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Job envy: Australia’s best new offices

Nov 04, 2014
The innovative bike rack at University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Photo: Leigh Woolley

The innovative bike rack at University of Tasmania's Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Photo: Leigh Woolley

Every year we see them pop up in galleries on websites – the offices every worker wishes they had. They are often led by Google, the champion of the bright, the unconventional and the sleeping pod. But the best new offices in Australia come from slightly more surprising quarters.

While the Australian Tax Office is likely to be associated in many minds with dusty folders and scrambling to find tax documents in old filing cabinets, its own office is light-filled and full of greenery.

Likewise, the new South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute might sound like yet another dreary space for academia, but the building, known locally as the “grater”, is anything but dull.

The Australian Institute of Architects has shortlisted the best offices of the year for either commercial, interior or sustainability in its annual awards to be held this week.

Here are the best of the new offices in Australia.

Australian Taxation Office

Where: Elizabeth Street, Brisbane
Interior architect: HASSELL

Why you want to work there: The ATO needs strict security and privacy. In a space this pretty, we are sure that dealing with tax would be calming, rather than, um, boring.

COOL-OFFICE-Interior_HASSELL_AustralianTaxationOfficeEli_ChristopherFrederickJones

The kitchen of the ATO. Photo: Christopher Frederick Jones

55 Elizabeth Street

Where: Brisbane – home to the Australian Taxation Office
Building architect: BVN Donovan Hill

Why you want to work there: Inside is the ATO, which we’ve just seen, but face it, going to work in this building you’d have to feel a little bit cool.

COOL-OFFICES-Commercial_BVNDonovanHill_55ElizabethStreet_ChristopherFrederickJones

South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute

Where: North Terrace, South Australia
Architect: Woods Bagot

Why you want to work there: There’s no doubt that SAHMRI’s brought a touch of style to Adelaide’s North Terrace and a bit of pride to the locals. It’s the coolest building in town, inside and out.

Pinecone? Cheese grater? Nope. It’s a research institute. Photo: Peter Clarke.

Pinecone? Cheese grater? Nope. It’s a research institute. Photo: Peter Clarke

University of Queensland Advanced Engineering

Where: Queensland
Architects: Richard Kirk Architect and HASSELL

Why you want to work there: You wouldn’t expect a centre for advanced engineering to look anything but advanced. And it is. It’s already won sustainability awards and this night picture is just postcard-perfect.

A university building so pretty it could almost be a postcard. Photo: HASSELL.

A university building so pretty it could almost be a postcard. Photo: HASSELL

Attention to detail. Photo: Peter Bennetts.

Attention to detail. Photo: Peter Bennetts

Toyota WA Head Office

Where: Perth
Architect: Roxby Architects

Why you want to work there: It might not surprise you that the company that sells the Prius has aimed high for sustainability. The building itself is designed to reduce energy consumption, but there are also solar panels on the roof and three 1kW wind turbines.

A building as environmentally forward thinking as a Prius. Photo: Silvertone Photography

A building as environmentally forward thinking as a Prius. Photo: Silvertone Photography

University of Tasmania Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Where: Tasmania
Architects: John Wardle Architects + Terroir

Why you want to work here: Look at this bike rack. Enough said.

We’d ride to work just to keep our bike here. Photo: Leigh Woolley

We’d ride to work just to keep our bike here. Photo: Leigh Woolley

ASB North Wharf

Where: New Zealand (Okay, it’s little out of Australia, but just a short flight away.)

Architects: BVN Donovan Hill

Why you want to work here: In its PR material, the ASB (a bank) says this building in Auckland’s oldest industrial precinct is “our sustainable place”. It has a rain harvesting system, and lots of natural light and fresh air. Plus the bank helped the Auckland Theatre Company build a new home next door. You can read all about it in this very fancy e-book.

ASB North Wharf: up top is the rain harvesting system.

ASB North Wharf: up top is the rain harvesting system.

A mix of modern office and industrial flair. Photo: John Gollings.

A mix of modern office and industrial flair. Photo: John Gollings

Google HQ

Where: Sydney
Architect: Future Space

Why you want to work there: First of all, it’s Google and there’s definitely lots of other cool stuff. Second of all, HAMMOCKS.

Chilling out at Google's Aussie HQ. Source: Supplied.

Chilling out at Google’s Aussie HQ. Photo: Supplied

Seek Melbourne

Where: Melbourne
Architect: Moda Design Group

Why you want to work there: Excuse me, I’m just going down the slide to my cute and colourful in-office cafe to choose from the unlimited supply of ice-cream. Oh wait…

The Seek offices in Melbourne get full points for cool.

The Seek offices in Melbourne get full points for cool.

Oxigen

Where: Halifax Street, South Australia
Architect: Oxigen

Why you want to work there: Is that even a workplace? We want to go read their books, sit under that blue installation and be inspired. With an award-winning office this cool to work in, a day at work at Oxigen would fly by. You can see more pics and read how they created their studio here.

David Sievers

Luxury home? Nope, just an office. Photo: David Sievers

This article first appeared in The New Daily.

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