Siren Design based their design on a ‘home away from home’ concept when called upon to create a workspace for the Domain Group in Pyrmont, Sydney.
Located in a heritage property in Pyrmont, the new Domain office occupies space across three different levels of the building. Domain, Australia’s leading property app, sought to create a workspace that would retain a sense of cohesion to foster a ‘one team, one company’ approach within an open, light and homely environment. While the ground floor would serve as ‘front of house’ space for clients and employees, the first and fifth floors would become friendly and functional workspaces.
Engaged by Domain to design the workspace, Siren Design used the ‘home’ theme to visually and spatially connect the three levels through the central atrium. Existing architectural elements including tall timber columns, lofty trusses, exposed brick walls and timber beams were retained in the design.
The entry level is filled with a variety of destination spaces for employees and clients such as flexible training rooms, a wellness centre, gym and yoga studio, coffee bar, commercial kitchen and dining area. The upper levels include informal breakout zones, meeting spaces, tea-points and focused workspaces.
The materials and furnishings were important elements in fulfilling the requirements of the client’s brief.
“We wanted to create the ultimate ‘home away from home’, which is profound in choices of materiality and furnishings,” says interior designer Rebecca Schieler. “We incorporated floor lamps, wallpaper, loose feature rugs, plush lounge seating, cushions and timber wall mouldings, elements to create a ‘living-room’ styled interior for a warm and friendly atmosphere where clients and employees felt at ease.”
The designer was able to achieve this objective by combining a variety of textures, soft palette and residential looking furniture.
Health and wellness of employees have been prioritised in the design with the inclusion of gym and yoga facilities that not only create a positive environment for the staff but also enhance productivity for the business. With these in-house facilities, employees have the option to efficiently take part in physical activity onsite, making health more accessible for more people. Sit-and-stand desks are also used throughout the office.
Filtered water taps from Zip Industries have been installed in the tea-points and breakouts to encourage the staff to hydrate themselves throughout the day. Zip Boiling and Chilled HydroTap classic units and mixer taps in Cube design were chosen in a chrome finish ‘for a sophisticated look’, says Schieler.
According to office manager Penny Sandercock, Zip taps have been a huge success in encouraging staff to hydrate throughout the day. Being extremely easy to use, the taps allow users to quickly fill up their bottles. Additionally, having instant boiling water on tap for making tea is particularly beneficial in the colder months, she added.
