Indesign Preview mag issue 52

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Bankwest Place Grain Campus MLC & NAB Alexander Taylor Vladimir Sitta Seacliff House issue 52. 2013 AUstralia $16.50 New Zealand $17.50 SinGapore $12.95 Hong Kong $155 USA $21.99

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welcomeindesign

letter from the editor issue 52, 2012

In this issue of Indesign, we once again return to Perth – the city that we last explored in our Perth Special (Indesign #47).

Here, we take a look at Bankwest Place by Davenport Campbell and E.G.O. Group. As with the best commercial design, the new fit-out not only transforms Bankwest’s physical environment, but also the way the bank and its employees work and the way in which the bank interfaces with customers. Keep an eye out for the next issue of Indesign, which will also look west, bringing you a second Perth Special.

We also re-visit Campus MLC in North Sydney (p. 122).

In 2001, Bligh Voller Nield (now BVN Architecture) set a new standard for the workplace in Australia with their ‘urban campus’ that was connected both horizontally and vertically. Woods Bagot have revitalised this iconic workplace in what is clearly an evolution, rather than a revolution.

This notion of the evolving workplace is also explored by James Calder in a special guest Comment (p. 58). As Calder writes, the workplace is a journey, and, like Campus MLC & NAB Wealth, we are always looking for the next step along the way to a better work environment.

In Australia, the next big step will come with NAB’s new 700 Bourke Street building, also

by Woods Bagot. While Macquarie Group’s One Shelley Street (Indesign #41) re-defined what the workplace could be, NAB’s new building looks set to further evolve the principles behind a flexible workplace and steer a course for future workplace design.

And, speaking of journeys, this is an extra special issue of Indesign for me, as it marks my last issue as Editor before I make the journey to London. The past four years have been a fantastic experience, and I would like to thank the team at Indesign and all our readers and advertisers for making it such an enjoyable one. I am, of course, sad to be leaving Indesign during such an exciting time for the magazine. Since our special issue #50, we have introduced some exciting new elements – including our lighting section, Fuse, and the product shoots – all of which have brought a new dimension to the magazine.

With my departure, Editorial Director, Paul McGillick, will be stepping back into the Editor role, and I look forward to seeing how the magazine continues to develop and track the evolution of the workplace in the upcoming years.

As so many of the projects we cover go to prove, though, the world is not as big as it used to be, and new technologies and frequent travel mean it won’t be hard to stay in touch. Going forward, I will be bringing Indesign the best news and projects from around Europe. mandi keighran – editor

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contentindesign

Mar, 2013–May, 2013

Issue 52 regulars

portfolio

027 EVOLVE Bite-sized portions from the latest people, places, products, events

COMMERCIAL

063 Fuse André Tammes on the positive perceptions of reflected light 072 earp bros x Indesign Earp Bros and Indesign lay it down with three unique tiled surfaces 080 INDESIGN LUMINARY Vladimir Sitta has shaped landscape design in Australia and beyond 088 ART Architecture and art come together in the new Australia House gallery

094 Bankwest Place, Perth, by E.G.O. Group and Davenport Campbell 106 Westfield, Sydney, by John Wardle Architects and Westfield Design & Construction 122 Campus MLC & NAB Wealth, Sydney, by Woods Bagot Studio 136 The Enterprise, Jakarta, by PT Han Awal & Partners Architects Residential

177 PULSE From engineer to furniture designer, Keith Melbourne gives the low-down on his design passion

144 Seacliff House, Sydney, by Chris Elliott Architects

British designer Alexander Taylor on the value of design

154 Public Bar & Dining, Canberra, by SJB Interiors

March Studio explain their engagement with materials and space

158 Grain, Sydney, by Dreamtime Australia Design

189 ZONE Michael Young on a house in Tokyo by legendary conceptual artist, Joseph Kosuth

164 The Morrison Bar and Oyster Bar, Sydney, by Akin Creative with Harry Seidler & Associates

Mandi Keighran on the new Caroma Marc Newson range Jeremy Eccles takes a look at The National Art Gallery, Singapore 201 SUSTAIN Actiu leads the way with their sustainable approach ISIS’ new Perth office showcases Green Star in an older building Haworth and bangdesign collaborate on a product with regional appeal 208 PS David Trubridge turns his talents to jewellery design

