This little baby is now in the hands of the publishers and we are on our way to releasing my interiors book in the new year. While we were going through the concept, photographing and editing stage Penguin were going through their own design changes and today I got to walk into their new head quarters in Melbourne.
What a magnificent space! BVN Architects have designed this incredible work space with in the old Goods Shed heritage listed buildings restrictions and have done a brilliant job of combining the old timber ceiling & iron uprights with a modern open plan space. *see history snapshot at end of post
I am always wary of open plan in an office as getting the acoustics are paramount to the success of the design. (a pity shopping centre designers don’t adhere to this). as you can see from the pic we had our meeting at small table in an expansive space with meetings on other tables, people walking by and others working at their desk nearby.
I have to say I may have been their biggest test as I think my laugh is known to crack glass but I can happily say I didn’t even her a vibration or echo of my voice let alone my laugh. What a great building and I hope I get to spend a lot more time there.
Welcome to the office
Who needs a sign at reception? This says it all.
Raw timber and highgloss black are made for each other.
Open Bookcases as the division of meeting space and office desk
A space for all.
Anyone for JENGA? Open kitchen in the back ground.
Even a nook for doing the mail!
Stunning book wall with the office above. Not sure it was intentional but the ceiling lights from the other room line up with the vetical feautures.
Here is Penguin’s snapshot of the History of the building
A very short history of the No.2 Goods Sheds
Built in 1889 for £72,943 17s 5½d, (almost AUD$8 million in today’s money) the No. 2 Goods Shed is the largest and most architecturally elaborate nineteenth century railway goods building in Victoria — and one of the few heritage buildings left in the Docklands area, abutting Melbourne’s CBD. Used primarily as an ‘outwards shed’ to distribute goods from Melbourne to country areas, the original building stretched 385 metres, with 26 doors on the east side and 28 doors on the west side; each door was allocated to a particular destination in the Victorian railway system. The shed ceased railway operations in the mid-1990s.
Between 2003 and 2005, nine bays from the middle section of the building were removed to make way for the Collins Street extension, which split the Goods Shed into two sections, North and South. Both the northern and southern sections are included in the Victorian Heritage Register.
In 2010, the Goods Shed North was restored and converted to offices for VicUrban (now Places Victoria). On 17 September 2012, Pearson Australia Group brought together its Melbourne publishing businesses in the Goods Shed South.
