New Zealand Commercial Design Trends Series NZ Commercial Design Trends Vol. 35/01C | Page 30

the natural world. The cafe features plenty of stain-
less steel, suggesting a canteen or mess, and even
the main carpets have a tundra-under-foot appeal.
“We sought to activate staff wherever possible.
For instance, we optimised use of Architectus’ link-
ing base-build central stair by locating the canteen
cafe on the mid-level third floor as a destination to
walk to, eat in and congregate at.”
In terms of work itself, the fit-out is equally agile
and light on its feet. The neighbourhoods are des-
ignated as quieter or louder, with the louder/noisier
zones near the bustling cafe. Staff can choose from
a variety of unassigned workstation options as well,
from sit-to-stand and user-adjust to fixed-height
workstations. Quiet rooms, the library included, are
used for more focussed activities such as writing a
report. Centrally located banks of lockers provide a
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home for personal staff items, while wellness rooms
and the focus rooms are near the floorplate cores.
Much front-end strategy work was done to
determine the right mix of focus and collaboration
spaces to align with the teams’ ways of working.
One sustainable aspect of the project for
Unispace was working with existing workstations
and some soft furniture, which were retained from
IAG’s previous offices.
As well as zoning for relative quietness of tasks,
comfortable noise levels were achieved through
the choice of high-backed booths, plenty of soft
furnishings, high-spec acoustic panelling and the
sheer size of the floors – with plenty of open space.
“A great deal of attention was paid to acoustic
performance generally,” says Langford. “We’ve
designed the rooms to avoid reverberance.”
Below:As part of the outdoor/
camping theme of the fit-out,
this open meeting place has a
nominal surround evoking the
pleasure of the rope swing.
Facing page upper:As part
of the agile, unassigned work
environment, there are a variety
of desk options to choose from.
Facing page lower:Splashes of
colour reinforce brand colours,
while the wooden bench tables
add to the open-air aesthetic.