Office interiors designed to attract great talent into the city centre

It's easy to see the ongoing transformation of the heart of the city from the street with new commercial buildings at various stages of completion. But what’s going on inside?

We’re seeing new office spaces catering for the shifting needs of employees with the latest technology and a focus on wellbeing. There’s also a strong focus on great design with an aim to attract and retain top talent. A number of these new spaces have been officially recognised for their quality of design at the Design Institute of New Zealand Best Design Awards for 2021.

Let’s step inside some of the latest office spaces in the heart of the city:

Google New Zealand – Wynyard Quarter- Warren and Mahoney
The interior of this office has been designed to weave a narrative of place in its design. Created in partnership with Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei and Anzac Reihana Tasker, it tells the story of the land, people and culture of Aotearoa. Check out their stunning video here. 

MC Centre (formerly Meredith Connell) - Hardinge St Building -  Jasmax
Spread across 5500sq m and two levels, the MC Centre features eye-catching interior design, new technology and a layout that lends itself to both collaborative and independent work.

One of the stand-out interior design elements is the 1600 live plant garden, designed by plant-scaping business Outside-In.  Inspired by the Waitakere Ranges, various native plants have been laid out in a realistic terrarium style and are visible across all the floors. It is the first large-scale interior in New Zealand and Outside In won the overall Diamond Award for Best in Show at the 2021 International Plant scaping awards.

This addition aims to further establish the MC Centre as a calming space that prioritises employees’ mental and physical health after two years of working from home. The MC Centre follows in the footsteps of international corporations who use interior gardens to create sustainable and calming spaces for their staff such as Second Home in Los Angeles and Hana Bank’s headquarters in South Korea.

Further to its lush greenery, MC is the first office in New Zealand and the first law firm in the entire Asia-Pacific region with a 6 Green Star rating and WELL v2 precertification from the International WELL Building Institute. 

MC Central Internal Planting

In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, MC chief executive Kylie Mooney said, “if you make the office this good, staff won't be able to resist coming in to work.” The majority seem to agree, with 60% of MC employees working in the new office. Read the full story here.

CBRE Asia Pacific -ANZ Tower - Stack Interiors 
Found on the 37th floor, this 1000sq m office space has been in the works since 2019. In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, CBRE New Zealand senior managing director Andrew Stringer said the new fit-out was designed to be a “magnet for people to come back into the office.”  This is why staff were given the best spots for their desks – the north-western side- which comes with spectacular waterfront views. Aesthetically he describes the interior as “very curvy” and a nod to the relaxed retro elegance of Palm Springs. “We set out to create a bit more intimacy but an informal, open and relaxed space” Stringer explained. Read the full NZ Herald Premium article here.

Lion - Mansons TCLM building – Stack Interiors
Lion New Zealand’s national HQ is now in the heart of the city. In an interview with the New Zealand Herald, Country director Craig Baldie said “the fit-out brief to interior designers Stack focused on sustainability and best-practice design thinking… the events of the last two years have reinforced just how important purpose, human connection and sociability are to us. We are excited to be slowly emerging from our home offices, make-shift desks, dining tables and sofas to come back together in 2022 with our sights firmly looking to the future.” Read the full story here

The Hui Open Meeting Space -Lion HQ