A Commercial Interior Design Case Study from our Aurora Place Project
Sydney Commercial Office Interior Design
Exceeding the client brief
An iconic Sydney building should be treated with the respect it deserves when the time comes for the reinvention of interior spaces. Overlooking the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge and the Royal Botanical Gardens, Aurora Place is a landmark development situated in Sydney’s Central Business District. The building is the work of renowned architect Renzo Piano.
Andrew Loader Design is proud to have been selected as the interior designers and project managers for this commercial project. The brief was to create interior designs for a considered, creative and agile environment. One that would inspire their team and become a place to educate and entertain clients in surroundings aligned with their core brand values, sustainability goals and approach to innovation.
The interior design features:
- 250 metres of continuous timber panelling in a 3D design cladding the central core of the building
- Australia’s largest switch glass installation
- A sophisticated concierge lounge for client interaction, meetings and events
- Customised furnishings, rugs and fixtures.
- Transparency through extensive use of glass and light reflective surfaces ensuring the dynamic harbour views are visible from every seat.
Creating the right design team
The project scope required up to 100 employees to be seated in flexible office work stations, a concierge lounge with capacity for 50 visitors and 3 executive boardrooms. The pre-construction design team included 3 key client stakeholders which increased to 5 during the construction and fit out period.
Following the completion of the client brief and the interior design concepts the most appropriate suppliers were selected to collaborate and bring to life the space in Phillip Street Sydney.
The Aurora Place project required a unique team of skilled professionals due to the project scale, technology and high-end materials that were to be implemented and installed.
Australia’s largest switch glass installation
Installing quality switch glass is a technical and delicate process. It requires highly skilled electricians and the best switchable glass manufacturers in the market. The talented A1 Sparky team led by Director Alessandro Mattiolo and leading hand Mathieu Porrettawere were selected as the electricians, and Polytron was chosen as the supplier of the Polyvision switchable glass led by Andrew Kerr.
The perfect team were now assembled to bring to life L28 of the Renzo Piano’s Aurora Place.
Andrew Loader Design selected the Office Builders team led by Managing Director George Gatt. Andrew and George have collaborated on many projects, and with the attention to detail and planning required, the Office Builders were the perfect partner for Aurora Place.
When you have the right team to deliver innovative, creative and sophisticated interior designs, success is guaranteed.
A seamless flooring solution
The existing access floor provided some construction obstacles however the open plan environment helped to provide clear spaces to work. To achieve a seamless floor junction between the porcelain and the custom carpet tiles, 400m2 of the 1250m2 floor space was lowered by 18mm. The end result was a perfectly smooth transition from porcelain to carpet.
The porcelain floor was manufactured in 3 metre sheets providing an aesthetically pleasing result. The wool blend commercial grey and black carpet tiles were specially designed by Andrew Loader Design and manufactured by Godfrey Hurst Australia.
Great planning equals success
Developing and committing to a design and construction timeline for all interior design and building projects is critical. Obtaining early buy-in from the many stakeholders is key to success. Great design is a partnership between the client, landlords, designers, consultants, suppliers, tradespeople and technology service providers.
A1 Sparky share this philosophy and when you have a designer and a builder who work with the same mantra any project will be seamless. Challenges that may arise are simply temporary as everyone comes together to move forward and deliver.
Getting the electricals right
With a tight time frame and no room for error A1 Sparky broke down the installation into sections enabling them to plan and schedule the works whilst monitoring quality. A1 Sparky ensure that they understand the end goal first, and then begin the planning stages from there. By breaking down each component into smaller projects and allocating the right resources, tasks are finished on time and to a very high standard.
The electricians worked in 3 stages:
1. The design of the electrical switching
2. Installation of cabling to the suppliers specifications
3. Connection of the glass panelling in line with the designer, builder and installers.
“Working alongside a well organised Interior designer who has a clear understanding of what they are aiming for but even more importantly is able to communicate this was a very satisfying and seamless experience.”
A1 Sparky’s team worked seamlessly together with a clear end goal in mind. The views across Sydney Harbour and the Royal Botanical Gardens at sunrise made each morning an absolute pleasure.
From an electrical perspective, the end result was a first class, modern and innovative place to work.
Ensuring privacy with innovative switchable glass
Client confidentiality was assured by the use of Polyvision switchable glass. This allows multiple zones and rooms to be opened up or closed at the push of a button. Polytron laminates the highest quality glass which undergoes comprehensive inspection prior to lamination.
The national Polytron Australia team were hands on from the beginning of the project, putting in extra hours and effort in order to manufacture the glass on time and in line with specifications.
This was the largest Polyvision™ Switchable Glass installation to date, and the largest ever in Australia.
When great Australian businesses work together as one, anything is possible.
Focal points inspired by award-winning art
Custom floor rugs inspired by the renowned Aboriginal artist Minnie Pwerle rest high above the Royal Botanical Gardens. From Utopia in the Northern Territory, Minnie began painting only at the age of 80 and died 6 years later.
Andrew Loader Design was the first interior design studio to revive permission to alter the colour-ways of Minnie’s art. This enabled the bespoke rugs to beautifully compliment the design and ensure Minnie’s legacy lived on in Aurora Place.
Getting the electricals right
Working on a large project with a tight timeline is a great way to test out a team and rapidly work out any areas that require extra attention. When you have a team that is so in sync you can see clearly all of the training, communication, team bonding and planning that goes on behind the scenes.
The project had a superb finish and everyone involved was very proud of the results. George Gatt believes one of the reasons for this was Andrew Loader’s keen eye and attention to the smallest of detail. This was a brilliant design developed to achieve a very specific result.
In today’s fast paced business world you need to employ a professional design firm and building team who have a proven track record of delivering on time and on budget.
Talk to the professionals today about your commercial or residential project.
You can also view videos from the Aurora Place project by clicking on the links listed below.
A timelapse of the project
Images from the completed project
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