A 21st century upgrade for advertising HQ’s inter-war building

Project: M&C Saatchi

Location: Sydney, Australia

Award: Workspace Interiors: Corporate Offices (Under 5000 sqm), Gold, 2023

Design Practice: Woods Bagot

Client: M&C Saatchi Group

A sumptuous overhaul of M&C Saatchi’s headquarters has transformed this six-storey interwar, art deco-style sandstone building. The original structure, centrally located in Circular Quay, close to the Sydney Opera House, has been upgraded to respond to 21st-century requirements, creating a contemporary workplace with elegant historic texture.

Incorporating circular principals, adaptive reuse was selected as the most sustainable option with greater outcomes for the office character and building narrative. The space brings together the business’s 350 staff for the first time in the company’s history, where workers previously occupied disparate sites. Comprising 3,400 square metres of floorspace over three levels, the headquarters is designed to entice employees back to the office to recoup company culture in the wake of COVID-19.

Design highlights

The premium-grade office space responds to post-pandemic workplace trends, designed for collaboration and creativity with hybrid working rhythms. Opulent period details such as delicate steel-cased windows, marble columns and timber panels and sound heritage bones offer a rich spatial makeup, interwoven with new, interactive work zones and modern technology.

Photo credit: Nicole England