A warm welcome back to the office

Hybrid working has never looked so good and when you can come to an office like this, why wouldn't you? That was the thinking behind the ANZ's move to a new 12th floor space – and it turns out everyone’s on board with the daily commute.

Project partners

  • Anzef
  • Bruce Shaw
  • JLL
  • tp bennett
  • Taylor Project Services
  • WP3
  • Shore Engineering

Project description

No cutting corners

After two years of Covid-induced disparate working, ANZ's new office needed to bring people back together. The brief was to create a sense of community, encourage collaboration and energise the team. We took ANZ’s concept drawings and the materials they wanted to use, and we delivered exactly what they asked for. No shortcuts, no wastage; just clever ideas along the way. The project was guided by the health and sustainability standards of BREEAM, WELL and Fitwel.

Template for success

Templating was key to getting things right first time. We kicked off by workshopping with our design partners to discuss plans and approve benchmarks. We then laid out all the drawings so the whole team could visualise each stage of the process and agree on sizing and positioning before moving on. It meant we could marry up design elements – like aligning the circles on the ceiling with the furnishings underneath – with time and material-saving precision. We also knew what services were needed for the ceiling – drilling, piping, wiring and so on – before embarking on a quality finish.

A corking solution to wastage

We had lots of ideas to help ANZ reduce waste. One way was to repurpose an unwanted cork sample to mark the bank’s locations on the lobby wall map. We also recommended ANZ reuse the lockers from their old building instead of buying new. We utilised reconstituted board – compressed scrap paper concertinaed into shape – for the finishes on many of the fittings.

Pre-fabricating the ceiling’s elliptical rings saved a lot of time and mess. This dusty job usually takes place on site, so it was a huge help to receive the pieces ready to fit and finish. For the finish, we used a sound-absorbing plaster spray made of recycled paper and other rapidly renewable natural resources.

The soft side of banking

We wanted to achieve a smooth look and feel, so we suggested embedding the AV screens in the walls, which had the extra benefit of improving both functionality and safety. We also added warmth by painting exposed pipes and metalwork with hues of ANZ blue and accents of Antipodean sun.

As a parting gift to ANZ, we were keen to contribute to the company’s social giving. Each year, the bank donates a Christmas tree to a local school for underprivileged children, so we complemented this with Christmas hampers for the school’s 46 teachers.

Happy to be here

With every project we hold a genuine interest and feel a lasting sense of responsibility so we've been delighted on our aftercare visits to see that ANZ’s people are utilising their workspace – and looking after it like they intend (and want) to be there.

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