Cover 85 Castlereagh Street entry, Westfield Sydney by John Wardle and Westfield Design & Construction (pp.106–120) Photo: John Gollings indesignlive.com

Hospitality

Civic 168 Newcastle Museum, Newcastle, by Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp

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evolveindesign

League of Shadows The SCI-Arc annual Graduation and Public Event Pavilion exhibition brings to light the efforts of faculty members as they are invited to participate in an architectural design competition. In 2012, the winning entry went to Southern Californianbased team, P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S. The P-A-T-T-ER-N-S studio is a design research architectural practice, and it was principal architects Marcelo Spina and Georgina Huljich who led the team to bring together a winning concept. With a focus on form, novel tectonics and innovative materials, the conception of the ‘League of Shadows’ pavilion began to take shape. The central focus of the project was to build a space for temporal use that could host large outdoor events to seat 1200 people for graduation ceremonies, lectures, symposiums and outreach cultural events. There were several considerations that needed to be addressed within the criteria of the SCI-Arc competition including positioning, creating a formal backdrop, the procession of the ceremony, and surface textures.

These were solved by developing the project vertically. The ‘League of Shadows’ project is still currently in the rendering stage, but thanks to a generous grant from Artplace, this project will become a spectacular reality in the near future.

[Text: AS] P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S (1 323) 284 8816 p-a-t-t-e-r-n-s.net SCI-Arc (1 213) 613 2200 sciarc.edu

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Cult Classic Leading provider of innovative, functional, and high-quality Scandinavianinspired design furniture, Danish brand Softline is now available exclusively in Australia from Cult – the residential-focused sister brand of Corporate Culture.

A passion for design and the joy of living have been Softline’s main inspirations since they started making designer furniture in 1979, and their new range continues to reflect these values. They collaborate with leading international designers and respond to new needs in the marketplace, fitting perfectly within Cult’s growing portfolio. ‘Coco’ (pictured) is a sophisticated easy chair with a softly rounded form that embodies the sophisticated Scandinavian aesthetic of Softline. [Text: MK]

Cult (61 2) 9690 0077 cultdesigned.com.au Softline (45) 5416 0680 softline.dk

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Saturday in Design Singapore Bigger programmes, richer content and a greater level of design interactivity – the second edition of saturday in design in Singapore gave its finest show yet. Janice seow reports.

Singapore’s vibrant and sophisticated design culture was markedly reflected in the island-city’s second edition of Saturday in Design (SiD).

On 6 October 2012, over 30 exhibitors in 17 centrally located venues opened their doors to present their best and latest domestic and international brands and products to over 3,000 members of the design community and design savvy public.

This year, one could clearly observe a heightened level of visitor engagement at each showroom with many pulling out all the stops to connect with participants via interactive, fun and accessible design-led programmes.

Space Furniture brought in the Moooi photo booth, a talk by leading Australian designers Dinosaur Designs,

hanging installation of white cubes by Studio Terre that one could peek into to read up on the brands they carry. Close to 20 projects in all were presented and the diversity was as impressive as the thought and effort that went into each.

The strong international content also reflected the country’s global connectedness and position as Southeast Asia’s creative hub.

This year, SiD Singapore featured significant travelling exhibitions such as the colourful Kvadrat Hallingdal 65 at Dream Interiors and a trafficstopping egecarpets sculpture at Haworth’s exhibiting space (YAVUZ Fine Art gallery).

Also at SiD Singapore in 2012, the Ritzwell brand from Japan made its Singapore debut at Stylecraft;

and held guided tours; XTRA in collaboration with local artist Eeshaun invited participants to add to a stretch of wall art; and bulthaup had the crowd testing out their space planning skills on miniature kitchen blocks.

