Indigenous Business Australia’s Canberra Offices
peckvonhartel has designed and developed a new office space for Indigenous Business Australia located in Canberra.
peckvonhartel was engaged by Indigenous Business Australia (IBA) to design and deliver a new workplace environment to transform the way that IBA conducts its business. The aim of the fitout was to act as a clear business tool, one which encourages the manifestation of business initiatives and communicates the agency brand values.
peckvonhartel conducted rigorous research into the organisation, the way it operates and how that could translate into a new approach for office accommodation. Core ‘measures of success’ were developed for the project in terms of performance, cultural & organisational goals which provided the framework for the organisation’s workplace strategy and drove the accommodation models to be applied.
The cultural aspect of IBA was critical to the design of the fitout, with the ‘myths of the rainbow serpent’ utilised as inspiration. The rainbow serpent’s connection to the earth was used to arrange the salt water, fresh water, desert and Torres Strait Islander landscapes within different areas of the fitout as a catalyst to achieve the right colours, finishes and look & feel.
The design approach allows increased connectivity between IBA staff, supporting a flexible and collaborative working style. It promotes a corporate culture that is collaborative and non-hierarchical, and based on sharing of ideas and leveraging of strengths across all programs. The workplace is able to move to allow their groups to blur the boundaries between the physical spaces, increasing interaction and improving communication.
The project was delivered on time, under budget and was well received by the end users. The client acknowledged peckvonhartel’s successful representation of their business culture within the new workplace design.
Design: peckvonhartel
Photography: Ginette Snow
