20 state-of-the-art spaces with Zip instant boiling water
Instant Boiling Water
Issue 20 – 2013
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A word from Zip
A very festive start to 2013 In our home city of Sydney, we kicked off the new year with our Principal Sponsorship of what is arguably the world’s largest summer festival. Sydney Festival 2013 attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors to free and ticketed entertainment events during January, at dozens of venues in the Sydney CBD and the adjacent City of Parramatta. At outdoor concert events, Zip installed ‘water stations’ supplying filtered chilled drinking water free of charge. Those installations proved popular and an estimated 70,000 visitors used a Zip HydroTap to help themselves to a glass or bottle of chilled filtered water throughout the Festival.
Global leadership Year after year, Zip is proving that Australian manufacturers can lead the world in various product categories. Zip has been exporting Australian-designed and Australian-made instant boiling water systems to the United Kingdom since 1988. We opened our first UK office in Norwich in 1991 and in London in 2011. This year we will increase our UK presence with new Zip offices in Manchester and Birmingham, cementing our place as the UK leader in instant boiling water. In Australia, we have opened new offices in Perth and Townsville, bringing the total of Zip offices in Australia, NZ and UK to 12. Together with 13 overseas distributors, Zip is marketing Australian instant boiling water systems in almost 70 countries.
Thanks again to all our readers, for your interest in Boiling Point. Your ongoing support of Zip and Zip HydroTap is greatly appreciated.
Michael Crouch AO Executive Chairman Zip Heaters (Aust) Pty Ltd A member of the Zip Industries Group michaelcrouch@zipindustries.com
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02 grand vision Inspiration from Harry Seidler and an aim for a six-star green star rating drove the design for GPT Group by Woods Bagot.
10 cool, calm and collected Project managers Eastview Commercial requested a sophisticated, soft fitout for their own offices by The Bold Collective.
04 maritime culture A new home for the organisers of the iconic Sydney ferries received a subtle nautical overlay by Futurespace.
06 sun catcher Modernism has a new home in this residence by Tobias Partners – complete with grand gestures and personal touches.
12 colour theory Efficient space planning and a simple layout meant the focus on this commercial fitout in Singapore by Space Matrix was to incorporate colour for a punchy result.
Cover image: GPT Group, Sydney, by Woods Bagot Photography: Tyrone Branigan
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Grand vision Wood Bagot’s award-winning design for the GPT Group’s headquarters shows what can be achieved when a project team thinks beyond the ordinary.
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“ Zip HydroTap units... were a key element in the drive for sustainability.”
GPT Group Words: Nigel Bartlett Photography: Tyrone Branigan Interior Designer: Woods Bagot
To create a visionary workplace that stretches boundaries for staff and in sustainability takes a high degree of commitment from both the client and the design team. From the outset, the GPT Group saw the refurbishment of its Sydney headquarters as an opportunity to do something different, and so it enlisted global design studio Woods Bagot to redesign its premises, located in the city’s landmark MLC building. The result is visually impressive, open and fluid. Woods Bagot describes it as “a workplace that is more business lounge than office,” encouraging staff to work and meet in a range of spaces, from open work settings to collaborative zones, as well as a variety of meeting rooms. Key to the design are two grand staircases that promote interaction, allowing employees to feel part of their ‘community’ and linked to the wider organisation. Lead designer Amanda Stanaway, a principal with Woods Bagot, says the stair design was a key part of the refurbishment. “The primary stair, as part of the client experience, is set against free-form, cantilevered meeting pods and these combine to create a dramatic three-dimensional meeting tree,” she says. “The other stair, the creative link, is a critical part of the collaborative work zone and allows employees to readily move through the tenancy and connect with other teams.” The design language of the interior takes cues from the forms of the original building by Harry Seidler, one of the greats of Australian architecture. The clearest example of this is seen as soon as visitors arrive and are confronted by the first of the two grand staircases, with ceilings that are equally striking.
“The design intent was to create a dramatic and accessible front-of-house space,” says Amanda. “We went back to the original building and were inspired by the sinuous and sweeping forms to create dramatic staircases that wind around the pods.” Seidler’s forms have also been used in the open plan area ceilings. “These shapes delicately reveal the original building structure and create relief from the reduced heights and the monotony of the base building grid,” she adds. Sustainability was a high priority and, with this in mind, all of the former material was either reused or donated. Amanda describes the reuse strategy as “rigorous and unprecedented”, implemented “in response to the client’s mandate of ‘zero’ landfill to achieve a six-star green star rating. This was an ambitious undertaking, considering the locale and the age of the building infrastructure,” she explains. “The solution sensitively juxtaposes old and new, recast and reinterpreted materials, against each other.” Clearly the solution was successful: last November the project won the 2012 BPN Sustainability Award for Office Fitout. The Zip HydroTap boiling and chilled filtered units in the kitchens were key in this drive for sustainability. “It was all about the eco-footprint. GPT had an existing system and Zip was happy to refurbish this, which worked well with the materials strategy,” Amanda says. “The Zip HydroTap scores highly on green ratings for energy efficiency, low water wastage and sustainable technology.”
