Inside Carlton & United Breweries’ New Melbourne Office

Australian brewing company Carlton & United Breweries recently hired architecture firm GroupGSA to design their new office in Melbourne, Australia.

“Spread across three levels at Freshwater Place in Southbank, the new Carlton & United Breweries (CUB) workplace provides a change in workspace flexibility for their fluid Melbourne team. GroupGSA canvassed the idea of an agile workplace model to support this fluidity, supplemented by observation studies which proved that CUB was highly collaborative, less at their desk and more in a meeting space. This critical study formed the foundation of the design, improving collaborative spaces, providing desk sharing throughout and removing any consideration for offices.

Celebration of the CUB brand experience was essential, and this was reinforced by the fully functioning bar within the double- height meeting floor used for training and hosting events. Interconnecting stairs through the working floors join the spaces fostering movement, flow and communication. The flow culminates in collaborative zones and work zones, visually differentiated by patterns on the floor signifying this organic method of design. The result is a buzzing and energetic environment representative of the open, equitable relaxed culture of CUB.

CUB is an Australian company part of a large, multi-national beverage corporation, so it was important to reference their heritage and maintain their identity throughout the design. The Australian heritage is represented through structures and finishes such as colourbond clad, repurposed timber surfaces and chunky timber doors on the meeting floor. The playful, straightforward, and relaxed culture of CUB is reflected through furniture and finishes selections, creating a contemporary, eclectic space that ties in with their Australian presence, CUB brewery history and the brewing industry itself through use of textural and colour nods to barley, liquid, bubbles, and copper brewing vats.

The use of natural materials, local products and suppliers combined with a diverse range of work settings; solo desks, focus booths and meeting and collaboration areas support the new flexible working style. Specific work settings have also been designed for photography, production studios, tasting spaces, a merchandise shop, and a variety of social spaces including the bar, breakouts and central kitchens. Achieving a balance between these specific and flexible work settings was a key design outcome for this project,” says GroupGSA.