As a construction company with over 32 years’ experience in interior fit-out and commercial spaces, Shape is in in the business of creating great places to work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RczR4v2oaQ
The brief for Shape’s new Sydney office was defined by the question: ‘How do we create a great place to work?’ The primary function was to create a space to allow our people to be their best and to also showcase the work of the Shape business, to tie in the with company purpose: ‘to realise the full potential of people, teams and spaces’. Underlying that they wanted the design to be leading edge, and not follow the status quo.
‘It’s like all our kids have grown up, they’ve moved out, but we want them to come home to celebrate. Come back for staff meetings, come back and celebrate. Our focus is on the culture piece. I want to make sure our business still feels like a family business. We listed on the ASX around the same time we moved, but we want to keep the family feel. ’
Peter Marix Evans, CEO.
Shape and Siren had worked together on a range of projects over more than a decade, so there was a shared understanding and level of trust that really allowed this project to shine. According to Peter: ‘We chose Siren not just for their approach to design, because of the cultural alignment between the two companies. They know us, they get us. We didn’t have to show our personality – they knew the fun part of Shape and the corporate part of Shape, and our strong part – they knew our people.’
Shape were founding members of the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) and in they wanted to reinforce their commitment to sustainable design. According to Peter: ‘It’s about getting the best out of the design and we’re passionate about limiting our carbon footprint – anything to do we can reuse or recycle is critical.’
As a result, the fit-out was designed to Platinum WELLS standards and achieved 6 Star Green Star – it was all about reuse and recycle where possible combined with the use of natural light, fresh air and plants. A lot of thoughtfulness also went into the selection of materials, with clever use of elements such as FSC certified oak in the ceilings, elements such as panels and acoustics and to reduce the need for air conditioning, and re-purposing furniture from other.
The resulting design is open plan. It blends the home and the office. Its light filled, earthy and sustainable.
