Expressing an experience – Preparing for leading law firm Russell Kennedy is a contemporary and inclusive workplace that supports the future goals of the business. The textured, cozy interiors represent the law firm’s values. Situated in the newly renovated 500 Bourke Street tower in Melbourne’s CBD, Russell Kennedy’s new workplace is spread over four floors, with a design that reinforces and supports the law firm’s authentic and inclusive positioning in the market. Deciding that his current office no longer supported his future workplace strategy, Russell Kennedy included Carr in building selection and analyzing suitable locations in Melbourne’s CBD. Through an assessment of factors such as floor plate efficiency, daylight amenities and sustainability, a detailed report was prepared with recommendations to ensure the chosen building maintained and promoted Russell Kennedy’s vision for his future workplace.
Associate Director Catherine Keys explains: “The aim was to embark on a design journey with Russell Kennedy to understand who they were and what drives the business. Rigorous strategic and functional briefing steps revealed a law firm with a long history of relationships accessible and collaborative. The new work environment needed to reflect and address this for both staff and guests.” Situated between levels 16 and 19, the customer floor spans almost the entirety of level 18. The reception and waiting area have been carefully positioned to maximize views and light, ensuring customers are immediately greeted by a welcoming and calm environment. , evoking a feeling of ease. In addition to meeting spaces and an extensive suite of seminar rooms, there is a focus on connectivity and bringing together Russell Kennedy staff and clients. This is driven by the extensive hospitality spaces on level 18, such as a café, library, flexible training room and spaces for gathering groups of all sizes and types.
An interconnected staircase that stretches between breakout spaces on four levels further promotes employee connectivity throughout the workplace, encouraging movement and chance encounters. The planting was carefully selected to cover the void in the staircase and add an element of softness to the surrounding spaces, positively impacting the health and well-being of users. The aesthetic design of the workplace was significantly influenced by its location at 500 Bourke. Inspired by the strong articulation of the tower’s grid of columns across the facade, the interiors feature a secondary internal grid in oak wood.
“The existing geometry of 500 Bourke presents such a strong grid within the space that we wanted to use it to inform the planning and design language. This was achieved by cladding the existing facade columns in timber and creating a secondary structure through the introduction internal wooden beams and columns. The resulting articulation dictates the layout of the spaces and creates a strong colonnade, providing visual clarity and grounding the interior spaces in the context of the building,” shares Catherine. The recurring wood motif is seen again in the joinery throughout the space to offset the cooler tones of the poured concrete floor. Wood wool slabs reinforce the palette of natural and textural materials. Concrete, wood and wood wool combined with softer leather and textured fabrics create a warm, tactile environment with comfort and authenticity. Finally, the highly refined detailing around the finishes elevates them beyond expectations.
Across four floors, a strong focus on diversity and inclusion is fostered in the abundance of amenities such as a cafe, library, parent and prayer rooms, and largely non-hierarchical workstations. Designing with modularity in mind, office modules and quiet rooms allow flexibility in planning to suit future reconfigurations if necessary. Instead of glass corners in client meeting rooms, oak columns articulate the perimeter and provide visual clarity throughout the space. Likewise, on typical work floors, solid corners are established for office modules and quiet rooms. Expressed handles in the joinery further enhance the contrasting touch, ensuring a design that supports accessible objectives to go beyond standard requirements.
The workplace is also equipped with seamless, integrated technology to better drive the business and support modern ways of working. Holistically, the technology experience is intuitive and universal, enabling a seamless workflow where people can work anywhere, anytime. A five Green Star rating was achieved across the project, aligning with the sustainability aspirations of the client and designer. A furniture audit carried out by Carr also helped find ways to reuse or refurbish existing furniture to ensure as many pieces as possible were reused responsibly. A design language of solidity and modernity permeates Russell Kennedy’s new workplace. Catherine adds: “The idea of bringing together the facade, layout detail and strategy and the refined material palette ensures that everything works in absolute unity. There is a reliable and equitable function in each design insertion that supports the requirements and aspirations of a leading law firm.”
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