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    Studio Edwards adopts zero-waste strategy for Today Design office in Melbourne

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    Melbourne-based Studio Edwards has completed a workspace for creative agency Today Design using recycled and off-the-shelf materials that could be reused in the future.

    Located on the 12th floor of an office block in Melbourne’s Collingwood neighbourhood, the Today Design Workspace features partition walls made from OSB (oriented strand board) and translucent corrugated fibreglass.
    The office provides a workspace for creative agency Today DesignFurniture was built from scaffolding poles and timber boards, while sheets of recycled denim and sail cloth help to improve acoustics.
    Ben Edwards, architect and co-founder of Studio Edwards, said the project was designed for disassembly.
    Partition walls and tables are mounted on castors for flexibility”The goal was to create a workspace that leaves zero waste in its wake, constructed entirely from readily available materials without applied finishes,” he stated.

    “This means no plasterboard, no laminate and no MDF.”
    Another key aspect of the design is flexibility. The layout incorporates spaces for individual focus work, collaboration and meetings, but it can be reconfigured if required.
    Scaffolding poles provide furniture and screensMost of the partition walls and tables are mounted on castors so that they can be easily moved around, while a track system provides flexible lighting overhead.
    The layout of the Today Design Workspace is deliberately non-linear, organised around a looping circulation route that largely follows a diagonal trajectory through the 900-square-metre space.
    Despite its irregularity, the layout was planned to ensure that all partitions match the standard material sheet size, minimising the need for cutting.
    Built-in seats feature quilted denim cushionsCasual seating areas were built into some of the partition walls.
    These were formed of custom-made quilted denim cushions rather than upholstery, which makes them easier to recycle.

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    “The arrangement of spaces within the workspace is intentionally informal, creating a contrast with the building’s rigid rectilinear column grid,” explained Edwards.
    “Circulation pathways between these spaces are purposefully designed to encourage interaction and collaboration among teams,” he said.
    Rolls of denim form a semi-circular reception deskThe colour blue is a recurring theme throughout the space.
    Much of this comes from the use of denim. Sheets of this textile cover much of the building’s exposed concrete shell, held in place by magnets, while rolls of denim form a semi-circular reception desk.
    Blue is a recurring colour throughoutA blue stain was also applied to the timber beams that provide the structural framework.
    This colour contrasts with the warm, earthy shades of the OSB and the sisal flooring that features in some of the meeting rooms.
    Two-tone project tables feature built-in “toolboxes”Studio Edwards designed furniture to suit the collaborative nature of Today Design’s workflow.
    Two-tone project tables have built-in”toolboxes” filled with pens and sticky notes, while a large kitchen table integrates a continuous task-lighting channel. These are accompanied by cast aluminium chairs.
    The kitchen includes a table with a continuous task-lighting channelOther highlights include a kitchen with a stainless steel worktop, a magazine library with a neochrome effect and a flexible gallery and events space.
    “Today Workspace stands as a testament to sustainable design and collaborative ingenuity, a space where creativity thrives in harmony with the environment,” added Edwards.
    Translucent fibreglass screens are fixed to a blue-stained timber frameworkStudio Edwards is co-directed by designer Nancy Beka. Other projects by the studio include the modular NTS Space office, also in Collingwood, and the “jewel-like” Vision Studio eyewear store in Glen Waverley.
    The photography is by Peter Bennetts.
    Project credits
    Architect: Studio EdwardsBuilding contractor: McCormackServices contractor: Aston ConsultingStructural engineer: FORM EngineersProject management: Facilitate CorporationFurniture fabrication: James McNab DesignLighting: Sphera Lighting

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      Studio BV converts Minneapolis biscuit factory into offices for Our Family Wizard

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      Dark blue meeting rooms surround an atrium filled with globe-shaped lights at the offices of a Minneapolis tech company, which locally based Studio BV created in a former biscuit factory.

      Studio BV created the 40,000-square-foot (3,700-square-metre) space for Our Family Wizard, an app designed to assist with co-parenting after divorce, inside the historic Loose Wiles Building in Minneapolis’s North Loop neighbourhood.
      A large atrium filled with glass globe lights sits at the centre of the buildingAs the company’s first “real” office, it was important for the designers to imbue the spaces with its branding and personality, to help build a sense of identity, as well as entice those used to working from home into the workplace.
      “The company had grown during the pandemic and wanted to find a new office that would be a draw for the employee mix and for people to come together and create relationships,” said Studio BV.
      Some of the factory’s brick walls were left exposed, while ceilings and ductwork were painted whiteThe building was once home to the Sunshine Biscuit Company, which produced snacks like Cheez-Its and Animal Crackers, and the team was keen to retain many of its original features.