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Maritime culture Quality and subtle maritime references are a watertight solution for the new offices for Harbour City Ferries by Futurespace.
Sydney Harbour Ferries Words: Nicky Lobo Photography: Danial Nash Interior Designer: Futurespace
A charming Sydney view is a ferry bobbing in its iconic harbour. For years, the operator of this fleet has been Sydney Ferries, but this crucial task was recently moved from the government sector to the private sector, taken over by Harbour City Ferries. So when Futurespace and APP were engaged to create the interiors for this new era of the company, they needed to address a number of key ideas. Culture was an important part of the brief: referencing the rich maritime history of the organisation, and addressing the shift in workplace culture for Harbour City Ferries, with its new public face. “The team at Harbour City Ferries are passionate; many have been in the industry forever,” says Maggie McFadyen, project designer. “They wanted their environment to be essentially ‘maritime’ so that visitors could not mistake their core business.” However, there was also a need to “take it into a more contemporary customer-focused workplace environment,” adds Greg Carmichael, project director, APP. The use of timber throughout the project is inspired by the internal structure and ribbing of a ship, reflecting craftsmanship, warmth and strength. The theme is also represented through other finishes – rubber flooring and a splashback that is found in actual Sydney ferries. A galleystyle kitchen and environmental graphics in the meeting rooms complete the nautical experience.
Workplace change was addressed through the open-plan layout, which “encourages collaboration and strengthens communication paths through visibility,” Maggie explains. To support this are individual offices and a breakout space that also serves as an ‘idea generation area’. Quality products were required to reflect the quality of the customer focus of the business, whilst also being economical. “There is a need to deliver exceptional value for money,” says Greg – and that’s where the Zip HydroTap delivers. Maggie adds, “It’s a local supplier, a reliable product and has a suitable lead-time. The client has been happy with the product in the past and requested the product as their preference.” The task of Sydney Harbour Ferries is to uphold the traditional ideals of the ferry service, in a new era. “[It’s a] buzzing workspace with multiple screens showing live footage to functioning wharfs and a highly used breakout/ idea generation hub,” describes Maggie. “There’s no mistake that the business is alive and functioning.”
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“ T he client requested the Zip HydroTap as their preference.”
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Sun catcher A grand family home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs combines a Modernist inspiration with luxury and a personal feel. Modernism lives on in this grand, five-bedroom house, which maximises natural light and ventilation and makes the most of its magnificent views. It was designed by Tobias Partners architects, with all the common areas at the northern end of the home acting as a suntrap and overlooking a infinity-edge swimming pool that connects the house to Sydney’s Bronte beach and ocean beyond. While this is a big house, it is also personal and intimate. “Our intention was that it would be a clearly contemporary building. It’s a strong piece of architecture, but it has smaller-scale spaces and homely detailing around the place, making it unquestionably domestic,” says Nick Tobias, principal of the practice. And while it’s also inspired by Modernist thinking, the designers have taken that a step further. “A lot of our work references Modernist architecture, but this home has a luxurious twist,” says Nick. Inside, white walls throughout and stone floors downstairs are tempered by dark joinery, which gives the home a classical feel, and, upstairs, timber flooring softens the bedroom level. Striking staircases are used both indoors and out. Black metal spiral stairs lead from
Residential project Words: Nigel Bartlett Photography: Justin Alexander Architect: Tobias Partners Interior Designer: Tobias Partners
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an outdoor verandah down to the garden and swimming pool, providing easy access without having to traipse through the living areas, and the black providing a stark contrast with the white exterior walls. Inside, a sweeping staircase fills a doubleheight void in the heart of the house. It’s made of concrete, then rendered, plastered and painted white in keeping with the rest of the house. “I felt the scale of that void needed something strong,” Nick says. “Straight stairs would have felt totally underwhelming, whereas a grander gesture had the right weighting in a space of that magnitude.” Decorative elements create the sense that this is very much a family home, although they don’t always appear in the way you’d expect them to. Above the main staircase, the architects created a floating ceiling panel that adds texture and intrigue, while small touches relate to a connection the family has with Asia, including the design of screens on either side of the front door and lattice-work panels along the length of the kitchen island bench. “We always look for little motifs that help a house have its own individuality,” says Nick. “They often relate to the clients we’re working with and show we’re connected to them in a very personal way.” Indeed, these clients were closely involved with every element of the home’s design, including choosing the furniture and fittings. “We worked on every element together, so all the rugs were custom-designed and custom-made, most of the freestanding furniture and all the cabinetry were custom-designed.”
