Woods Bagot designed a space with warmth and sophistication for the ABN Group offices in Perth, Australia.

Over its 40 year history, the ABN Group has become Australia’s leading construction, property and finance company, a trusted brand closely intertwined with the ‘The Great Australian Dream’ of home ownership.

The dream of home ownership is deeply embedded into the psyche of Australians and continues to evolve with all who live here; immigrants, the modern family, couples and blended families.

With ABN Group’s businesses divisions consolidating into one central location within a new building, the design team wanted to embrace the concept ‘where together, everyone achieves more’ and balance this with the sense of homeliness and welcome that is synonymous with the ABN brand. The fit-out reflects ABN’s passion for building, commitment to quality, their sense of fun, and desire to provide a warm and friendly experience for all their staff and clients.

The whimsical phrase ‘Home Among the Gum Trees’ is a nod to the iconic Australian folk song, and a reference to the gum trees that line the southern facade of the building. The design team drew on historical themes of Australian home life and landscapes to create a collection of experiences for different spaces. A staple of the Australian backyard, The ‘Hills Hoist’ clothes line is represented with stylised hanging rods and curtains above social and collaborative spaces; while the ‘Verandah’ inspired Level 01 Business lounge is a collection of meeting settings along the facade line to have an informal chat. The sunken lounge under the ground floor stair is a nod to the 70’s retro Australian aesthetic. Meetings rooms have abstracted gum leaf carpet patterns, and client meeting room walls are adorned with Indigenous patterned wall papers to reflect all things Australian.

ABN’s new home is a place where staff feel connected and comfortable in a space that reflects their brand identity – and they feel proud sharing this experience with their clients, who feel inherently ‘at home’.

Ground floor and Level 01 are dedicated client floors, with a large selection centre located on the ground floor to support the ABN builder brands. The client required subtle delineation between all the brands, from the more cost conscious to higher end builder brands which was achieved by careful placement and arrangement of fixtures and materials rather than any obvious markings. Each joinery item in the Selection Centre was completely custom with the design team working very closely with the cabinet makers to develop several prototypes for multiple items from large door displays and working tapware and shower displays.

Levels 2-5 are staff dedicated work floors linked via interconnecting stairs within the verandah zones of the building. Design of the staff work floors is based on a flexible working model where occupants can select a work setting which is best suited to their activity. Social and collaborative spaces are generous and well distributed, allowing staff to have choice amongst spaces which are best suited to their work. It was important for the client to make their staff feel equally as welcome, with a strong ‘community’ atmosphere, hence a feeling of warmth and comfort are apparent throughout the working floors. Lighting was intentionally moody and targeted to specific zones, creating intimacy in settings that required softer lighting, while amplifying lighting within the Selection Centre where brighter and more consistent levels of lighting were required.

A local Perth flavour was added when the design team joined forces with local craftsman Jack Flanagan to made all of the curtain hangings and curtain rods, as well as the ‘neighbourhood panels’; boards for staff personalisation that border collaborative work zones.

The outcome of the new fitout has been an overwhelmingly positive influence on the Leederville suburb where ABN staff and clients have been a welcome addition to the Leederville community and café culture.

Design: Woods Bagot
Photography: Dion Robeson

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