ellivo (Places for Work, Connection & Wellbeing)

Working alongside the fitout contractor Apollo, and Q Coals leadership team, we set out to deliver a fresh environment for the growing QCoal team, over two floors. Drawing inspiration from the raw materials of mining, the palette was curated to include earthy and masculine tones to result in a space that is warm and inviting for both visitors and staff. Culturally the new space welcomes visitors from many nations, and encourages the Q Coal team to meet and collaborate every day. The empahsis was on providing suitable work areas which draw staff together.

The design was shaped by the client’s values and needs with a lot of importance on the space reflecting the permanence of the Queensland company. Central to the space planning was to include a large town hall where the staff can gather for team meetings and events. The outcome is uniquely Q Coal that will carry the client into the next decade.

Photography by Cieran Murphy

The process of planning and moving to our new home at 293 Queen Street, in the heritage-listed Custom Credit House, gave us a chance to pause, reflect and explore what was important to all the people who use our spaces – clients, visitors, staff members and friends alike.

In true Ellivo spirit, we knew that our space needed to have plenty of character and needed to support various activities from focused work to small and large meetings, as well as casual gatherings and more formal celebrations. The building itself informed the rhythm of the layout – breaking up different spaces, while still allowing them to be connected.

Moving to a new space allowed us to consider the changing office environment – we realised a need to create a flexible space which allows multiple people to work in different modes, and within separate areas. We identified the needs of the various users of our studio and tailored spaces to suit each of these. We created quieter meeting spaces away from work zones to allow for individual and small-group work, quiet phone seats, scrum areas for larger project team meetings and a long library and layout space along the central circulation spine – to inspire and foster team interaction. We also made sure that industry gatherings could be supported through the latest technology and design.

The Garden Bar is a great gathering space for us, as we embrace coming together again with each other and our community. We are excited to share our studio and watch as it grows over the coming years.

In years gone by families would take an outing to the airport in their Sunday best to see off a traveller, visit the viewing platform and see the swans swimming on the ponds at the airport. The viewing deck will now be home to Aspire Perth and offer their travellers an extension of their Western Australian experience.

The lounge focuses on the views to the tarmac with a variety of work and leisure spaces. Ambience and wellness flows through from the furnishings to the local food & beverage offerings. Indigenous artwork, local photography and a palette inspired by the landscape flows through the spaces that cater for all types of travellers.

Connectivity and flexibility is considered at all points throughout the lounge with the ultimate focus on ensuring the lounge is robust and adaptable to continue the Aspire reputation.

Sitting calmly within the bustling and diverse West Village, the new home for the professionals that are Skin Partners is a true reflection on their approach to their profession. The brief was not a typical allied health brief and started with some beautiful imagery of modern homes. With the client’s keen eye for aesthetics, the fitout was designed around the journey of the patients and of the professionals that use the spaces and brings together the sense of calm and the practicality of the spaces.

The tenancy is bathed in natural light by day and looks through an interesting façade and beyond to gardens and Boundary Street. With limited space and evergrowing needs balancing aesthetics and space, planning became a very detailed exercise with every millimetre utilised. We also carefully considered the privacy of patients balanced with sheer curtains to allow the light and connection to the gardens to shine.

Photography by Cieran Murphy

Situated in Everton Park, GO2 Health brings together Physiotherapists, Exercise Physiologists, Acupuncturists, Psychologists, GPs, Pathologists and other specialists - all under one roof. The team’s enthusiasm for the high level of care on offer is evident in all that they do; so we made sure that their new space would reflect and enable this further. We worked very closely with the client in the early stages of space planning to ensure the space flowed properly for both staff and patients. The space includes calm lounge spaces and ‘hydrate stations’ that allow patients to relax and chat before their appointments.

Visitors also have access to a flexible community room which enables various educational and support activities. Staff are also not forgotten in the new spaces - with a generous break-out room that can be combined with the community room if a larger space is needed. The colour and material palette reflects a homely, fresh feel, so that spaces are warm and inviting to all; and reflect GO2 Health’s approach to wellness.

