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Microsoft Sydney HQ

Project Type
Office Interior

Date
April 2021

Location
1 Bligh Street, Sydney, NSW

Software Used
Client Brief
  • Create a single-storey office on Level 23 for use by Microsoft as their inner-city office.

  • Focus on the public and waiting areas. The reception desk should attract attention and set the tone for the rest of the office.

  • Aesthetic should incorporate existing Microsoft office designs and branding.

  • To cater for staff working from home, hot-desking and conferencing spaces are the priority for the proposed spatial planning.

  • 3ds Max

  • V-Ray

  • AutoCAD

  • Photoshop

  • Excel

Building Site


A 30-storey commercial office tower, designed by Architectus under Ray Brown and built in 2011. The centre of the tower houses an atrium, which extends the entire height of the building. Floor plates are mostly column-free to allow for maximum workspace space.

The building was designed for environmental sustainability. It is rated as 6-star by the Green Building Council of Australia and features a double-skinned exterior with engineered louvres for sun protection, recycling for rainwater as well as an on-site black-water recycling facility. There are solar panels on the rooftop that help drive the air conditioning system, which uses a hybrid of Variable Air Volume and Chilled Beam systems.

Concept 

Microsoft offices around the world tend to have a single colour theme per floor along with a geometric shape. For this project the concept incorporates “Blue” and “Circles”.

The carpet flows up from the floor into a mountain shape creating the reception desk with the sky and clouds above and behind it created by a custom-designed light bar. As the carpet rises up from the floor it lightens just as a mountain in the distance starts to blend into the sky.

Existing columns around the exterior façade are incorporated into the conference room walls, while the central columns near the atrium are used to separate the breakout room and kitchen from the open plan floor. The wall here includes sound-absorption properties to minimise disturbance from the breakout area activities.

Half the remaining space on the floor is designated for hot-desking while the other section uses small pods for quiet work or customer conversation.

Hot desks are custom-designed to be modular and spacious enough for a large IT-worker setup.

Materials used in the pods, seating, and flooring are all designed to absorb and disperse sound to minimise distraction and any potential for overheard conversations.

A quiet area is placed behind the atrium with soft chairs, and extra-absorbent floor tiles for times when an employee required undisturbed concentration.

The reception area is adjacent to the lift foyer, so it is clear where to approach for external clients.

Toilets were available in the lift area for guests as well as showers and toilets in the employee only area. This area includes change rooms and lockers.

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