by ArchitectureWeek

A group of office workers in Sydney, Australia comes face to face with history every day. When entering their new building, they pass by an extraordinary four-story-high raw sandstone wall. It is the remains of a trench that convict laborers dug by hand for the installation of a 19th-century gasworks. Now that the site has been redeveloped, the wall is preserved as a major feature in an eight-story atrium.

Designed, engineered, built, and occupied by the global real estate development firm Bovis Lend Lease, the office building, known as "30 The Bond," is striking in other ways as well. Its worker-centered design process and interior layout display an unusual commitment to workplace openness. And the nation's Sustainable Energy Development Authority has awarded the design its top rating of five stars under the Australian Building Greenhouse Rating scheme.

During project programming, the company's employees were asked for their opinions, preferences, and aspirations for their new workplace. What they received in return included large, open-plan floors, with cores to the sides, and shared social spaces. All workers have equal access to views to beautiful Sydney Harbour.   >>>

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"30 The Bond," in Sydney, Australia, designed, built, and occupied by Bovis Lend Lease. Photo: John Marmaras Photography Glazed work "pods" jut out into the atrium. Photo: John Marmaras Photography   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.