Sydney Office Update December Leasing Magazine online | Page 11

SYDNEY OFFICE UPDATE | 9
1. A GOOD BRIEF IS GOLD 3. GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME
A comprehensive brief is multi-
layered, and goes well beyond the
square footage and workstations
required. We guide our clients to
think about their ambitions for the
business so we can design and build
a smart space that supports this.
Some of our questions might include
‘what is the desired working culture
at the company? What are the growth
expectations? What is the company’s
brand identity? How do staff interact?
What functions does the office need
to support?’ Allowing sufficient lead time gives
you far more scope to identify
opportunities and economies for the
fit-out. Once a design brief is agreed,
a typical project should allow around
three weeks for procurement and a
further six-week construction period.
But before work can start, companies
should ensure they have satisfied
all landlord and council approvals,
a process that can be extensive if a
full Development Application (DA) is
required, for instance if your office is
located in a heritage building. A good
delivery partner will manage this for
you, helping you navigate the process
and expediting the approvals.
Understanding these points means
we can tailor a clever scheme that
directly supports staff productivity
and engagement, creates a space that
people ‘want to be’, communicates the
company’s brand identity, provides the
right infrastructure and future-proofs
the office for expansion.
2. FIT-OUT PROJECTS ARE COMPLEX
WITH LOTS OF MOVING PARTS
Timing is everything and a successful
fit-out project balances the staging
of works with the procurement of
suitable materials and fittings. By
working with a single, multi-skilled
team who can manage design and
sourcing of materials, through to
construction and delivery, companies
can de-risk their project significantly.
And rather than juggling different
contractors who may have competing
agendas, this approach gives the client
a single, accountable point of contact
throughout the project and provides a
seamless experience. A good delivery
partner will also guide your material
and furniture selections to ensure
delivery timeframes are aligned with
project milestone dates.
4. CLEVER DESIGN DELIVERS VALUE
With the right design and clever
selection of materials, a high-end
finish can be achieved even on a
limited budget.
COST-ENGINEERING A
S C H E M E I S O N E WAY
YOUR DELIVER PARTNER
CAN ADD SIGNIFICANT
VA LU E TO YO U R P ROJ EC T.
An example is the Krispy Kreme
headquarters we recently completed
in Sydney. To ensure we achieved
the company’s vision for a stylish and
engaging space that reinforced their
brand ethos on a limited budget, we
created visual focal points around the
office using high-end joinery. With
these features setting a sophisticated
tone across the office, we then had
the licence to use more cost-conscious
materials elsewhere, bringing the
project in on-budget.
5. SELECT A TRUSTED DELIVERY
PARTNER
It sounds obvious, but working with
a trusted design and construction
partner is key to de-risking your fit-
out project and ensuring a successful
outcome. At Intermain, our definition
of a good delivery partner is one who
dedicates a quality and experienced
team to the task. They will invest
the time to fully understand your
requirements and design a scheme
that achieves your vision well into the
future. They will communicate well
throughout the project, will always
be available to you and will keep you
fully informed. They will also innovate
to identify cost efficiencies, improved
functionality or solve problems.
Naturally, attention to detail and pride
in their work sets a good provider
apart, as does the project management
skills to keep the works on track from
both a budget and timing perspective.
Andrew Johnson is Managing
Director of Intermain, an established
multi-skilled commercial fitout
company focussed on excellent
customer service and high quality
building standards across building
refurbishment, design and construct
for corporate offices, ‘make-goods’,
retail and hospitality. Intermain work
nationally from offices in Sydney,
Melbourne and Brisbane and have
one of the largest, state-of-the art
joinery workshops in Australia.
VISIT INTERMAIN.COM.AU
FOR MORE DETAILS.