The Project – always highly anticipated at SiD – was back, and with more innovative proposals and platforms for interaction. BW Furniture partnered with SCA and Lasalle College of the Arts to create optical illusions that underscored the unique qualities of the brands and products they carry.

Visitors had to stand at various positions to see nuts and bolts combine to form human silhouettes on sofas, or witness fragmented shapes transform into furniture. Dream Interiors had not one but three projects, including a

Contrac-Image/Interface presented its much talked about global collection ‘Urban Retreat’; and Deco Expression introduced the Vorwerk carpet range from Germany to Singapore.

Australian design and brands also featured prominently in the Singapore chapter. Apart from Dinosaur Designs at Space Furniture, How We Create by PALAMONT were at SiD Singapore to meet with local creatives and share their knowledge on the art of manufacturing; the Queensland-based Quench collective had a significant presence at the curated space in the Red Dot Design Museum; and Create Stone debuted with two new tile products.

saturdayindesign.com.sg

Dream interiors Dream Interiors was a popular destination, showcasing three projects in collaboration with design studios.

Dream Interiors (65) 6235 0220

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BW Furniture BW Furniture partnered with SCA and Lasalle College of the Arts to create clever optical illusions with hanging nuts and bolts.

XTRA Visitors filled the XTRA showroom where they were treated to a carnivalesque showcase of art and design in response to The Project theme of ‘wanderland’. In the showroom, guests had the opportunity to add to a stretch of wall art by local artist Eeshaun. Tom Dixon’s metal ‘Etch’ pendants formed a textural installation. The acid etched brass pendants are inspired by the logic of pure mathematics. Also showcased at XTRA was the Herman Miller Then X Ten: The Power of the Poster exhibition.

XTRA (65) 6336 0688

BW Furniture (65) 6339 2285

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Space Furniture Guests at Space Furniture savoured delectable treats prepared by renowned chef Michael Han of FiftyThree Restaurant.

They also had the chance to strike a pose at the Moooi photo booth, attend a talk by Dinosaur Designs, and win an exclusive culinary experience from Gaggenau.

Space Furniture (61 5) 6415 0000

xtra.com.sg spacefurniture.com.sg indesignlive.com

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evolveindesign

JAMES CALDER The workplace is a journey rather than a destination, and we have only just begun. We entered the Information Age 25 years ago, and are slowly working out what that means for the way we live and work. portrait Anthony Browell Collage Frances Yeoland

t’s no surprise then that there are a few legacy systems to work our way through, as well as lots of mind-shifts to be made. The low cost of mobile technology is quickly pushing aside the old ideas of the industrial age office, with the global recession making it harder to justify expensive outmoded and uncompetitive operational models.

In the new age, innovation can come from anywhere, and Australasia seems to be one of the places where the workplace is evolving rapidly. The latest projects here are pushing ahead from the activity work setting models developed in the 1990s and first piloted here in 2002. These projects, such as NAB at 700 Bourke Street and Fairfax at Pyrmont and Melbourne, are beginning to look at hybrid solutions that are highly tuned to individual organisational cultures, which should show the path ahead for the next workplace evolution.

A few organisations are well equipped to move to the next generation of workplace model, where individuals and teams can work flexibly and in real time. These organisations have innovative workplaces already (and understand the advantages of speed to market and team performance, as well as the, not often talked about, issues such as the potential personal disconnection that can be a downside

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of the Information Age). They also understand the significance of the container – the collaborative building typologies that are fundamentally different from the old Industrial Age central core towers. In some cases, such as Macquarie Group’s One Shelley Street, we are seeing organisations returning to owning or developing rather than leasing key buildings to ensure they can create what they need.

When it comes to new projects around Australasia, latest thinking revolves around two aspects: how will teams work in the future, and how will technology such as social media be harnessed and become part of the fabric of how we will work. These phenomena are both factors of and contributing to the breakdown of the old organisational structures and silos.

