Fast growing wealth management firm Escala Partners was expanding interstate and needed a new Sydney CBD office.
So they commissioned Molecule Studio to create a sibling space to their Melbourne HQ which they had designed.
The Sydney office was to be similar in both functional brief and aesthetic design to their Melbourne HQ at 90 Collins Street.
The 450sqm commercial tenancy provided a similar substrate for the Sydney project and an opportunity for Molecule Studio to refine and re-investigate their design ideas in a new context.
Molecule Studio’s primary focus was to achieve a unique identity for the Sydney workplace, without creating a major deviation from the design characteristics executed in the original Melbourne HQ.
The space planning approach to the Sydney space capitalises on the strong entry axis from the lift lobby and the iconic harbour views. Clients are welcomed into a generous reception area and lounge, a flexible space which is used for informal client meetings and evening functions.
The boardroom and several smaller meeting rooms are positioned adjacent to the facade, capturing glimpses of the sparkling Sydney Harbour through a Manhattan-like skyscraper landscape in the foreground.
The reception joinery, a nine-metre-long element in timber veneer and marble, is utilised as a backdrop to the client lounge space and as a spatial divider to the workspace beyond. Pivot panels enable controlled connecting views through to the substantial staff kitchen and café where the timber floor boards and veneer joinery continue a palette of richness and formality.
The introduction of new luxury materials into the finishes palette were a deliberate reference to the Sydney coastal landscape and its geological context: teal-green upholstery, caramel leather, dark stained timber veneer, and sandstone-inspired Palomino marble create a subtle tuning and differentiation from the navy, tan, and rosewood tones of the Melbourne office.
Bottom line?
The two workplaces sit with the dialogue of close siblings, sharing the same design principles and brand philosophy, but each with an atmosphere that is uniquely their own.
Project Details
Project size – 450 m2
Completion date – 2017
Building levels – 1
Project Team
Architecture and Interior Design
Molecule Studio
Molecule Studio is an architecture and design practice formed in 2010 and led by husband and wife team, Richard Fleming and Anja de Spa.
The two co-directors personally design and document every project to ensure that the client briefing and concept direction is executed to the highest level.
The name of the studio, Molecule, is emblematic of the practice’s ethos. It represents the bond formed between the client, architect, and builder with the exclusive intention of creating a one-off commission – the project.
Each bespoke project is the creation of holistic and distinctive spaces which involves the blurring of the traditional boundaries of architecture, interior design, and landscape design into a singular offering. One concept with multiple influences.
Construction
Shape Construction
From commercial, hospitality, and retail through to education and healthcare, Shape Construction has a solid track record of creating beautiful and functional spaces across Australia.
Photography
Prue Ruscoe
Prue Ruscoe is a Sydney based photographer, specialising in lifestyle, fashion and interiors. Her work is known for its relaxed, yet polished style. She has worked for a number of years with extremely high profile clients in both Australia and all over the world, and has worked on a number of interior books.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Molecule Studio. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Prue Ruscoe. All Rights Reserved.
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