Driven by an approach of Designing with Place; the rich topographical, ancestral, & historical context of the site inform the design proposition. 

First, a large cut articulated in the building form concludes on a south west facing terrace towards the Blue Mountains; the prominent range positioning the building & its occupants clearly within the context of the surrounding country. 

The second move is based on the core understanding that civic spaces must provide spaces for people to be civil; settings were created to encourage informal chatter, where people can sit next to each other & look out to a view, not across a table. This is represented in the creation of a series of yarning circles on the ground plane & communal settings in the central hubs.

The third move was palette; the colours on both the building exterior & interior celebrate the surrounding setting. The gold, bronze & copper façade panels created a visual connection with the iconic Date Palm trees along the forecourt. Adjacent heritage buildings, sandstone, the neighbouring sports oval, & fauna all inform the palette, placing the building harmoniously within the environment.

 Government Workplace adopted an accommodation strategy enabling future growth & inter agency flex, without modification to the physical space; a new model of agile working was implemented throughout. Teams are assigned to neighbourhoods & the building stack considers a holistic approach, encouraging users to move throughout the building, fostering serendipitous interaction & avoiding duplication of facilities. 

A 10-storey tower with nine workplace floors. Seven are typical workplace, identical in layout, with individual character derived from the application of materials & placemaking art. Level 1: shared meeting facility; concierge, business lounge, design thinking studio & collection of large multifunctional meeting spaces. Level 6: vibrant town hall space with reconfigurable project rooms & team labs for specialist projects, overflow, & training. Ground Floor: café & childcare facility. 

The challenge of a 3,000m2 floor plate was to maximise daylight penetration & address multi-organisation occupancy, large floor populations, & different team styles, while achieving individual belonging & retreat.

Users arrive at a central square, a hub full of informal meeting spaces, a kitchen, & a stair linking all floors. The square is intentionally open & communal and is bookended by three large shared meeting rooms & a series of smaller pavilions. 

Large team tables are located adjacent to each pavilion & individual work points line the perimeter. A quiet zone; akin to a library study space, is where occupants enter through an arbour, denotes a change in behaviour, no phones or noisy work is permitted. A truly integrated fit out & collaborative build process enabled the project team to deliver high quality design within a modest budget & neat delivery programme.