Description

Legal workplace design that reflects the firm’s fresh, youthful culture and enables greater client integration.

The Allen & Overy Sydney workplace is the first bespoke Australian office for the global law firm. Deliberately located outside the legal precinct, the office occupies three floors of the Westfield Castlereagh Street complex. A driving factor of the workplace design was to reflect the firm’s fresh and youthful culture, a point of difference in the traditional legal sector.

The design maintains a cellular office environment for legal staff, while offering high visibility and collaborative break out areas. The egg-shaped floorplan of the workplace is split by a central ‘street’ on all three levels. This allows direct connection from the western lift lobby to the dramatic harbour and park views on the eastern end.

Two steel staircases connect the three levels of the street. As an integrated fit-out with the base building, the stairs were craned into place during building construction. The stair and void also facilitate greater client integration than normally experienced in a legal office. Clients are afforded access to meeting rooms, the staff library and café as well as visual connection with the workspace, while maintaining requirements for security and confidentiality. This transparency enables a stronger client – lawyer understanding and relationship.

The building incorporates semi-industrial materials, instead of traditional corporate finishes, reinforcing the firm’s youthful culture.