Havas HQ in The Rocks, Sydney by Hammond Studio.

Global communications company Havas Group has relocated from multiple separate sites across Sydney to a singular workplace in two connected buildings. Located within the historic Bushells Tea Building, the site forms part of The Rocks heritage precinct within the Sydney CBD.

Spanning six levels, the predominantly open-plan workplace sits respectfully within its heritage envelope. Where required, enclosed spaces are designed as freestanding timber pavilions within the existing built environment. Untreated timber columns, beams, ceiling joists and exposed mechanical services reinforce the industrial origins of the building. Tea shoots remain throughout the levels, spanning through the floors and ceiling, within which Hammond Studio created circular meeting rooms.

Cobblestone floors across the ground floor lobby nod to the historical function of the space as a tea loading dock. The cobblestones act as a laneway between the two buildings, presided over by a shimmering concierge pod. A large-scale ‘H’ asserts the Havas presence, the digital totem spanning 5m vertically into an atrium. The laneway is softened by loose furniture settings that provide impromptu meeting spaces for staff and guests to the building.

Levels one to five are accessed via a bridge that crosses the atrium. Rather than a typical foyer, ‘collaboration boulevards’ feature several open suites with various pieces of communal furniture. The pieces can be used separately or connected with the hub kitchen for larger gatherings. When staff want a little respite from digital, anti-tech working walls for storyboarding enable collaborative settings.

The top floor (level six) inherited the previous pitched roof and is a shared floor facility for the agencies below. Characterised by an abundance of blonde timber, cane furnishings and indoor plants, the top floor has a bright and open feel particularly encouraging of socialization. Throughout the floors, workspaces are arranged in a pinwheel format to encourage organic circulation. Focus and retreat spaces are located on alternative floors, providing a change of scene for staff and enabling a more relaxed and individually focused style of work away from the team environment.

[Images courtesy of Hammond Studio. Photography by Terence Chin.]