Woodside’s new headquarters in Perth is an international workplace destination of choice. It showcases significant innovations in workplace technologies, as well as health, wellbeing and connectivity, embodying how one is not overlooked in favour of the other, and resulting in a truly balanced environment.
Briefed to create a sustainable and cutting-edge building for Woodside’s employees, Unispace’s design strategy had to showcase the company’s expertise as Australia’s largest independent oil and gas company, but also challenge the traditional notions of how a workplace should look, feel and function. Additionally, given that the building was slated to operate around the clock, and host employees and contractors from all around the world, the workplace also had to incorporate design elements that promote health, social connection, collaboration, inclusivity, and focus.
The project, spanning 32 floors and 688,890 sq. ft., was three years in the making, and is the first campus in Australia to provide a more holistic approach to health by encouraging well-being and creating synergies between work and life.
Featuring the highest Green Star rating possible in Australia, Woodside’s building offers more than 60 different spatial configurations for employees to choose from, and provides a range of environments for individuals to complete their daily tasks in – including bustling collaborative zones and quiet focused spaces. This design concept reflects Woodside’s workplace philosophy, Rightspace – a new way of working based on choice, and designed to foster movement, connect people and break down traditional silos.
Aligning with Woodside’s belief in work-life balance, Unispace also designated the second floor as a family-friendly level for employees’ family members to access, and a well-being level on the 14th floor, designed to encourage rejuvenation, rest and relaxation. The latter features a universal prayer room, parenting suites, a mindfulness area, a massage chair, fireplace, chill out area, and a library that also features artificial intelligence to help staff find the information they need across Woodside’s vast archives.
Beyond creating spaces that offer employees greater choice in how they wish to operate within the workplace, Unispace worked alongside Woodside’s furniture supplier to pick out interior elements that would best complement the setting. This included 100 percent sit-to-stand motorised desking, as well as ergonomic and agile light set-ups. The workplace design also integrates some of the most advanced technology in Australia into the building, such as a frictionless biometric access system, and an app-based program that allows workers to find each other, wherever they may be working across the campus.
“The project has dramatically transformed the way we work, and showcases Woodside as both a partner and employer of choice,” said Michael Abbott, former Senior Vice President, Corporate & Legal, Woodside.
Project: Woodside
Location: Perth, Australia
Design Studio: Unispace
Photo Credit: Unispace
Website: unispace.com
