Canva, the global platform for online design and visual communication, has announced plans to establish their flagship campus in the heart of Sydney.
With a global team of over 4,000 people, the company continues to expand their physical spaces to create “a hybrid environment where everyone at Canva is empowered to do the best work of their lives”. Sydney will join a series of new campuses opened across the world last year, including in Austin, Melbourne, and London.
“While we’ve embraced a hybrid way of working, we regularly hear from our team about how much they value the connection and collaboration that’s made possible with our physical spaces. Despite not having any strict requirements around working from a physical Canva space, we’re proud to see the majority of our team choosing to work from our campuses and hubs,” a company statement reads.
The proposed headquarters will be located at 8-24 Kippax Street in Surry Hills in a 12,000 sqm office building, which the company had acquired last year for about $120 million. The refurbishment of the nine-storey building is being designed by COX, plans for which were recently filed with the City of Sydney for assessment.
According to the plans, the refurbishment encompasses the addition of a level for a rooftop and terrace, and the removal of parking spaces on the ground and underground levels to accommodate a cafe, wellness areas for fitness and meditation, a gym, bike parking, e-charging stations, and end-of-trip facilities.
Keeping their commitment to sustainability at the heart of the refurbishment, Canva is taking a “do more with less” approach to the overall design of this new campus by aiming to reuse the existing building as much as possible, with rebuilding to be done only where necessary to meet current standards or optimise sustainability.
The Sydney campus will be completely powered by renewable electricity, with a green roof to be introduced to foster biodiversity and generate green energy.
Canva has been part of the Surry Hills community since they opened their first office in 2012. To continue promoting and nurturing connection with local communities, the new Sydney campus will feature various communal areas for cafes, bars, events, volunteering, and collaborative work.
“From hosting design workshops to providing nonprofits and social enterprises with event spaces and catering free of charge, we’ll continue to open our doors to the public. The planned rooftop garden will also supply produce for our hospitality program, including meals for our team and local nonprofit organisations,” the company said.
Additionally, Canva is also collaborating with members of First Nations communities, including the team at Indigenous design consultancy Yerrabingin, to ensure the design of the space is informed by First Nations principles. The new campus will also display murals and works from local galleries, including First Nations artists.
The new Sydney campus is expected to open in 2026.
Images: Cox Architecture
