Stockland Head Office

‘LIKE A WONDERFUL TREE HOUSE FROM CHILDHOOD’ Abbie Galvin

The project is a new head office for the Stockland business, one of Australia's largest, most diversified property groups. The project is located in one of Stockland’s existing property assets, an outdated 31 floor office tower designed and built in the 1980’s. The building was not considered as being representative of a new and modern work environment – it’s architecture was tired, its floor plates had a large central core and were vertically disconnected, it’s perimeter shape was octagonal, heavily articulated, and its environmental rating poor.

Locating the new head office in this building was seen as an extraordinary opportunity to demonstrate that the building could be ‘turned around’ to create a contemporary, engaging and sustainable new workplace.

Stockland’s brief was to use the physical environment to unite the business. The strategic design drivers for the work environment for the Stockland head office were unity, transparency, functionality, innovation and community.

A vertical street underpins the new workplace. This street is in the form of a void that winds its way up the building’s eastern side. The void contains stairs that spiral through the 8 floors, staggered in its vertical location to maximise the views between floors and provide a greater sense of connection.

The void and stair not only provides a greater sense of physical connection, but becomes the symbolic connection of ‘one Stockland’. The void staggers and slips to create a whole series of different spaces, from double height to triple height, to small platforms, ledges and bridges – and opens out views and vistas through the space.

The intent was not to create one singular space, but a space with richness and complexity. As the idea developed it became more appropriate to think about in terms of a wonderful tree house – a space, and spaces that give one the sense of being perched on platforms and branches with a magical series of spaces and environments that surround.

Clustered around the void’s edge are a variety of communal spaces such as meeting rooms, project rooms, collaboration spaces, and small café/tea benches. Destinations are provided that create a number of pivot points around which the work environment flows. These destinations are the main entry, or client floor, on level 25, a café/ meeting area on level 27, and two meeting room hubs. The destinations provide a dynamic edge to the void and encourage movement and collaboration through the business, both within and between the different divisions.

The workplace is working towards achieving a number of environmental initiatives, such as a 6 star Green Star rating.

It’s an environment, more importantly a place, that ‘speaks’ to you the moment you walk in the door – and represents the personality of Stockland. It speaks about a business that has warmth – that is open and progressive, that is connected with its clients and its people, and not only cares about the environments it creates – but intimately understands the importance a great physical environment has on well being.

Photograph by: Abbie Galvin - Bligh Voller Nield