RT Edgar Toorak
The big problem
The team at RT Edgar Toorak had grown and grown slowly over the years, expanding into the tenancy above, giving them about another 300 square meters. However, from there their growth seemed to plateau, so they called us, and our space planning team identified three issues; lack of wayfinding, team cohesion and a restrictive entrance.
Lack of wayfinding clarity
The first problem was complete lack of wayfinding clarity. When their clients came into the building, they didn’t know whether to head upstairs or whether to turn right, as the airlock was still configured as though the two floors were separate tenancies.
Breakdown in team cohesion
The second issue a complete breakdown in team cohesion. Initially, as the business had expanded, the reception concierge was the centre point, and had a really great sense of who was in & who was out & what resources she had to deploy to assist clients.
Restrictive entrance
The third issue we identified was that the front doors were very restrictive, they had two very small active leaf pivot doors, that required a decent amount of force to open. They were essentially throttling back the energy flow into the building by making it difficult to enter.
The solutions
Our space planning team worked with engineering support, to dramatically change the game in terms of wayfinding by demolishing the whole airlock. Now when you first come into the entry, a clear view of the reception is right in front of you, making it an extremely logical experience for their valued clients.
We resolved the team cohesion issue, as the reception was now located centrally, with the stairs to the left going to operations and the right going to client contact areas and their property management team. We now have a central axis with the receptionist being able to get a really great sense of where the team were at to provide a better experience for their clients.
The restrictive entrance issue was resolved by swapping out the shopfront doors. We changed the two small doors to one small side light and a large glass door, which has increased the sense of vista & arrival.
What our Interior Design Team have done is highly effective, quite understated and paired back, but very elegant. When you first enter, there are large format floor tiles, then heading up the staircase, there is a warm timber accent pendant at the top. Reception is a moody grey Caesarstone which pops out against the white aluminium slats running up the wall & across the ceiling. To the right is a waiting lounge, a place where you can sit and recharge. There are several meeting rooms and large-scale boardroom, which has got a plush pile carpet with a very cosy feeling. In these spaces, acoustic panelling creates both a feature wall and assists with the acoustic dynamics of the room, which is important when a sense of confidentiality is needed for the work that they’re doing for their clients. The meeting rooms feature the Muuto Under The Bell light fitting, which act as both an acoustic damper and a visual accent. The ottomans we installed in these spaces are brilliant as a casual meeting or working place, as well as creating an acoustic totem. Being fabric-covered, they become a point where any reverberating sound is absorbed.
Using colours, finishes and textures are absolutely crucial to get right to create the right feel for a company’s workspace. Your biggest asset is your staff and you need to have an environment where they can do their best work. It is also paramount to create a sense of occasion, a sense of confidentiality, which means the business can effectively assist their clientele