Brisbane Studio

this demonstrates our belief and commitment to re-use

Brian Donovan

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the 'design' of the space is primarily an organisational strategy

Brian Donovan

Location

12 Creek Street, Brisbane

Client

BVN

Completed

September 2014

Floor Area

1006m²

A new studio in an old space

As the commercial tower typology continues to develop with each new tower built, owners of aging buildings are considering alternative and unique ways of occupying buildings to meet contemporary workplace needs. BVN’s fit out demonstrates an innovative new way of occupying these otherwise conventional spaces.

Beyond the questions of representation, the refurbishment of a quality, but typical floor plate in a superb City location demonstrates our belief and commitment to re-use and the ability to derive identity from the latent qualities of the setting.

An essential question in the conception of an interiors project, is how to establish an identity appropriate to the circumstance. In our instance the agreed strategy was that our physical workplace needed to represent our place, ideas and values. Rather than ‘fabricated representation’, our methods and outputs are exposed to all, and in so doing are a genuine demonstration of the way we act, and what we do.

Raw, but memorable in its physical presence, the ‘design’ of the space is primarily an organisational strategy that offers a range of spaces for studio members to engage in individual and group reflections and discussions that advance architectural and cultural ideas.

This range of places covers the full workplace spectrum - formal through to casual settings, individual through to large groups, private and public occasions. A continuous ‘working wall’ links these various parts of the studio and is detailed to communicate project ideas through in-situ drawings, pin up, image projection, video conference and model making.

The working wall is set against the inside edge of the circulation path, above the collection of product samples required in design offices. Thus the singular ‘street’ - the activated public realm - is the place that facilitates and supports interactions of all types, both scheduled and serendipitous. Street planning also includes addresses and destinations, including the series of work bays located in sync with the desk and column layout to ensure people are ‘with’ the view. Large gathering places enabled by video conferencing facilities connected to the outside world are located at each end. The primary ‘Events Terrace’, adjacent to the entry, is modelled as a series of stepped tiers and platforms to enable large group, fully immersive and inclusive webcast conversations with multiple internal and external participants.

Arrival into the studio is through our working library, a surprising and effective way to signal our profession being integral with the history of knowledge transfer. A darkened space, with book spines reflecting the discrete lighting leads directly into the studio, where extensions of the tiered Events Terrace flooring become territories for ‘reception’ and ‘waiting’ and ‘kitchen’. The entire composition, singularly finished in off-white marmoleum is, in a sense, a folding landscape that invites multiple ways of use and occupation.

Beyond its manner of occupation, the workplace is characterized by the exposed services and finishes, and the emphasis on the curvilinear bay windows shaped in response to the tower perimeter form, and which frame the various views of significant Brisbane places. Colour coding of the bays reinforces the orientation and outlook – green bay’s frame fig tree views, blue bays the river, gold bays the ‘Gold Tower’ and red bays St. Stephens Cathedral.

Credits:

Builders: Apollo – Leon Bowes