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 search | save | share at