The new Sydney Water Infrastructure Group workplace embraces the social change in contemporary workspaces more often associated with CBD office buildings.

The newly refurbished Graduate School in the Old Arts Building enables better cross-faculty and inter-faculty collaboration.

“Morphosis in the City: A High Stakes Game of Survival Aesthetics”

“Morpho” by Alexander Knox is currently being installed in the foyer of 420 George Street.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Philip Vivian comments in the Australian Design Review.

A great deal has been written about good workplace design as a key element in creating staff engagement, teamwork and productivity. Our resources-led economy has cushioned us from many of the effects of the GFC for now.  

Australia has returned to full employment, taking the form of as a “two speed economy”, relatively frantic in resources-related businesses and quite subdued outside this sector. What does this say about workplace design in 2011?

Collins Square is Australia’s largest commercial mixed use development comprising five commercial towers over a 10,000 sqm retail podium and including the refurbishment of the historic Southern Goods Shed. 

The $1.3bn project is situated on a whole city block with a 246m of Collins Street frontage and aims to create a vibrant new precinct for big business in Melbourne.

Bates Smart is delighted that three of our projects have been shortlisted in seperate categories in the AIA (NSW) Awards 2011 shortlistings.

A significant new start for a long established company.

Bates Smart were commissioned to design a new workplace interior for Conneq, a new name on the block but with 50 years of success behind it.  

The Conneq fitout won an Interior Architecture Award at the AIA (NSW) Awards earlier this month.Read the full jury citation below.

Bates Smart Associate Polly Gee celebrated a well deserved win at the NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction) State Awards for Excellence last month.

Interior Designer Polly was awarded a Leighton Contractors Achievement merit award for her work on the Clayton Utz Sydney project.

Law firms continue to experience high rates of attrition of young talented lawyers, exiting the profession to pursue vastly different careers – hospitality, the arts, not-for-profit organisations and design. 

Why is this the case and what can law firms do from a design perspective to retain and support the best employees?

The wavy ceiling that greets visitors to Level 15 was designed by Interior Designer Leader Dana Tomic and Brad Schott. Brad explains the process behind realising the waves.

"Wavy plywood ceilings have been done before, but for Clayton Utz we introduced a new challenge. The ceiling is curved in elevation and plan, creating complex three dimensional curves. 

The Bates Smart community of talent expands to New York as architect Felicty Stewart undertakes a year of intense study for her Masters in Urban Design at Columbia University.

Bates Smart recently completed the fitout for Facebook’s Sydney office in the heart of the city's retail and business district.

Bates Smart Director Simon Swaney says, “The design embodies the youthful, energetic culture of this startup company, characterised by rapid growth and a sense of anarchy. All is able to be changed and nothing is conventional or sacred.”