New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 35/02C | Page 19

Below:Engineering giant Arup
teamed with architects Hassell
to create a new workspace for
Arup’s 800+ Sydney workers.
The ethos for the engineering
firm includes honesty of design
and strong green values – both
exhibited from the ground up
in the five-level Clarence Street
building fit-out.
Along with employees, the workplace itself
has to work pretty hard these days – roles include
being a calling card for the business, facilitating
efficient processes, and looking after staff wellness.
Plus, the ideal premises will also deliver on green
credentials and environmental awareness generally.
Luckily – or, rather, by informed hard work – the
interior architecture and design for engineering firm
Arup’s new Sydney head office has all this covered.
And, being a respected name in engineering, Arup
pursued technical excellence, and committed to
pushing boundaries to create a great workspace for
its staff and a skite project all at the same time.
In a long-standing collaboration between design
and engineering, Arup partnered with architects
Hassell to create a workplace where the exchange
of knowledge and skills through learning and
experimentation – central tenets of Arup’s work
culture – are not only facilitated, but lived by all.
Hassell was engaged early in the construction
planning of Barrack Place, on the western corridor
of Sydney’s CBD, where Arup was both building
engineer and future tenant. This allowed the two
firms to influence the building’s architecture and
engineering to align with their shared vision of the
workplace interior.
Hassell principal Emily Moss says Arup wanted
a space that would showcase Arup’s culture and