A HERITAGE SHELL, A MODERN SOUL
Engaged by global trading company Mako to design their new Sydney office, Hot Black led a series of workshops to unpack the local needs and relationship to the global workplace presence.
The client’s brief sought to move away from the corporate workplace typical to financial firms and embrace the new ways of working, with the focus shifted to team experiences, both productively and socially.
Working within a heritage building, the fitout design leaned into the contrast between Sydney’s history and Mako’s innovation. Using the idea of ‘Juxtaposition’ as the concept driver, the interiors language emphasises the ideas of new versus old, dark versus light and cold versus warm. The overall aesthetic leant into a textured, natural and raw materiality, within a bespoke and industrial practicality.
The breakout was placed within the front-of-house experience to encourage team engagement. Set to host small social moments, town hall gatherings and industry events, the breakout is capped with the unique inclusion of a virtual golf simulator.
A careful consideration for the design team was a practical yet balanced working area. With each workpoint requiring six monitors and certain visual privacy, the spatial planning took significant care to meet workstation numbers without impeding user experience.