Materials
In terms of materiality, the design team wanted the
building to be very vibrant and quite tactile; fresh
and lively. This tied into how they perceived and
understood Discovery’s corporate identity, and that
design intent is followed through by means of the
materiality. In the main concourse, the floor tile has
movement in its finish which adds to the vibrancy.
Using different types and formats of the same
material finish created something very nuanced
but not overpowering. The floors and ceilings are
quite a neutral space, populated by colours from
Discovery’s corporate identity.
When you look up at the atriums, it is com-
pletely different than when looking downwards.
The upwards views are really exposed to the
architectural language of the building – the
curvilinear aesthetic brought through in the ceiling
edges, creates contrast between black and white
so that unique shapes and forms really stand out.
Looking downwards the view is colourful with
each office floor colour coded, using Discovery’s
corporate identity as inspiration. Pops of colour
add vibrancy and assist in the practical aspect
of being easily identifiable from a wayfinding
perspective. Within each floor, fabrics, flooring,
glazing and vinyls are colour coded to match. The
colour coding within each floor ensures a vibrancy
that is not overpowering.
upon;developing a strategy to ensure employees
felt comfortable and welcome when they moved
into the new building.
Seating areas are open plan but populated so
staff do not feel stranded. All of those areas have
agile work spaces - high bench desking, working
pods, small meeting rooms, meeting rooms with
partitions, and a few traditional offices.
Conclusion
The project team, client, and developers have all
came together to create a building and working
environment that not only epitomises Discovery,
but is very much a 21st century workspace. The
care and attention to staff welfare and comfort
makes working at 1 Discovery Place a world
class experience.
Space Planning
Discovery’s internal space planning dept went
through the process of reanalysing how staff would
work right from the inception. They reformulated
their existing furniture into an open desking
solution. When you move people from one building
to another some resistance is to be expected. A
change management process was embarked
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