peckvonhartel were engaged by Quintessential Equity to design an A grade commercial building on their heritage site to attract a large government tenant. WorkSafe Victoria selected 1 Malop Street as their new headquarters accommodation. Designed to maximise ‘Live, Work, Play’ principles, the workplace leads the way in providing work-life balance and features a concierge, café, gym and club-style end-of-trip facilities with showers, lockers and bike racks.

The building has been designed with a large public presence, inviting ground-level access and strong connectivity to its surrounds. Ground floor and Level 1 accommodate collaborative and co-working spaces for Worksafe staff and visiting contractors. Main meeting facilities are located on Level 2 and consist of various sized meeting rooms and flexible space of four 18-person meeting rooms with walls that retract into a ceiling void to create a large open space. This enables gatherings of up to 400 people with the ability to utilise the outdoor terrace. The adjacent reheat pantry provides catering facilities for events and staff functions. Large board meetings and more formal events can take place on level 5.

Typical levels, from Levels 6 to 11, include spaces that encourage staff to move into different zones to suit their daily tasks as well as promoting a unified and collaborative working environment. These collaborative working spaces are made up of high bench seating, media lounges, booth settings and individual sit to stand desks.

A tech hub that can be utilised by all staff is located on Level 12. This level also accommodates several ancillary spaces including a library, first aid and mother’s room, male and female prayer rooms and a substantial café area with access to an outdoor terrace. The café area can be accessed by all Worksafe employees and allows staff to breakout, collaborate and even work flexibly in any one of the settings while enjoying the views that level 12 offers.

Sustainable Design

1 Malop Street represents the pinnacle of design for tenant wellness with the achievement of three ambitious sustainable building ratings. The 14 storey office accommodates over 700 WorkSafe employees and contractors. With 14,000 square metres of A-grade office space, and has achieved a 6-star green star rating and 5.5 star NABERS rating.

It was Australia’s first building to be awarded WELL pre-certification for its core, shell and interior. Awarded by the International WELL Building Institute, the certification represents the next evolution in sustainable design. WELL rates buildings on the extent to which they support the health and wellbeing of their occupants by assessing the impact of air and water quality, nourishment, light, fitness and comfort.

The building has a range of features to improve the environment of its occupants, such as low toxicity finishes, high grade air filters and lighting that minimizes disruption to the body’s circadian rhythm and avoids eyestrain and associated headaches.

Lockers and bike storage encourage active commuting, while sit-stand desks and activity incentive programs are offered to staff. The building is designed to maximise natural light with views over Corio Bay and Johnstone Park, while multiple outdoor areas, including a cafe offering healthy foods and eating areas on each floor are also provided.