Arup, Australia

One Melbourne Quarter | Melbourne | Australia | Lmi 78.3

Arup’s 2018 move into One Melbourne Quarter was fuelled by straightforward reasoning – in recent years they have grown and evolved, warranting a new workplace that reflects their organisational development. This provided them with an opportunity to implement their future thinking and reimagine their workplace.

In line with Arup’s regional workplace strategy, developed with HASSELL, employee experience, wellness, and sustainability were key drivers of the Melbourne workplace project. And the Platinum WELL, 6-star Green Star, and Leesman+ certifications are fitting testaments to the success of this ambitious new workplace.

For Arup’s Senior Principal, Joseph Correnza, responsible for the project, “Using Leesman, WELL or other standards gives another lens through which to judge not only the performance of a particular workplace but also how we might improve it,” he explains. “If you’re genuine about understanding why you’re doing something, then hopefully the rating tools become outcomes rather than drivers.”

Arup’s workplace at One Melbourne Quarter is a space where experience, wellness and sustainability converge –recording exceptional results in air quality, nourishment, lighting, fitness and comfort. Which comes as little surprise when the internal features are discussed.

Inside more than 600 plants oxygenate the office, while a fully programmable lighting system mimics the body’s circadian rhythm. An onsite wellness centre and sizable bike storage facility cater for the more active employee and monitoring systems for air quality and water ensure the highest standards for all.

And these efforts have not gone unnoticed by Arup’s staff, with 85.3% of employees’ developing a positive view of the company’s environmental sustainability in the post-occupancy survey compared with 49.8% in the pre-occupancy study, and 92.5% agree that One Melbourne Quarter is an enjoyable environment to work in, compared with 62.2% – both emphasising the extent of this project’s success.

But Arup have not only focused on internal features as a means to cultivate a workplace that supports wellbeing. As Joseph Correnza explains “One of the things we learnt is that people still want to belong to a community – a smaller community, a home, a family, a group of likeminded or like-skilled people. So we created neighbourhoods, with Activity Based Working across the entire office.” The results speak for themselves. 82.3% of Arup staff reported a positive sense of community compared to 66.7% in the previous space. In One Melbourne Quarter, Arup has designed a workplace that truly embodies their commitment to both sustainability and wellness.