Deloitte Sydney by Hassell
For employers and employees alike, the silver lining of the pandemic was the opportunity to establish work ecosystems that allow team members to log in from anywhere. Enter Deloitte’s new Sydney office: situated inside Quay Quarter Tower, a sustainably built high-rise grazing the Sydney skyline, the company’s new workspace – designed by international design studio Hassell – echoes the reverberations of the lockdown, rewriting the rulebook for large, traditional workspaces.
Gone are the days of the traditional Monday-to- Friday, nine-to-five work schedule – at least if this office is anything to go by. Designed to promote employee autonomy and flexibility, the workspace is divided into four interconnected ‘vertical villages’ spread across 14 levels: 10 of these are reserved for business operations, the other four for guest experiences. Each village is emblematic of a unique landscape. While one embodies the atmosphere of the neighbouring Botanic Gardens, another holds a mirror to the point where the sea meets the sky on Sydney Harbour.
Designed to promote employee autonomy and flexibility, the workspace is divided into four interconnected ‘vertical villages’ spread across 14 levels: 10 of these are reserved for business operations, the other four for guest experiences.
The third and fourth villages respectively nod to the Cumberland Plains and Sydney’s sturdy headlands; the former characterised by red earth tones and the latter variously punctuated by skyline- inspired glass blocks, sunset-hued bronzed glass partitions, and green onyx tables and artwork that pay homage to the region’s glorious emerald rock pools. Each village offers a range of environments and experiences – for innovation, collaboration, reprieve and restoration – tailored to diverse work styles, roles and teams.
Hassell transformed pre-pandemic private offices for partners into hybrid meeting rooms with cameras, microphones and considered lighting. Deloitte’s proclivity for hybrid working, virtual collaboration and employee autonomy is reflected in the panoply of innovative virtual technologies across these areas. For example, each of the 410 semi-enclosed spaces and enclosed collaboration rooms is optimised with a wireless-first approach, allowing each space to sit along a faultless digital continuum. Charging points for laptops are embedded into the furniture, minimising the need for unsightly cables.
Deloitte’s proclivity for hybrid working, virtual collaboration and employee autonomy is reflected in the panoply of innovative virtual technologies across these areas.
Reflecting the sustainability ethos of the building it inhabits, as well as the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) gambit, Deloitte Sydney’s interior optimises energy and water usage, restricts cooking in the commercial kitchen to electricity alone and is outfitted with an array of eco-friendly materials. Hassell played a key role in helping realise Deloitte’s ESG ambitions, laying the groundwork for such sustainability ratings as 5 Star Green Star and WELL (Platinum).
The workspace cultivates a biophilic atmosphere, thanks to indoor trees and plants that both hark to the outdoors and enhance air quality. Evidently, the office is as much an ode to people as it is to place.
Interior design by Hassell. Workplace strategy and project management by Deloitte.