We have seen the demise of organisations like Kodak, that failed to act quickly enough to see the threat of the digital age to their businesses, but perhaps the story of Apple and Sony is even more relevant. Sony had all the technology Apple had, but their structure prohibited speedy implementation. Apple got the job done and is now the most profitable company in history, and Sony is still making losses. The issue is not whether to change structure but how to implement it quickly. This is where implementing

the new, digital age workplace can drive cultural and behavioural change much faster than any other lever.

And it doesn’t just happen in new buildings. The vast majority of the workplaces will have to be developed in existing buildings with predominately existing furniture supplemented by affordable new technology, such as ‘bring your own devices’ (where the user will increasingly pay for their own device) and cloud computing (such as Google Apps). We are just beginning to see the first of these projects and, with an emphasis on good change management; there is no reason why this quick fix of existing workplaces can’t be as successful as the big budget, completely new workplaces. This is a massive opportunity. For every One Shelley Street or Darling Walk there are a thousand workplaces that will have to make do with the existing fit-out for a very long time. A bit like being stuck with 35mm film when the best have gone digital.

James Calder is principal at Calder Consultants. jcalder@calderconsultants.com

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WORDS Paul McGillick PHOTOGRAPHY Tyrone Branigan interior architects E.G.O. Group, Davenport Campbell LOCATION Perth | AUS Project Bankwest place

Banking on Change

The team which designed the ground-breaking Commonwealth Bank Place interiors in Sydney has transformed the way Bankwest in Perth works

ot so long ago, Activity Based Working (ABW) was dismissed by some people as just another kind of hot-desking trend. Now it is all the rage. But, as with all things that become the rage, the focus is often too much on the end product, resulting in yet another one-size-fits-all solution for the workplace.

In fact, ABW is a process, not an end product. It is a process in that it is always customised for a particular business. Then, once implemented, it remains a process because it is concerned with generating a work environment which is flexible, adaptive, and constantly responding to the changing business environment.

Bankwest Place, the new Bankwest headquarters at Raine Square in Perth, perfectly exemplifies how ABW is a process. It benefited by having the same team that created the Commonwealth Bank of Australia interior in Sydney (see Indesign #49) – interior designers, the E.G.O. Group and Davenport Campbell, and workplace consultants, Veldhoen + Company, who pioneered ABW in the Netherlands in the 1980s.

Essentially, ABW starts from the premise that one size does not fit all, and that having everyone work in the same place, at the same time and in the same way is not a good recipe for any business which

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wants to employ the best people working in the most innovative and dynamic way. It follows that before we can decide how we work, we first need to establish exactly what we are doing and why.

Answering these questions is not straight forward.

It involves a carefully managed process of enquiry to understand the culture and outcomes a company wants to achieve; which is equally important to both designers and clients if they are to stay on the same page. Having conceptualised the culture and outcomes the workplace needs to support, apart from the design process itself, there is another crucial process that must take place – that of managing the change from one way of working to another.

Bankwest decided to move colleagues from five separate sites across Perth, including its prominent Bankwest Tower, to the new Raine Square site, adjacent to the one40william development on William Street, which had already transformed the immediate precinct (see Indesign #47). This move offered the opportunity to re-think how the organisation worked.

Impressed by Commonwealth Bank’s ABW results in Sydney, which created not just a new way of working, but an innovative and agile workplace that supported their culture and their strategy, Bankwest decided to adopt ABW.

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Platform for living This distinctive house for an architect and his family was inspired by a sandstone platform overlooking the ocean

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words Jane Burton Taylor photography RICHARD GLOVER ARCHITECT Chris Elliott Architects PROJECT Seacliff House LOCATION Sydney | AUS

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ISSUES AND IDEAS AROUND DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE 189 194 196

Joseph Kosuth’s Dog House?

Collaborating with Marc Newson?

Cultural Symbolism?

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