“ T he Zip HydroTap is a product that’s associated with quality and reliability.”
In keeping with the prestige feel of this home, the kitchen incorporates a Zip HydroTap boiling and chilled filtered water system in an amenities corridor where the toaster and coffee machine are also found. Nick finds no problem with specifying the Zip HydroTap even when other tapware is of a quite different design. “We’ll often put it in a little nook, as we have here,” he explains, adding that it comes with a good pedigree that makes it suitable for the higher end of the market. “It’s a product that’s associated with quality and reliability,” he says.
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Cool, calm and collected EVC manages commercial fitouts for smart clients, so design team The Bold Collective came up with an equally smart concept for the company’s Sydney headquarters.
Eastview Commercial Sydney Words: Nigel Bartlett Photography: Jon Rogow Interior Designer: The Bold Collective
When your clients are high-end companies looking for close attention to detail, it’s clear you’d want your business premises to reflect that same outlook. So, when Eastview Commercial (EVC) relocated to the heart of the Sydney CBD, it recruited builders and designers who could meet its exacting requirements for its own offices. EVC are project managers that specialise in refurbishing major commercial buildings such as Sydney’s Grosvenor Place, Australia Square and the MLC Centre, so its standards are high. For that reason, in keeping with the image the company wanted to portray, design firm The Bold Collective came up with a look that’s sophisticated and elegant. At the same time, the end result is stylish, informal and individual, with an understated air of chic. “We used classic and timeless finishes and colours, such as oak veneers and charcoal greys, that would reflect what EVC is all about,” says Ali McShane, who along with Monika Branagan owns and directs The Bold Collective. Yet the 115 square metre office space is also peppered with intriguing design features, including diagonal grooves etched into a number of vertical surfaces. The motif is repeated on glass doors and adds a cuttingedge element to the space. “We do a lot of retail fitouts, thanks to Monika’s background in that area, so when we’re approaching a commercial fitout we might look at things quite differently from other
designers,” Ali explains. “We’d seen imagery that used these strong diagonal surfaces, and we thought they looked clever without being too in your face. Using them here creates a soft, sophisticated feel.” Another point of difference can be seen in their treatment of the ceilings, particularly in the meeting room. “We wanted to break up the monotony of a consistent ceiling, so there’s an element of set plaster in the reception area, a grid ceiling in the main office, and in the meeting room we’ve incorporated a custommade slatted ceiling constructed from joinery sprayed with a white two-pac polyurethane finish,” says Ali. “It looks unusual and masks a huge air-conditioning unit.” A light well in the centre sits above a custommade Koskela table surrounded by Corporate Culture’s ‘About A Chair’ meeting chairs. “They’re not hugely formal, so they suit this space well,” says Ali. EVC’s director, Cris Van Haren, was keen for certain elements to be dual-purpose. Hence the meeting room, which includes a screen surrounded by a whiteboard wall for presentations and workshopping ideas, doubles as a breakout space for staff. In the main office, a central unit, fronted by oak-veneer whose grain runs in parallel with the distinctive diagonal grooves, segregates what Ali calls the front of house and back of house areas while acting as an informal meeting point where staff can stand to discuss layouts and projects. In addition, it
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provides storage and soft lighting, which shines up from within the cabinetry. Further lighting comes from concealed elements tucked along the edge of the windows, thus avoiding any ugly fluorescent strip lights or harsh downlights having to be built into the ceiling. “Lighting was very important in this space, and we worked with consultants Point of View, who came up with a scheme that’s quite minimal and intentionally soft,” says Ali – in keeping with the rest of the fitout. “It’s one of the elements that means this space can be professional yet still retain some warmth and informality.”
