John Holland’s Flexible Melbourne Offices

Firm
  • Client John Holland,
  • Location Sydney, Australia,
  • Industry Architecture Firm,
  • Australia’s leading contracting, engineering and services provider John Holland has moved into a new Melbourne office space designed by futurespace. The office provides a flexible environment which caters to a variety of work styles for the many varied tasks of John Holland employees.

    Futurespace has provided the following project notes:

    “Following on from the successful design and delivery of John Holland’s Sydney workplace, futurespace has created a showpiece for the Melbourne business that communicates both the heritage and growth of the Australian infrastructure business. The materiality of the workplace is a key factor in the design and is used to signify both past successes and future aspirations of the business.

    The Melbourne business is the Head Office for Australia and is the strategic centre of the organisation: other offices around the country are focused on the delivery of major projects.

    The design of the Melbourne premises was carefully considered to align with important CEO led objectives. futurespace’s Design Director Gavin Harris explains. “John Holland has recognised that corporate culture is an important driver of business performance and that the workplace plays a significant part in employee engagement”. Mr Harris worked closely with the John Holland team from inception through to delivery, with the physicality of the workplace being a critical element in expressing the business ethos of the company.

    “Throughout the workplace we have used materials typically used in John Holland infrastructure projects, such as concrete, steel, glass and stone. These have been used at a scale that is sympathetic to interior rather than exterior projects, and combined with more traditional executive materials detailed in a modern way (such as the leather blotting pad on the reception desk)” says Mr Harris.

    The reception features concrete panelling, stone terrazzo flooring and a reception desk with alucabond cladding and metal anodised brochure stands. The lift lobby is clad in alucabond with feature graphics showcasing John Holland’s work. Similar graphics are also applied to glazing throughout the work environment. Inspiration from executive offices of an era gone by can be seen in the various leather and stitching details throughout, including a modern iPad display stand in the reception waiting area.

    The John Holland brand is emphasised physically through the use of strong colour and other visuals. Provision has been made for a variety of work styles through the design of collaborative work hubs, quiet office spaces and glass panelled meeting rooms emphasising an agile work ethic and modern workplace direction. Sustainable initiatives have also been implemented throughout the project; material and furniture selections, and construction waste and disposal were in keeping with John Holland’s commitment to ESD initiatives and GECA guidelines and specifications.”

    Designfuturespace
    Design Team: Gavin Harris – Design Director, Griffen Lim – Designer, Julia Liao – Designer, Joseph Daly – Documenter
    Photography: Nicole England Photography