The suburbs have an important role to play in the post-pandemic workplace environment, with these areas poised to become prime business locations delivering unique advantages over the CBD.

When compared to the traditional CBD office, decentralised office hubs provide multiple benefits to both employers and workers, says Gray Puksand partner Nik Tabain. Offering location convenience, easy commutes, cheaper rents, and increased space for diversity in work typologies and amenities, suburban offices are now becoming sought-after hubs amid shifting attitudes, as employers look to entice staff back into the office with lifestyle-driven contemporary workspaces that are closer to home.

With more companies expected to follow this trend, Tabain believes architects and designers will play an important role in shaping the future of the suburban office.

Delivering commercial projects nationally for diverse stakeholders, Gray Puksand draws on research-led architectural design to deliver new-age workspaces and business precincts centred around the key pillars of amenity, wellbeing, and community.

‘Earn the commute’ with holistic precinct design

While suburban office hubs can offer the advantage of conveniently located workplaces for people living in the city fringes, location is not enough in a post-pandemic world. Suburban workspaces must also shift away from an office-only model to encourage workers to ‘earn their commute’, i.e., give them a compelling reason to come to work.

Design firm Hassell’s 2022 Workplace Futures Survey, a global survey of 2500 office workers, found that ‘home has become more like the office so the office needs to become more like home’. With fresh air, gardens, greenery, cafes and focussed workspaces topping the list of worker demands, Tabain suggests holistic business precinct design to create dynamic environments for workers that blur the lines between work and lifestyle.

For instance, Gray Puksand has master planned the Ferntree Business Park in Melbourne’s south-east based on insights gleaned from visits to commercial precincts and university campuses around the world; the master plan incorporates open-air Wi-Fi enabled plazas, cafes, hotels, and exercise equipment, all within walking distance, and shared by tenants and the community.

Bringing health-focussed design to the suburbs

Designing healthy spaces that incorporate fresh air, daylight and biophilic features has become the standard baseline for workplace design projects. Though suburban and regional areas enjoy more access to open space than cities, many commercial precincts in these areas still lack pedestrian-friendly green spaces, says Tabain.

Research-informed master planning and architectural design to place better emphasis on health and wellbeing can be leveraged to reactivate existing precincts and support healthier spaces.

Gray Puksand’s recent expansion of the Nexus Corporate Park in Melbourne’s south-east is an exemplar in human-centred design with the removal of cars from the broader precinct. Two new commercial buildings enjoy an exclusive and expansive people-focused plaza with much-needed access to light and green space, while car parking has been moved below ground.

Connection to community

Contemporary offices have become a place to connect and collaborate: Smart architectural design can support this connection, not just within a building but also outwards by engaging the local community.

At Gray Puksand-designed commercial and workspace projects, amenities such as business lounges, meeting rooms, function spaces and hospitality spaces are shared between tenants, creating a sense of community and increasing the appeal for employees.

One of the firm’s upcoming projects in Geelong  for a Victorian regional centre includes plans for a winter garden with a fresh air meeting room on every level of the building, in addition to a rooftop complete with a bar and restaurant that’s accessible to the broader community.

The building will provide a valuable ‘third space’ for workers – a space between the work and the office that’s an important setting for leisure, relaxation and connection, both during and after hours.

With people-first design at the very core of Gray Puksand’s architectural approach, the practice will continue to underscore the importance of human-centred architectural design to elevate the role of the suburban office, says Tabain. Delivering architecturally designed suburban office precincts that meet the needs of a contemporary workforce will ensure these areas will continue to thrive as prime business destinations in a post-pandemic landscape.

Based on the article ‘Rethinking the suburban office – how architects can design human-centred business precincts for the future of work’, authored by Nik Tabain, partner at Gray Puksand.