If a happy worker works harder, how can you keep you employees happy? For Australian real estate company Domain, a leap in that direction was creating a home away from home in their new office space in Sydney’s Pyrmont.
Committed to creating a space where people would be excited to come to work (even providing each of their 350+ staffers with noise-cancelling Bose headphones to counter the potentially distracting construction) the company tasked Siren Design and founder/CEO Mia Feasey, who have also revamped offices for companies like Facebook and Lonely Planet, with reinventing the former woolshed.
The result is a tangible sense of home that permeates the space – and it’s no accident. Details like panelling on doors and walls, using curtains rather than glass frosting on meeting room windows and lush soft furnishings all work to reflect the feel of a residential dwelling, rather than an office space. It’s like working from home, but from a very, very cool office.
Access to the office is via a lengthy outdoor decked terrace and sun streams in through the abundant glass panels that cover the ceilings throughout the office. The almost-acre sized office is like one, expansive sunroom.
A highlight of the space is the central hub of an open meeting pod, where casual meetings can be comfortably held without disturbing surrounding staff – the clever noise-absorbing lamps above the circular shell make certain to keep overflowing noise to a minimum.
Conducive to both work and play (there’s a gaming room that staff are known to frequent), the office is a testament to both clever, considered design but also a company dedication to a healthy culture.
“When the team come to a place where they feel at home and welcome, it’s only natural that they can do their best work,” group director of employee experience, Megan Bromley confirms. “We’re proud of our new office and we think it’s a true reflection of what we can offer, and what more we can achieve.”
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