New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 35/02C | Page 21

Below:I made this! A dramatic
floating precast concrete stair
offers a connector and a calling
card for engineering firm Arup.
expertise – a place where both staff and visitors are
free to engage and interact without boundaries.
“To achieve this, we designed a workplace that is
open and transparent, with a focus on physical and
visual connection.”
The heart of the new workplace is a four-storey
void connecting all five floors of the tenancy. With
striking horizontal and vertical views across and
between floors, the centrepiece presents a clear
view into Arup’s day-to-day operations, at the same
time achieving a sense of broad staff connection.
Arup’s desire to be open and visually honest led
to a planning model where idea-exchange spaces
are interspersed throughout the tenancy. These
meeting spaces sit adjacent to the void on all floors,
each with a different focus. In this way, lab spaces,
workshops, meeting and collaboration zones
become visual destinations, encouraging connec-
tion and collaboration between staff and clients.
The staircase connecting these exchange areas
vertically is a design and engineering feat in its own
right – a cast concrete structure floating between
floors. Providing a fast connector between floors
and teams, it’s a visual manifestation of Arup’s herit-
age in engineering ingenuity and honesty in design.
Spanning the void on two levels are bridges
linking work zones via intermediary collaboration
spaces. The bridges not only connect Arup’s multi-
disciplinary team, but also reflect on founder Ove
Arup’s ‘total design’ approach to engineering.
Principal and NSW region leader Andrew Pettifer
says the new workplace is a great example of the
power of integrating technical engineering and
creative design, and sets the benchmark for Arup in
the future.
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