Architects: Cox Architecture
Project: Cox Box Office
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Gross Floor Area: 880m2
Photography: Cox Architecture
The new office project was undertaken as an opportunity to rethink the company’s approach to ‘design’ and the process of creating contemporary architecture across a varying portfolio.
The ethos underpinning the project is best represented in the creation of a central ‘events space’ for key activity. Located in the centre of the plan, this open yet partially obscured space was created by cutting a large void in the upper floor and folding the new floor plate down to the lower level in a series of tiered platforms. This open ‘box’ creates an internal connection between floors and reflects the intention to promote curiosity and increase the opportunity for staff to come together.
A significant outcome of the project has similarly been the increase in communication across project teams and the heightened awareness of individuals about the full extent of activity being undertaken within the practice. Lunch and coffee breaks have become more social occasions due to the priority given to the creation of a communal café and dining setting adjacent to the entrance.
Sited at the front of the building, this space offers attractive views over Flinders Lane and has become a focal point for discussion as well as a preferred place to convene impromptu work meetings and host clients. Conceived as a ‘third space’ and as an atypical workspace, this zone is characterized by the use of robust industrial materials and fittings.
