New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 35/02C | 页面 11
Previous pages:A scissor
stair reaches across the atrium
divide at Mercury's new offices
designed by Warren and Mahoney.
Below:Light-catching dichroic
film features on the the fifth-
level, pop-out boardroom.
When your firm's a trusted national renewable
energy generator, total reliability and care for people
is an unwritten part of your company agenda. It
makes good sense, then, that these fundamental
attributes are written into the very design and fabric "Our scissor stair enhances the possibility of
'bump' meetings with colleagues, and integrates
the contact centre on levels three and four with the
social hub, which is also on the fourth level."
However, dramatic as this element is, the real
of the workspace that you experience each day.
Mercury is a New Zealand energy provider
generating 100% renewable energy. Undertaken by
architectural firm Warren and Mahoney with senior
associate and senior designer Holly Campbell at
the helm, this project relocated and consolidated
the company's 600 Auckland employees under one
roof using an agile workstyle business model.
The key design principle for the workplace was
Nature Mirrored – evoking the sense of a sustain-
able work environment, with wellbeing at its heart.
"The challenge was to connect all Mercury
staff over levels three to five in the new Mercury
Building," says Campbell. "In all, there are six
floor plates situated over the three levels, which is
divided by a central atrium."
The majority of staff workspaces could have
activity-based principles applied, but the customer
contact centre required dedicated technology
within a homebase environment.
"Our focus was on ensuring the largest unit –
the contact centre – was given an efficient and
liberating experience. Contact centre employees
have rostered breaks daily, which are at fixed times
and staggered throughout the day. So, the contact
centre's proximity to kitchen and staff amenities on
the fourth floor social hub was crucial."
In terms of the bigger picture for the interior
architecture and fit-out, Warren and Mahoney mod-
ified the base building by consolidating stair and
offset bridge connections across the atrium. While
this meant less stairways, those introduced by the
architects are as dramatic as they are functional.
One is a complex scissor stair that provides
vertical and horizontal links to support circulation
and connect people over the upper level hubs.
In terms of aesthetic impact, think an MC Escher
drawing with stairs appearing to go nowhere –
although here, they take you almost everywhere. showpiece is the large grandstand stair at the
centre of the atrium that rises from the social hub
to level five. The broad stair is as much auditorium
seating as it is a thoroughfare. Staff can sit on the
padded stairs to take in presentations on a large
screen opposite the base of the stairs and above the
main kitchen, which is the heart of the social hub.
"The grandstand stair was designed to bring
everyone from Mercury’s Auckland teams together
by creating a large AV-enabled, versatile and open
space," says Campbell.
"In addition, staff at sites outside of Auckland can
connect in to the space across their AV network.
"We wanted this central space to feel alive. The
atrium showcases lively and dynamic activities,
shared work zones, social areas and informal meet-
ing spaces. These include digitally enabled booths,
a variety of team and project spaces, drop-in work
points and AV/VC meeting rooms – all of which
further enable positive collaboration."
Mercury also has a project space that can be
transformed into an emergency response area in
the event of a civil defence or national emergency.
Following through on the Nature Mirrored theme,
shared spaces on every floorplate are referred to as
garden hubs, where plants are central to the ambi-
ence. Adding to the aesthetic impact, dichroic film
cladding adorns the grandstand stair balustrading
and pop-out boardroom on the top floor as a physi-
cal representation of energy. The light-catching film
constantly changes colour through the day, mirror-
ing the surrounding cityscape of Newmarket.
A light, natural palette of finishes contrasts with
the pops of coloured film and complements the nat-
ural plantings. The flow of the floorplates is outlined
by the floor finishes and enhanced by the organic
forms of the meeting rooms and garden hubs.
Meeting rooms are clad in lightly stained timber
or painted dowel rod, appearing like huts in the
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