“ A Zip HydroTap... sits in the centre of the worktop, and almost deserves its own spotlight.” Pride of place
Ali McShane
The kitchen along one side of the meeting room is minimally elegant, with a Smartstone Carrara benchtop and splashback, charcoal two-pac cabinet fronts and all dishwashing and other appliances concealed within integrated units. The only item breaking up the surface is a Zip HydroTap. It sits in the centre of the worktop, and almost deserves its own spotlight. “We placed it there simply because that’s the easiest place for people to get to it,” Ali says. “We had only limited bench space, and there was always going to be a coffee machine at one end, so then where did the Zip HydroTap go? We thought this looked best, and it kept things uncomplicated and smart.” Ali adds that she and Monika prefer to specify Zip HydroTap boiling and chilled water systems in favour of others, because of their quality and standard of design. “With various Zip products, including the sparkling water unit that’s now available, I find it more innovative than other companies,” she explains. “I haven’t specified anything else for years.”
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“ T he client had previously used the Zip HydroTap... and was delighted with the way it worked.�
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Colour theory International design firm Space Matrix created a vibrant fitout for an international communications company that adheres to its global aesthetic values, while injecting some Singaporean personality. Simplicity and efficiency are key to this workplace in Singapore by multinational design consultancy Space Matrix. Asked to fitout an area housing 40 staff members for a well-known telecommunications company, the designers came up with a concept that makes the most of the available space through hot-desking and which also offers additional meeting rooms and quiet rooms. “The client brief was clear and straightforward,” explains Shawn Quek, the lead designer on the project. The layout of the new area was equally straightforward, with no structural changes needed. “The layout can be best described as efficient,” says Shawn. “The reception area and meeting rooms are located in the front of house, and the work area and more meeting spaces are located at the back.” The challenge, therefore, came in creating a look for this simple design that was out of the ordinary. Space Matrix, which has offices across Asia as well as in Australia, was required to use the client’s red-and-white brand colours as the basis for its design. “We chose materials with reference to the client’s corporate image, and in response to the budget and delivery time-frame,” says Shawn. This apparent restriction, however, proved to be highly beneficial, with the red (and occasional splashes of yellow throughout the space) adding a vibrancy and energy that’s absent from many workplaces. Other elements that lift the environment above the average include the feature lighting in the breakout area, where Space Matrix custom-
Words: Nigel Bartlett Photography: Rory Daniels Interior Designer: Space Matrix
designed pendant lights made from black, bird cages. This breakout area, which is divided from the work stations by a glass panel, can be used for staff relaxation or as a meeting space, with a whiteboard wall at one end. Lounge chairs were supplied by Singaporean outlet Sofa & Others, while Max Interiors carried out the joinery. Artwork and graphics have been dotted around the place – including framed posters from the client’s corporate library, as well as prints on the meeting room walls and the breakout area’s glass panel that were specified by the designer to help inject a distinctive local Singaporean flavour. A further challenge came in working within the time-frame, which was an important element in the project’s success. “We had to complete it in a four-week construction period,” says Shawn. “Luckily, we worked with a great team of contractors and vendors who helped us to finish the project on time and on budget.” When it came to the kitchen area, there was no question about which water chiller and boiling water heater to incorporate, as the client had previously used the Zip HydroTap in two of its other offices and was delighted with the way it worked. Equally, Space Matrix were only too happy to specify Zip. “It functions well in terms of boiling water capacity, which is more than the typical dispenser, and it looks much nicer and sleeker than other systems,” says Shawn.
Zip Hydroboil
Zip HydroTap
Australia Zip Heaters (Aust) Pty Ltd 1800 42 43 44 www.zipindustries.com
New Zealand Zenith Heaters 0800 558 055 www.zenithheaters.co.nz
United Kingdom Zip Heaters (UK) Ltd 0845 602 4533 www.zipindustries.co.uk
Singapore Multico Building Products +65 6283 8888 www.multico.com.sg
Also in: Europe (Germany), Africa, Asia Pacific – Philippines, Thailand, Taipei, Taiwan Published by Indesign Group (61 2) 9368 0150, info@indesign.com.au © Zip Industries Publisher: Raj Nandan Operations: Adele Troeger Editorial: Nigel Bartlett, Nicky Lobo Production: Sophie Mead Design: Michelle Byrnes Zip Industries: Murray Pope, Tom Fisher Zip Industries and the publisher hereby disclaim, to the full extent permitted by law, all liability, damages, costs and expenses whatsoever arising from or in connection with copy information or other material appearing in this publication, any negligence of the publisher, or any person’s actions in reliance thereon. Inclusion of any copy information or other material must not be taken as an endorsement by Zip Industries. Views expressed by contributors are personal views and are not necessarily endorsed by Zip Industries. The terms ‘Zip’, ‘Hydroboil’, ‘HydroTap’, ‘Power-Pulse’, ‘Chilltap’ and ‘Chill Fountain’ are trade marks.
www.zipindustries.com 1800 42 43 44