      “The historic components of the building reflect the past, old methods, rough textures,” they said. “These components are embraced and in response we bring natural, and organic textures and color to the places where teams gather and connect.”
      Lounge areas and breakout spaces ring the upper floorSome of the exposed brick walls were left untreated, while concrete columns, ceiling beams and ductwork were painted white.
      Meanwhile, colours lifted from Our Family Wizard’s visual identity were introduced to assist with wayfinding and to inject personality.
      Clerestory windows bring light into communal workspacesDark blue paint was applied to the large meeting room walls, and a paler shade lines smaller one-on-one booths.
      Both hues were chosen for sofa upholstery in the lounge and breakout spaces that ring the upper level.
      Perforated panels separate seating booths in the upper-level barA large two-storey atrium in the middle of the floor plan brings extra daylight from the upper clerestory windows down into the lower levels.
      On one side of a central brick structure, the atrium void is occupied by a chandelier of globe-shaped pendants, suspended on individual wires at different heights.

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      On the other, wooden bleacher-style seating for large team gatherings connects two lower levels, descending to one of two bar areas at its base.
      The second bar, located on the upper level, features booth seating divided by perforated panels as well as cafe chairs and tables.
      The office features two bars to encourage employees to socialise”The unique character of this historic building is enhanced by the new office and amenity areas,” said Studio BV founder and CEO, Betsy Vohs.
      “The old historic ovens and openings are used to connect people between the floors. The large volume of space is flooded with daylight from the large windows and clerestory glass.”
      Blue tones used for upholstery are borrowed from the company’s visual identityOffices for technology companies have come a long way since the slides and foosball tables of the dot-com boom.
      Recently completed examples include a Southern California workplace linked by black staircases and a repurposed power station in Singapore
      The photography is by Corey Gaffer.

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      Daniel Boddam converts Sydney warehouse into calm and plant-filled office

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      Local firm Daniel Boddam Studio has transformed a warehouse in Australia into a workplace for landscape design practice Wyer & Co, bringing nature into the space by using greenery and natural materials.

      “I saw the project as an extension of Wyer & Co’s desire to bring in nature,” said Daniel Boddam, founder of Daniel Boddam Studio.
      “Sustainability was discussed with the client from the outset and informed every aspect of the design – from materials and furniture to services and staff amenities.”
      Green plants at the front door soften the red brick and black steel of the industrial warehouseLarge green plants at the entrance were used to conceal the building’s oversized dark steel doors, with the aim of reducing the scale and softening the red brick industrial warehouse.
      A sandblasted limestone floor was extended from the building’s exterior to the interior to connect the spaces.

      At the front foyer, a large miniature date palm (Phoenic roebelenii) reaches towards the skylight above, reflecting the tone of the entrance garden.
      Locally designed and crafted furniture was selected by the studioBehind the foyer is a gallery used for client presentations, industry events, talks and workshops. A series of bespoke, honey-coloured plywood cabinets decorate the space and showcase materials the studio uses in its work.
      Throughout the office, workstations and meeting rooms were clad in various natural materials. Pine plywood, Tasmanian oak, walnut and sandblasted limestone create a warm palette that has been subtly embellished with cork and brass.
      The office interiors features a variety of natural materialsDownstairs, an underground staff area holds plywood lockers and a kitchen space, and was designed to encourage staff to gather and socialise away from their desks.
      Swiss cheese plants (Monstera deliciosa) were selected as the main indoor plant and used to trail the walls and ceilings to create a green environment over time.
      Custom pots made with milled steel and finished in a clear powder coat nod to the industrial origin of the warehouse.

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      Daniel Boddam Studio also curated a series of locally designed and crafted furniture for the workspace, including its low-lying Booham chair and the Wave sofa and armchair in the welcome foyer that nod to the coastal location of the office.
      A meeting room opposite the foyer features the studio’s Geo Long table, accompanied by a custom-designed cabinet.
      Materials used in the client’s work are displayed on plywood cabinets”The result is a quiet and considered interior that harmonises with the Australian landscape and celebrates the artisanal; a testament to simplicity, comfort, calmness and wellbeing,” Boddam concluded.
      This project was longlisted in the small workspace interiors category of Dezeen Awards 2022.
      Elsewhere in Australia, Dane Taylor Design has completed a multipurpose garden room in New South Wales with a compact form clad in charred wood, while Matt Gibson Architecture + Design has transformed a Victorian home in Melbourne’s suburbs with a faceted extension clad in black metal.
      The photography is by Pablo Veiga.

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      KKDW Studios creates offices for Yoga With Adriene founder in Austin

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      Austin-based KKDW Studios has designed the headquarters for a yoga subscription app called Find What Feels Good, including a space for filming instructional videos.

