Location：North Melbourne, VIC, Australia; | ;

Project Year：2020

Category：Offices

WISE Employment are an Australian not-for-profit disability employment service provider. They have offices all over Australia to inspire, transform and enable people to realise their potential. Their head office is located in North Melbourne with a stunning view that overlooks Melbourne’s CBD & Docklands.

One of the main requirements for this office fit out project was to incorporate the corporate colour scheme into the space. WISE Employment stressed that their brand was a key part of their identity and an important aspect of the design that was not to be missed. As WISE Employment clients encompass all types of disability, we had to ensure that the egress of the office fit out accommodated all who would be visiting.

Flexible work areas were also a necessity for this office fit out, as all sorts of working arrangements needed to be accommodated for. We designed small quiet rooms with high acoustic qualities, open plan workstations, meeting rooms and collaborative areas to ensure each staff member, no matter the job description had a comfortable space to work in.

We also wanted to take advantage of the abundance of natural light and stunning views the building offers. The design was carefully developed to ensure these elements were a feature to be enjoyed by all staff.

The completed office fit out is light filled, colourful & visually exciting through the elements carefully developed in line with our brief from WISE Employment.

We created a journey of colour through the space with quite a few different textures. The first pop of colour you see is the speckled pink terrazzo on the reception counter, you are then taken through the space via brightly coloured carpet arrows on the floor. This guides those who are not familiar with the space or possibly have visual impairment. Soft feature wall colours and acoustic panels have been placed through the space to enhance visual excitement as well as acoustic qualities. These soft colours tie in with the texture of the vertical timber panels on selected walls.

The flooring treatment, carpet specifically, was a significant focus during the design process, different carpet patterns and colours were used to separate the areas of the workplace without having to erect too many walls. This is a great way to guide staff and visitors through the space.

WISE Employment had a need to create a meeting space that could be multipurpose, not unusual in an office fit out but interesting in the case of this one. Canopy Fitout’s answer to this was an operable wall!  In order to make the boardroom and training room one flexible space with this operable wall, there were a few building requirements we had to follow. This included a large structural beam installed in the roof space, which as the tenancy is on the top floor eeded to be brought in through the façade windows with a small crane. It was a little more challenging than other office fit outs but the operable wall was a non-negotiable requirement for the use of this space so with the help of some talented crane operators we made it work. It was well worth it, as now there are a lot more opportunities for the North Melbourne WISE Employment office to be a main hub due to the training facilities.

First impressions always count, and this one is not an exception. The welcome area of this office fit out was custom designed for the space.  The use of a stunning terrazzo stone by Concrete Collaborative alluded to the corporate colours used throughout the space. The look and feel of the reception is a first glance of what the space and broader business has to offer. The backdrop of the reception is a high-quality timber panel by Woodcut, also used in other areas of the tenancy creating a connection between spaces.

Another custom design Canopy Fitouts implemented was the suspended acoustic panels hanging above the workstations which hold pendants and plants.  The plants we used are from Handcrafted Flowers, a stunning array of faux yet real looking plants.

The breakout table and bench seats in the kitchen were another custom-made product especially for the space. Brown Dog furniture hand made this stunning timber table which was the perfect addition to the area and sits 10-15 staff.

 For us, completing an office fit out is always a pleasure but watching the WISE Employment team moving into the space was a real plus.  Everyone was overjoyed with the result and a real feeling of home was created. For the Canopy Fitouts team directly involved, this job gave us a sense of supporting those who help people in need. Helping those with disability is an activity so highly regarded by Canopy Fitouts - we cannot be more thrilled to have provided a wonderful, fresh & invigorating office fit out for all of the wonderful people at WISE Employment.

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