenancies, coworking and lounging. David Chatfield David Chatfield The interior detailing refle... More

Designed for one of Victoria’s most respected town planning consultancies, this workplace modernises and streamlines a previously outdated, dark and enclosed office space. It supports new, more flexible ways of working for Contour, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing in a light and bright open environment. Derek Swalwell Designated zones support front of house, work spaces and social areas, transforming a traditional office environment into an agile, paperless contemporary workplace. Derek Swalwell The original building shell has been revealed, celebrating the space’s volume. In addition, post-pandemic models were a key consideration, with natural light and airflow maximised through new louvered windows a... More

A series of optical devices and a material palette of contrasting colors, diffuse lights and reflective surfaces give this office space an immaterial dimension. This office in Athens is the brick and mortar working space for a company that provides exclusively web services such are real time monitoring for threats in the cyberspace. We were commissioned to expand their security operations center, which quadrupled in size and moved to a dedicated floor. The task at hand was to give form to the immaterial nature of the program while balancing the ratio between work to leisure areas. Panagiotis Voumvakis The central operations room is situated in between the North and South facing windows, at the center of the floorplan, with supportive... More

Samuelov transformed Essence’s workspace into a modern, sleek, and inviting area for all who step foot inside. From the installation of graphic wall art to a new color pallet, Samuelov helped Essence, a global technology leader creating innovative, cloud based, end-to-end security and healthcare solutions for professionals, cast a spell on each one of its office visitors.  Uzi Porat Uzi Porat Strong light throughout the rooms illuminates the workspace, creating a sense of brightness and positivity in every room. The studio also installed big circular lights and slender streaky lights, adding a pop of light anywhere one looks, demanding focus and attention from users.    Uzi Porat Uzi Porat Samuelov... More

The UK’s leading appliance care specialist Domestic & General was happy with the location of its existing Wimbledon head offices - in one of London’s leafiest outlying areas, conveniently close to the railway and tube station - but when the building’s lease renewal coincided with Covid-19 and lockdown, the opportunity arose for a full review of the company’s future workplace needs. Domestic & General recognised this might be a moment for wholesale change - but only if their team were likely to share in and feel ownership of that future vision. All images by Gary Britton The workplace remodelling therefore began very much from the ground up, with in-depth conversations with the internal team about how th... More

A workplace redesign that truly complements a company and its people? Cheers to that! After creating two successful Tap Rooms serving their craft brewing innovations, we partnered with The Boston Beer Company again – this time to transform their corporate office. Boston Beer asked us to help them create a more cohesive office environment that would connect and showcase their brands while fostering community and collaboration in their home base. Caption The existing 50,000 SF workplace had a public corridor that physically divided the office into two sides, with walls and storefronts – and security barriers – separating them. Our design team overcame the inconvenient layout by eliminating the barriers and opening up... More

Located in the emerging “District Detroit” neighborhood just north of downtown, the new 2715 Woodward Class A office building opened for occupancy in 2021 and is now home to the new office of Warner Norcross + Judd (Warner) office. HED worked with the law firm to design their new office, which occupies the third floor of the building, encompassing a total of 27,000 square feet. More than 50 private offices were designed into the space, with additional open workspaces and flexible amenity areas for collaboration. John D'Angelo Crafted through a highly hands-on, participatory design process, the design team learned a great deal through the study of Warner’s other eight offices throughout Michigan. Virtual walk-throughs... More

When this confidential financial services client was relocating their downtown Los Angeles office to better accommodate their current and future workflow, they selected HED to assist them in selecting the perfect location and designing it to fit their culture. Benny Chan Benny Chan To design the perfect new space HED took into consideration the needs of employees at each level of the company, researching how the current co-working spaces were operating and how they could be improved to provide seamless productivity and ultimately advance the business. With enormous focus on the client’s core values and their client service processes, the design also considered how their clients’ experiences may be amplified. Benny... More