In a heavily anticipated period of growth for the business, Gray Puksand’s Melbourne studio has relocated into a new self-designed, state-of-the-art, two-level workspace in the CBD’s bustling Bourke Street, catering to the architecture workforce of the future.
Meticulously designed by our very own team of architects and designers, our core values of People First, Collective Intelligence, Leading Design and Inspiring Outcomes are imbued throughout every aspect of the space, creating an open-minded, forward-thinking workplace tailored to the needs of each employee.
“After 18 years in the previous studio location, it became clear that it was time for a change. As we transitioned into future-focused management styles and became more agile post-Covid, we needed a unique environment that fosters creativity and innovation while catering to the spatial and behavioural needs of our growing studio,” said Lead Partner of our Melbourne studio, Heidi Smith.
Acknowledging the inherent difficulty of designing a workspace for designers, the conception and ideation process entailed extensive consultation with Gray Puksand’s Melbourne team to gain a thorough understanding of what they wanted to be incorporated into the space.
“The project team took us through the same consultation process that we do with all our clients, exploring the kind of organisation we want to be while reflecting on our core values and determining our best methods of working,” said Heidi.
After extensive team engagement, Project Leads Dale O’Brien and Lauren Chan along with the rest of the project team landed on a guiding design narrative of ‘Find and Seek’.
“The Find and Seek design narrative ties back to Gray Puksand’s core identity. We find places to collaborate, interact, engage and inspire, and seek places to retreat, reflect and focus.
“Achieving a functional balance and seamless visual connection guided the decision-making process for each aspect of the design. Everything from layout to furnishing has been meticulously considered through the lens of this narrative,” said Dale.
In line with the concept of Find and Seek, the new studio embraces flexibility and modern ways of working. The space incorporates a multitude of agile environments, allowing each team member of Gray Puksand’s neurodiverse workforce to find a setting that allows them to lean into their respective strengths.
Wellbeing and comfort were top of mind throughout the design process, with the studio including multi-purpose wellness spaces to accommodate multi-faith prayer rituals and give breastfeeding parents privacy.
In addition to considering the functional needs of the team, creating a workspace that exemplified Gray Puksand’s commitment to sustainability was a key motivation for Dale and Lauren.
“The beautiful green views and immense natural light shining through 4.3 metre floor-to-ceiling glazed windows inspired us to create a lush and tranquil environment, which we achieved through incorporating planting and sustainable natural materials throughout the space,” said Dale.
Most of the furniture was repurposed from the previous studio, while the team made a conscious effort to embrace recycled and eco-friendly options in the material selection process.
“Designing our workspace gave us an exciting opportunity to explore emerging sustainable products that we don’t always get the chance to use with clients. Our team put immense time and energy into researching innovative items and materials that we could incorporate throughout the space to demonstrate their value to potential clients,” said Dale, who also leads our Sustainability Action Plan.
“Some of the most interesting materials we used included plant pots made from recycled fishing lines and post-consumer waste recycled plastic benchtops in the collaborative breakout space.
“The meeting rooms are complete with Armstrong’s wood wool ceiling tiles; a very high-performing acoustic product that contains recycled wood chips and adds visual interest to the space,” added Lauren.
Upon arrival, the new studio welcomes patrons with a striking metal mesh curtain to create an unexpected moment of inspiration and unexpected ‘peekaboo’ moments in different areas to spark creative ideation.
“Another great example of this is the perforated mirror ceiling that sits above the staircase. It gives off fractured reflections of people moving up and down the stairs around the workspace and gifts users with little borrowed moments from across the floorplan,” said Lauren.
The desire to create a welcoming studio environment for staff and visitors guided the selection of the colour palette, which consists of warm rusty tones complemented with pops of greys and blues.
“The colours used throughout the studio tie in perfectly with the wider context of the space. The Gollin building, right outside on the corner, has a beautiful red brick heritage façade which inspired us to incorporate similar rusty, earthy tones in the workspace.”
Dubbed one of the studio’s ‘find’ spaces, the ‘Tina’ arena exudes a more saturated colour palette, showcasing richness and intensity, with minimal greyness, designed to encourage collaboration, interaction and conversation between staff.
Reflecting on the project, both Heidi and Dale highlighted the team’s commitment to creating a space that truly embodies Gray Puksand’s identity as the studio embarks on a new chapter of growth and design excellence.
“It can be intimidating to think about designing a space for designers because of the sheer number of passionate voices. However, everyone in the Melbourne team was respectful and supportive of our process. They were genuinely curious and excited about the choices we made,” said Dale.
“I’m incredibly proud of the team who worked on the project. They have approached this design with enthusiasm, dedication and meticulous consideration to deliver a new workspace that intrinsically reflects who Gray Puksand is,” concluded Heidi.
