People centric office spaces are the way of the future according to Gold Coast based commercial construction company GorisCo Projects (GCP), and it is millennials that are influencing the direction of office design.
With the rise of young entrepreneurs and generation Y employees entering the corporate world, the demand for innovative office design that promotes connectivity, collaboration and flexibility has soared.
GCP is leading the charge, with young entrepreneur Greg Goris at the helm. The family owned company was established in 2016 and has successfully completed 13 projects in less than 12 months.
Mr Goris, GCP Managing Director, says modern businesses want more from their office spaces, placing greater importance on creating dynamic and engaging environments for their staff.
“Designing an office environment that is aesthetically pleasing is a given these days, but creating a space that captures the essence of an organisation’s culture and core values is the way of the future,” he said.
“Workplace design should be at the heart of every workplace strategy as the office environment supports the brand and the culture of a business, and more businesses are acknowledging that there is more to this than on-trend colour palettes and funky furniture.
“A modern office should be designed to enhance staff productivity and overall satisfaction – a space that not only ignites creativity but promotes a wellness culture has a far better chance of maintaining a competitive edge, which is vital to attracting and retaining talent.
“Cubicles and corner offices are a thing of the past. The move towards open plan spaces with features like standing desks and flexible workspaces are more than just a trend, they promote collaboration between colleagues and encourage staff to move more throughout their work day.”
GCP recently won an award in the Refurbishment/Renovation up to $2 million category at this year’s Housing & Construction Awards for the refurbishment of an old, dark office space in Bundall for graphic and web design company CSQD. CSQD is a thriving start-up spearheaded by brothers James and Philip Coulson.
“The owners of CSQD had been working with a team of five in their garage at home and wanted to grow their business to the next level,” Mr Goris said.
“The team needed a flexible space to move and collaborate with each other while feeling relaxed and inspired enough to think creatively. We achieved this with wide open spaces, floor to ceiling windows, with glassed walls around the directors’ offices, which are adjacent to large, shared standing desks.
“The kitchen features pendent lighting, white subway tiles and a custom made recycled timber dining table, making it feel warm, inviting and homely.”
Mr Goris says the Coulsons’ prime objective was to create a space that reflected their brand which is ‘bright ideas’ – modern, creative and stylish.
“The CSQD brief was to create an urban feel with feature brick, polished concrete, and a crisp black and white theme with custom timber furniture – a style that’s becoming very popular,” he said.
“The quality of finishes such as the polished floors from Multiblast are as good as I have ever seen, and the innovative light weight brick system used was a first for us.
“We used recycled Australian bricks for the feature wall which separates the reception area from the work stations. The Empire Brick System has each brick face cut to 20-25mm thick and mechanically fixed onto a metal track system on a standard wall. The system allows you to literally place the entire wall and then stand back and move bricks around to achieve the mix the client is looking for.
“A green wall adds additional life and colour to the space, and is a popular feature being integrated into a lot of new commercial and retail spaces.”
GCP collaborated with Fluxe Architecture, to maximise space and fine tune the design, along with a host of quality contractors who worked closely to bring the elements together. Multiblast, Living Dream Kitchens, 2J Electrical, Empire Bricks, All Aspect Plumbing, Ultimate Ceilings and Linings worked alongside GCP on the project.