Flexibility shapes office vibe

International communications group Dentsu Aegis Network has shifted its office from West Perth to St Georges Terrace, joining numerous other businesses in relocating from the city fringes to the CBD during the past year.

Dentsu Aegis’s move last month comes with a revamped office look, showcased across 987 square metres on level 14 of Brookfield Place Tower 2. 

The fitout, a collaboration between design firm Woods Bagot and multi-disciplinary property group Schiavello, was completed in January 2018 to house Dentsu Aegis’s 70-plus staff spread across its collective of individual firms, including Carat, Isobar and The Story Lab.

Schiavello design manager Amanda Wright said the project team worked closely to ensure Denstu's aspirational and functional brief translated into the final design. 

Woods Bagot lead designer and associate Tenille Teakle said creating a space that was adaptable underpinned the design brief.

“With such an intensive creative population in one space we needed to maximise functionality,” Ms Teakle told Business News.

“The space is egalitarian; its open plan with meeting rooms but no offices, so there’s capacity for teams to grow.

“Future-proofing was important; digital is an evolving sector, so future growth is relatively unknown.”

The inclusion of lockers and collaborative settings, which could be substituted for additional workstations, provided the option of an easy transition for future growth.

The move required the Dentsu Aegis team to transition from a mix of enclosed office spaces and highly screened workstations to an open-plan environment, reflecting a trend where many companies are breaking down hierarchies seeking more sight lines between employees. 

Glass meeting rooms were installed to enable views of the Swan River and Kings Park throughout the office and to maximise access to natural light, with a series of sheer and blockout curtains able to create a more private environment.

Ms Teakle said colourback glass whiteboards lined the walls to accommodate workshopping and hack sessions, with stand-up tables, dedicated formal and informal meeting places, focus rooms, phone booths, collaborative open spaces and lounge settings catering to a variety of working styles and group sizes.

As part of the company’s wellness strategy, Ms Teakle said the space took on a gaming theme, which included a ping pong table and a neon basketball court suspended from the roof of the kitchen area, mirrored on the floor in fluorescent pink.

“The gaming influence of this space is a constant reminder for the team to have fun and relax,” she said.

“The ping pong table gets the best view on the corner, encouraging high usage.

“Gaming isn’t a new trend but definitely something that is taking precedence.

“I think organisations understand work and life are not separate things – you’re expected to work much longer, so having places for people to have down time for mental respite, even if it’s just a five-minute game of ping pong, is becoming more widely adopted now.”

In keeping with the office’s focus on flexible usability, an installation near the entrance invites visitors to test drive new software or app developments via an interactive wall featuring iPads and other devices.