Photography by Katherine O'Malley

The design challenge – to create a new home for the B+W team of engineers – called us to explore and deliver on their expectations while making big changes to their way of working. Leading the way, the directors needed us to create a space for collaboration, transparency and open discussion.

In essence the spaces are all about conversation – breaking down all barriers to encourage new connections. The fabric of the building (structurally designed decades ago by the B+W team) has been opened up to act as the conversation starter with new clients. The columns have been revealed, the concrete slab exposed and the original structural soffit was made into a design feature. The fitout exposes the way the building was put together; acting as a reference to the company’s work, as well as adding visual interest to the spaces.

The space also needed to act as a home – for the business, for colleagues to get together, for clients, business connections and so on. The expressed industrial finishes of concrete, glass and steel have been balanced with luxurious soft furnishings and curtains to create a calm and welcoming environment. As a consequence, adjacent collaboration spaces are abuzz with meetings, coffees and lunches. As there was little built form to contend with, the large open breakout spaces have also allowed for staff gatherings to continue whilst still respecting social distancing requirements.

Watch as Tanya talks about our design journey with B+W here.

Photography by Mindi Cooke

One of the most challenging briefs is to design for an ever-changing workforce, which will peak and decline in varying stages over the term of the lease. That was exactly what ARTC requested as Inland Rail are delivering thirteen rail projects across Australia over the next seven years. It was very rewarding to work with them and watch their staff move from a cramped and unworkable space to a custom-designed, 95% agile environment with a variety of flexible working environments.

Working within a Green star building, and with high servicing and density requirements, the layout needed to support collaborative, agile working. This was achieved by designing various different types of workspaces such as phone booths, quiet rooms and casual chat areas – as well as more conventional office desk areas including standing areas.

We were involved heavily with the team managers during the design phase, which has helped to enable a successful transition to the new space, and has encouraged new connections to form naturally within teams since the project’s completion. The company values are deeply embedded within the space and their sense of community informed the layout and the new way of working. The palettes throughout reference the many remote communities, the earth that they touch and the robust materials of rail within a Queensland context.

Photography by Mindi Cooke Photography

The new Caesarstone showroom sits next to the state-of-the-art warehouse facility in Yatala; and is designed for prospective clients to appreciate the look and feel of the Caesarstone product. With the changing light of day, and during the night, the space functions as a retail and event space. The focus is always on the product, and the quality of the light is all-important for showing the true colours and textures of the stone. Users can touch and feel large pieces of stone, collect samples and view slabs in the warehouse. The space also utilises touch-screen technology to allow clients to visualise the stone in their own projects.

The project was designed to be as flexible as possible, to enable Caesarstone to change their stone panels whenever they wanted to showcase new products. For this reason, the palette is crisp and simple – making the stone the hero of the spaces. The various Caesarstone finishes flow through into boardrooms, amenities & staff areas to reinforce the pride that the Caesarstone team have for their brand.

Photos by Rix Ryan Photography

The refurbishment of the Master Builders Queensland offices was a big step for the board, and a huge commitment to change. From the start, we were aware of the association’s heritage, and its importance to the building community.

We went on a journey with the Master Builders team where we explored who they were, how they wanted to be presented to the general community, and what mattered the most to them. This helped to identify the essence of the project for us – the few key things that needed to hold true through the whole fitout. These qualities included the following: heritage, craftsmanship, high- quality of workmanship, functionality, connection, and modesty.

This exploration led us to look at the history of Queensland builders – their craft, and the materials they work with. We created subtle touches through the fitout showcasing traditional materials in their raw form, to remind visitors of the origins of Master Builders. These little details helped to identify different spaces as you move through the building and help to create the sense of a journey – you go from timber through copper, steel and brass details as you get further into the building.

