Architectural and design firm Woods Bagot is relishing its move to Fleet House on Murray Street, with its recent interior makeover injecting a new buzz into the business.
Architectural and design firm Woods Bagot is relishing its move to Fleet House on Murray Street, with its recent interior makeover injecting a new buzz into the business.
The firm is now settled behind striking shop-front windows on the corner of Murray and King streets in Perth’s west-end, a studio far removed from its previous office at Sheraton Court on Adelaide Terrace.
Woods Bagot interior designer Zenifa Bunic said the Adelaide Terrace location was very quiet and lacked vibrancy, a marked difference from the new address.
Where previously the team of up to 30 architects and designers was spread out across an office, staff members are now clustered together, creating more space for breakout areas.
“We’re noticing that, by sitting together, the relationships between the team have strengthened. The refit has really had a settling effect on our mostly young team,” Ms Bunic told WA Business News.
The new office is characterised by raised raw timber floors, glass divides, high ceilings and a minimalist colour palette of black, white and cyan.
A kitchen breakout area to the rear opens onto the studio, and has become a regular meeting place when clients come to visit.
More than 10 people can be comfortably seated in the kitchen at any one time.
Ms Bunic said the office was a blank canvas, which provided plenty of room to “be creative”, while the library worked as a great “bookend” to the space.
The office’s lighting strategy has also been well considered in the context of a creative environment by casting diffused light over general workplaces as well as providing task lights above work stations.
Woods Bagot partner and WA director Ross Donaldson said the shop-front window on Murray Street was perfect for the firm to better expose itself to the market, while the prevalence of quality cafes nearby was an added bonus.
“There were a lot of people who had a hand in this office design. The space is all about a team of people with very little hierarchy. You have to walk out there and try and figure out who the director is,” Mr Donaldson said.
“I sit in the least prestigious location; it’s about as equal as you can get.”
Since 2001, the architect and urban planner has been a leader in WA, particularly driving its presence into the education sector nationally and overseas.
Woods Bagot operates across the three sectors of education and science, workplace (interiors and office buildings) and lifestyle (residential/retail) industries.
Current major projects for the firm include the Doha College of Technology in Qatar, Al Ain University in the United Arab Emirates, and the UWA Business School.
