an orange staircase weaves the floors of this australian workspace together, by BVN + clive wilkinson

BVN and clive wilkinson architects have teamed up for the design of macquarie group’s headquarter premises in sydney, australia. 50 martin place, a 1920’s heritage building and former home to the government savings bank of NSW, has been refurbished to integrate contemporary design with state-of-the-art technology and sustainability initiatives.

all photos by brett boardman

sympathetic to the building’s past, BVN and clive wilkinson have created a highly tailored office space for the financial services group that inhabits it. the central atrium has been enlarged on the east and west sides to allow more daylight in, while weaving around it is an orange, perforated-metal staircase that bridges all the business units. offices and conference rooms on the edge of each floor create a link between the atrium and the different levels, whilst halfway up, the café and barista bar add another layer of connectivity within the building. each floor has its own breakout space, an area for meetings, networking, and socializing as well as a highly functional kitchen space integrating cereal, toast and water bars for macquarie employees. in the workspace, a hybrid ABW (activity based working) seating arrangement allows teams to expand and contract as necessary, and sit-stand desks have been incorporated for the traders.