      KKDW Studios founder Kelly DeWitt collaborated with yoga teacher Adriene Mishler – who became well-known through her Yoga With Adriene instructional videos – to create a base for Find What Feels Good, the platform she co-founded that offers video tutorials for at-home workouts.
      KKDW Studios used a modular system to build offices within the space for Find What Feels GoodLocated in East Austin, the 5,000-square-foot (465-square-metre) space was previously an empty shell with blue walls and a high-gloss, yellow-tinged concrete floor.
      DeWitt’s team described an intention to create “a space to evolve in and experiment with, a place to be inspired and inspired others.”
      Communal workstations are positioned in front of private offices”The space should feel welcoming with a warm, homey ambiance that makes you want to take a deep exhale,” the team added.

      To add this warmth, the majority of the interventions were made with wood, which forms wall panelling, louvred partitions, frames for glass walls, and furniture. The concrete floors were refinished in matte grey.
      A bright kitchen includes an island mounted on castors, which can be moved when neededDesigned for a quickly growing team and to be multi-functional, all the elements of the interiors are either bolted together or mounted on wheels, so they can be easily moved if needed.
      The linear space is divided up along its fenestrated facade. At one end is a cosy lounge area for receiving visitors or communal work, while a bright, fully equipped kitchen is located at the other.
      Warm-toned materials were chosen for the spaceIn between, the modular timber-framed glazed walls form a row of private offices, while an open workspace with large tables is positioned in front.
      Facing the windows is an uninterrupted wall that stretches 80 feet (24 metres), which is used by Mishler and her team as a backdrop for filming yoga videos for their app and Youtube channel.

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      Air ducts and other visual obstacles had to be moved to ensure that the shot is unobstructed, while the vertical slat in the lounge partition pivot to ensure the lighting is just right.
      “Natural light can be inspiring, but when filming, sometimes what they need is control – this allows them the best of both worlds,” said KKDW Studios.
      Slats in a partition can be adjusted to control light levels when filming in the spaceCushions for sofas and armchairs are wrapped in tufted, textured beige fabric in a variety of tones that are echoed in the rugs.
      From the exposed, angled ceiling hang a series of spherical pendant lamps, as well as power outlets on retractable cords for use at the workstations.
      An uninterrupted wall provides a backdrop for Adriene Mishler’s instructional yoga videos”All furniture is completely custom, designed after getting to know Adriene and her team, their needs, workflow, etc,” said KKDW Studios, which also acted as general contractor for the project.
      Yoga – a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices – continues to grow in popularity around the world, and demand for at-home workouts like those facilitated by Find What Feels Good skyrocketed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
      Here are 10 homes with dedicated spaces for practising yoga and meditation.
      The photography is by Andrea Calo.

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      Henley Halebrown creates Bauhaus-informed offices in converted London warehouse

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      The colours and craft techniques of the Bauhaus movement were the inspiration behind Laszlo, a century-old warehouse building transformed into workspaces by London studio Henley Halebrown.

      Located in north London, the renovated building now contains five floors of flexible offices, ranging from 482 square metres up to 647 square metres.
      Structural elements are left exposed through Laszlo’s interiorsHenley Halebrown approached the project differently to a standard office conversion.
      Instead of a “shell and core” approach, where tenants have no choice but to complete a fit-out, the architects have made spaces that can be occupied simply as they are.
      They did this by exposing the building’s internal structure – its concrete floor slabs and steel I beams – and bringing order to the elements around. Services are neatly organised, while low-tech materials like concrete and timber are used to make adjustments.

      Offices are designed to require minimal additional fit-outStudio founders Simon Henley and Gavin Hale-Brown describe the approach as seeking “to illustrate how elementary the construction of an office might be”.
      The idea is that companies would only need to add their own branding, plus furniture, which would significantly reduce the amount of waste generated when tenants move out.

