Slattery - Melbourne

Designed by Elenberg Fraser and built by us, Slattery’s Melbourne workspace in the historic Queen & Collins Building at 380 Collins Street reflects the firm’s maturity and commitment to top-tier service through sophisticated dark timbers, natural stone and soft furnishings.

With a global shift in the workplace post-pandemic, Slattery sought a new working environment that had a less corporate feel to traditional offices. The result is a kinetic environment that represents a step away from bright lights and assigned seating, combining the aesthetics of an art gallery and the luxury of a five-star hotel with the comforts of home – including a library, full-service kitchen and lounge.

“Our brief was simple – to create a workplace that prioritises our people. We want our people to feel valued each day, and for their individual work styles to be accommodated and appreciated,” says Sarah Slattery, Chief Executive Officer at Slattery.

Given the tight program – and the importance placed upon state-of-the-art video conferencing facilities with exceptional acoustics throughout as a priority – MPA designed a robust construction methodology, which included early procurement, to ensure Slattery’s vision could be delivered to the highest quality and on time.

“MPA’s partnership with Slattery spans many years and we were delighted to have had the opportunity to be a part of creating this space. Particularly given the alignment of our ESG vision,” says Sarah Hogan, Director – Client Relations at MPA.

“Together with other leading design, property, and construction firms, MPA and Slattery also partnered together to sponsor the 2023 Melbourne Fashion Festival’s First Nation's Program [link to video on MFF partnership]. For Slattery’s new workplace, the reuse/repurpose focus of Property Industry Foundation’s Furniture Fund and Indigenous procurement commitment were fundamental.”

Wellness was also a significant architectural driver for this space, with the employment of colour therapy in various zones central to the design approach, in addition biophilic design principles and integration of technologies such as circadian lighting.

The design team at Elenberg Fraser was inspired by the work of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe who undertook one of the earliest explorations into colour and psychology. His theories, based in intuition and later verified by science, explore how colour can impact mood and emotion.

An example of this approach is the boardroom which is drenched in blue, a conscious decision inspiring a sense of loyalty, tactfulness, trust and peace to support values-driven decision-making.

Throughout the space, various work-modes are supported at both team and individual levels. “Neighbourhood” zones disperse team clusters across the floorplate with meeting/collaboration spaces embedded between. Agile spaces enable choice for learning, focusing, collaborating, and socialising tasks.

At the heart of the space is the Forum, a large social breakout area with collaborative booths and an amphitheatre to host townhall meetings, workshops, and events. Rich with landscape, timber and natural stone, the space is inviting and comfortable. Airflow is increased in this zone, allowing the plants to gently move for a sense of tranquillity and increased oxygen flow. The Forum consists of joinery in Perugian Walnut Laminate, with feature lighting throughout and complimented by the arrangement of greenery and burnt-orange seating.

Elsewhere, features of the project include the library segmented with thick curvaceous glass to offer a quiet space. Then there’s the unique Atkar proprietary feature ceiling, complete with bespoke laminate margin. The high-spec acoustic meeting pods are designed to be self-supporting, seismic-compliant meeting spaces. Bespoke lounges were custom-built for both the boardroom and kitchen lounge zone.

The versatile workspace is on display in the latest edition of Indesign’s, The ‘Magnetic Workplace’ Issue #89, and is shortlisted in two national awards programs, the Australian Interior Design Awards 2023 and Dulux Colour Awards 2023.