Woods Bagot has completed a new workplace for ADCO in Melbourne, delivering a contemporary workplace environment for one of Australia's leading construction companies. Situated in South Melbourne, the key driver for the project was to provide ADCO a point of difference, utilizing the space as an opportunity to showcase exemplar buildability and craftsmanship. Referencing the family-run firm's approach to construction, the design reimagines how traditional building materials can be reinterpreted through innovative methods of assembly.
Form and massing studies led to the creation of a unique screening element for this project. Visible from a number of points throughout the work floor, the screen functions to anchor the space, providing a cohesive narrative that reflects the approachable and cohesive culture of the business. Offering a new perspective to materiality, the brick motif was crafted in timber used in repetition with an application traditionally reserved for brick. The feature wall demarcates the space while allowing sight lines to be maintained throughout.
The design challenged conventions of two commonly used materials, exploring how the application of one can create a different perspective on the other. "We devised a strong singular expression that binds the space via a visually unique gesture, producing a continuous structure that forms a screen, reception desk and planter box," said Brittany Pearce, Woods Bagot Interior Designer. "The 'brick' wall meanders through the arrival space, defining a series of open and collaborative workspaces."
"The arrival experience offers an immediate view into the heart of the business and its people. The framed views expose the dynamics of the team as they work, share and socialise," added Debra Longin, Woods Bagot Associate. "Deliberately porous in nature, the reception blurs the line between public and private, with social and client spaces flowing into workspaces radiating from the central heart. It's the fluidity of circulation across the floorplate that brings the team together."
Photography: Shannon McGrath