Place Fitout | Ellivo Architects

The design brief for Place was anything but typical. The clients’ ideal was for their new home to be enjoyable and desirable for clients and staff alike. Previously co-existing in one space was impossible so efficiency and balance were key to enable interaction and inclusion of the entire team.

From the street the façade introduces Place to the neighbourhood, the weatherboards a reflection of the surrounding Queenslander homes.  Beyond the façade their ‘home’ captures people with warmth and comfort that they could enjoy. This space offers a variety of uses with operable glass doors for team meetings, conversation and client events.

The transparent connection to the staff lounge and work clusters beyond forms a reflection of their approach to business. This space was a delicate balance of treating acoustics, without looking like a sea of workstations, allowing sufficient workspace for each person and providing shared lounges and café for exclusive staff use.

The building was originally two rundown retail spaces so the renovation also required new efficient lighting and air-conditioning. The original fabric also provided a lot of character and a design challenge with a lot of unknowns which were resolved in collaboration throughout demolition and construction phases.

For us the clients at Place have acknowledged the value in quality design and selections.  Place were very conscious of enabling there new fitout to last and to avoid churn and changes down the track hence quality begins at the street level and continues all the way through to working spaces and staff amenities.

Together with the client we worked through modulating the pods to allow for fluctuation in team sizes.  Each workspace was considered as an individual and as a cluster to allow work pods to move from individual to team use with small changes.  The removable dividers allow teams to customise within their area so that disruption and change is not necessary when it can be done by individuals very easily.

Place allowed us to challenge different functions, use operable walls to create double functioning areas and also reinforced that design can solve spacial issues with unique solutions.

Place bucks the norm on how property agents would traditionally operate. Their home within an old retail space sets a new tone for the welcoming experience and the operable glass walls within allow transparency and flexibility through to the staff lounge and working spaces.  The thinking behind this was in the innovation that has resulted in a very flexible environment with longevity and a one off space that they love to fill with staff and clients. The use of muffle work pods is also innovative as a solution that provides its own luxury and decoration to the work space.