Another key concern that came out in early workshops with the clients was the connectivity between different teams in the office. The old layout consisted a segmented cluster of small rooms, which meant that space was being used inefficiently, and many of the staff felt disconnected from the rest of the office and from the members. We were able to combine spaces and win enough previously-wasted area to allow for centralised break-out spaces, small team meeting rooms and spaces for people to congregate casually away from their work desks. Most of the lower ground floor was repurposed as a refreshing lunch area with the feeling of an outdoor café, complete with extensive end-of-trip facilities.

Photography by Mindi Cooke

Our brief was therefore twofold, create a sleek commercial podium, and a multi-residential upper that responds to the transitionary nature of the site.

We drew upon early 20th century modernism as inspiration for the simple yet bold forms of the façade. Bands of concrete frame the showroom, which is softened by a double height curved glass façade that is grounded by a garden. The curved glass wall draws residents & visitors into the entry, giving back space and volume to the street and giving a sense of openness to the street.

A simple material pallet of concrete, glass, steel, metal cladding & vegetation create a balance between a commercial aesthetic podium and a human scale level of detail for the residential component above.

We used subtropical design fundamentals including vegetation, flow through ventilation, natural light & solar control to make sure we created a high-quality living environment for the residents & commercial tenants. This includes a communal recreation space on the roof with a pool and steam room to offer a meeting place for residents.

Photography by Scott Burrows

Being designers we were excited by the prospect of testing our approach to the end user by starting with our staff and clients and personifying their needs and mapping out their possible journey with us.  We soon realised that our clients and staff were all very different and this led us to create spaces that could adapt.

We created private spaces where meetings can be confidential, small meeting spaces and public spaces where people can connect. We wrapped all of these in a series of movable curtains that change the privacy and use of the spaces. We can cocoon spaces and make them private, we can adjust lighting and become more of an entertaining space. The uses are varied and practical to take us through the next five or ten years that we may be here.

This is a very young and vibrant business, bursting with enthusiasm that we were very excited by the first time we listened to their vision for their move to much larger premises.  Taking over a largely existing floor we had a modest budget with which to create their dream – the arrival to a law firm that was to be very AJ & Co.

From the lift doors opening on level 18 of Waterfront Place the foyer opens up through their arrival area to river and city views. There is no reception welcome, just a welcoming space, iPad sign in and then onto the lounge. Complete with bar and spaces to meet and relax, the space is to be shared and enjoyed.

Photography by Mindi Cooke

Aerocare have a proud history in Australia and New Zealand as a leading independent ground handling company. They were keen for their surroundings to demonstrate to others what they do and their enthusiasm. It was critical to us to include their sense of fun and let this fitout become part of the brand. Together we took a creative approach to work spaces in conjunction with them and the developer (landlord).

Harnessing the concrete and blockwork surrounds, the natural light and their strong aeronautical links, this inspired the selections, colours and elements within. Passion and energy was delivered through installations, graffiti mural and the ‘escape’slide which connects the two levels and defines in the built form who they are.

With steep tree-lined streets, colourfully renovated Queenslander houses, and boutique bars and restaurants, Rosalie is a compact, attractive pocket of Brisbane that is a well-kept secret of the locals. We were approached by the client to deliver an eye-catching office building for the under-stocked Rosalie Village Centre. Our response was to compliment the eccentric character of the Rosalie, providing workers and visitors with a unique commercial and cultural experience.

Our brief was to create a space that will balance function, utilise natural light, deliver the best out of their modest budget and provide a welcoming environment for staff and patients alike. The clinic sits on the second floor of a large office building and is easily accessible with onsite parking. As you enter through the ground level, there is the option to choose either the lift or use the entrance to the grand staircase that leads to two different receptions on to the floor plate which is over 1000m2. The fitout is light filled and open-aired, balancing a refined yet young personality. Featuring pops of colour to retain branding, feature timber panelling and wall dividers for warmth and directing clientele, and feature lighting in the stairwell and reception all create a more homely feel for staff and patients.