When our Senior Project Director Gavin and one of our house DesignTeam Sophie first met with John & Marcus, the brief was to re-carpet upstairs & build 3 offices. However, as we looked at the space, we envisioned a much greater result. We gave the plans of the building to our in-house Design Team with a blank slate, and they worked the magic for both the operational efficiencies and wellbeing of the valued team at ICE. When John & Marcus saw the potential for the building and the potential return on investment with increased capacity & dramatically improved staff amenities, they were blown away and gave us the go ahead to transform their tired workplace into something great.
The photos don’t do the wonderful workplace justice! Part of the creative magic, the workspace exudes a calm, pleasant, open feeling which is highly conducive to productivity. When we as human beings feel better, we perform better just by default. When external concerns such as an uncomfortable chair are removed, we are able to concentrate on our work. External factors can be used to drive concentration and wellbeing, making the ICON INTERIORS 5 Wellbeing Principles© a huge part of ICON INTERIORS project success. For example, biophilic elements, which includes but is by no means limited to plants, can have unbelievable positive effects on our productivity.
The new design saw the boardroom moved from the first floor down to the ground floor, providing easy access for visitors, opening straight on to reception, and added to a much improve flow on the first floor. Relocating the board room meant we could bring the kitchen/ breakout area up to the first floor. Previously a tiny space with a dungeon feel on the ground floor adjoining the warehouse, the staff break out space now takes the full width of the top floor and is a huge re-charge asset for the team. A comfortable & welcoming breakout space is key when becoming an employer of choice. The staff can use the break out area to relax during break time, as well as providing an awesome area for informal one- on- one catchups, team meetings & get togethers. We have also found that salespeople occasionally use the space to make a couple of quick calls to break up the monotony of being at their desk. A lot of clients are at first reluctant to give up so much real estate to the breakout area as it may not seem like a high return on investment, but on post occupancy review they often express they are glad for the use of space, with some wishing they had it bigger in their office fitout Melbourne.
The ICE breakout space design was led by the company colour, royal blue. Creative and inexpensive use of materials make the space engaging and fun without adding massively to the cost. The Spectrum tiles in Ashen, Graphite & Imperial by Godfrey Hirst add interest to passageways & subtly zone different areas. In the boardroom & breakout space, use of acoustic panelling to the walls serves a double purpose. Not only providing visual stimulation of random blue shapes on a light grey background, it creates a point where sound will stop. Receiving 2-3 calls for help a week on projects with failed or no acoustic mitigation strategies incorporated into their offices, ensures ICON INTERIORS focus hugely on the acoustics of a space to ensure that it is usable. The acoustic paneling is an absorbing surface, vs the reflective surfaces of hard plaster & glass. The spaces within this office fitout Melbourne feature carpet where possible along with high performance acoustic ceiling tiles, providing further deadening & acoustic privacy.
We loved working with the friendly team at ICE, as one of the team said “John was a walking smile!” A rewarding project indeed, nothing makes us happier than seeing our wonderful ICON Family happy with their new office fit out Melbourne!