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      “Working on adaptive reuse buildings like Laszlo is second nature to us as a practice,” said Henley.
      “It builds on our interest in how you create new layers of life within a city while celebrating both its past and future, and of course, the great thing is that the huge environmental benefits that come through reuse are now more widely understood.”
      Geometric graphics signal the building’s change of useOriginally known as Batavia Mills, Laszlo was built in the early 20th century as a facility for manufacturing and printing, although it also served as storage for gas masks during the second world war.
      The Bauhaus become an obvious point of reference for the renovation; not only does it date from the same period, but its core ethos was about being true to materials and finding beauty in craft.
      A steel and timber joisted roof is now exposed on the fourth floorA painting by Bauhaus artist Laszlo Moholy Nagy – who the building is named after – provided the cues for repairs made to the concrete floors.
      There were various gaps created where partition walls had been removed. Instead of infilling these with concrete, Henley Halebrown chose an earth-coloured screed that highlights these marks as traces of history.
      Doors throughout the interior borrow tones from Josef Albers’ colour studiesThe building refers to the colour studies of Bauhaus teacher Josef Albers with a series of doors painted in bold but complementary shades of green, yellow, grey and blue.
      Another Bauhaus reference can be found on the exterior, where the brickwork and glazing have been subtly decorated with the same graphic shapes and lettering that give the building its brand identity.
      The reception features a desk shaped like an I beamLaszlo offers various amenities to its tenants, including a large outdoor seating area, bicycle parking and showers. There are also shared spaces on the ground floor, including a reception and an area known as the living room.
      Furniture in these ground floor spaces is designed to feel like part of the structure, with highlights including a reception desk and bookshelf that both look like giant I beams.
      A living room with kitchen is shared by all tenants”Within the framework of the original structure, we composed a series of unconventional spaces with conventional building materials, mostly blockwork, lintels and paint,” said Jack Hawthorne, an associate at Henley Halebrown.
      “These spaces are occupied with pieces of furniture that are imagined and made as oversized elements of structure, ‘furniture as structure’, placing them in playful dialogue with the building’s newly exposed frame.”
      One of the office floors has already been furnishedPhotos of the project show one of the office floors already fitted out.
      The light-touch approach includes glazed meeting rooms, a wooden kitchen and mobile shelves that function as room dividers. Desks and seats integrate bold flashes of colour that feel at home with the rest of the building.
      Each floor is similar in layout and finish, although the fourth floor features an exposed steel and timber joisted roof and a balcony terrace.
      The space features colourful desks, open shelves and glazed meeting roomsLaszlo is one of several innovative offices designs recently completed in London, as companies adapt to more flexible working policies following the impact of the pandemic.
      Other recent examples include a co-working office that doubles as a “town hall” and an office with more meeting areas than desks.
      The photography is by David Grandorge.

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      MSMR Architects designs DL/78 workspace to double as “town hall”

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      MSMR Architects has designed a co-working office in London’s Fitzrovia that can also be used as a space for talks or exhibitions.

      DL/78 is located in 80 Charlotte Street, a new 30,000-square-metre mixed-use building designed by Make for property developer Derwent London. It is offered as an amenity to the company’s office customers.
      DL/78 is designed to be used as a workspace or event spaceMSMR Architects designed the space to be as flexible as possible, able to accommodate different types of office work and also events where Derwent London’s community can connect.
      According to the studio, DL/78 “can be adapted to serve as a town hall for hosting presentations, talks and exhibitions”.
      The space is offered to Derwent London’s office customers as an amenity”Since the pandemic, there has been a lot of talk about the future of the office,” said MSMR Architects’ associate director Kevin Savage.

      “It’s been interesting working on a project that is challenging workspace norms and starting to anticipate changing needs.”
      Curtains allow spaces to be sectioned offWith 780 square metres of floor space, the two-level DL/78 is spread over the ground and lower ground floors of 80 Charlotte Street.
      Amenities centre around a grand double-height space, which is framed on two sides by high-level windows.

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      Different types of furniture help to organise this space into different zones, but can all easily be moved to facilitate different layouts when required.
      Additional rooms wrap around one side of the space. These include a conference room, a series of meeting rooms, a wellness room, kitchen facilities and a public cafe operated by Lantana.
      Meeting rooms are defined by glass screensGlass screens are favoured over partition walls so that spaces can be both visually connected and acoustically private. There are also curtains, allowing certain areas to be sectioned off.
      “This space is collaborative, flexible and more domestic in feel,” said Savage. “Is that what future office space might look like?”
      Design details take cues from British Constructivist artVisually, the space is designed to reference British Constructivism, a 1950s art movement with strong links to Fitzrovia.
      This can be observed in both 80 Charlotte Street’s architecture and the interior design of DL/78, with many details designed to express structure.
      The space includes a public Lantana cafe featuring bespoke terrazzo floor tilesKey areas include the staircase, where mesh panels slot into the steel beams, and the junction between the balustrade and the exposed floor plate.
      “A challenging programme meant that there was early engagement with trades and craftspeople during the design stages,” said project architect Aaron Birch. “This allowed for a more collaborative approach, which is evident in the detail and finish which really elevates the space.”
      DL/78 is located in the Make-designed 80 Charlotte Street in FitzroviaDL/78 is the latest is a series of projects that explore how office spaces might develop in the aftermath of the pandemic, with companies having to work harder to entice people away from working from home.
      Other recent examples include a co-working space designed around wellness principles and an office with more meetings areas than desks.
      Photography is by Jack Hobhouse.

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