Key Dates
19 Dec -Judging
05 Jan 2026 -Winners Announced
Image Credit : Jono Parker
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Project Overview
A journey of connection and craft.
Russell McVeagh is a leading law firm in New Zealand. Their refreshed Wellington practice reflects their commitment to excellence, longevity and investment in their people, clients, brand and Wellington.
Presented with the opportunity to move to three contiguous floors within Wellington’s NTT Tower (L23, 24, 25), the transformed workplace is a beacon for attracting and retaining talent, reinforcing Russell McVeagh’s position as a leader in their field.
A destination for Russell McVeagh’s people and clients, the workplace reconnects all practice groups and shared services, while facilitating a vibrant, welcoming and comfortable experience for all.
Team
The project team consisted of workplace strategists, designers, project managers and site managers from Unispace working in collaboration with Emma Hofmann to curate the interior and Russell McVeagh as the client.
Project Brief
Crafted with care. The workplace is a tangible representation of Russell McVeagh’s commitment to quality and high-performance.
To achieve this result, our Strategy and Design team engaged in surveys, tours, staff/partner workshops to explore how to improve their workplace experience and develop new ways of working. The goal was to boost productivity and support connection across various Practice Groups, while supporting long-term sustainable growth.
This strategy phase helped us extract three key desires for the new office – for it to be:
1. Sophisticated, to be of quality and premium but not excessive
2. Coveted, to feel desirable and magnetic
3. Grounded, to feel connected to the city with subtle local touches
Along with this were the non-negotiables:
• Prioritizing acoustics to help staff focus
• An equal experience for all – prioritising accessibility
• Facilitate collaboration and cross team interaction
• Amplify the views and ensure the best spaces are shared with the most staff
We began an extensive design journey, hand-in-hand with the Partners, focused on a move to a more egalitarian space – encompassing a ‘day offices’ concept, ensuring that the investment into a refreshed workplace would be a beacon for attracting talent, while being fit-for-purpose for many years to come.
Project Need
The result is a workplace that reinforces Russell McVeagh’s position as a leader in their field, while attracting and retaining talent to maintain the firm’s growth and invest in the future.
The interior design is a true showcase of quality and craftmanship. The bespoke helictical staircase, crafted from timber, polished plaster and rolled aged-brass is the central feature of the interior. It provides ease of circulation between floors, supporting the equality of access to spaces between partners, staff and clients.
A key design driver included blending elevated residential elements within the interior to move away from the traditionally austere environment of a legal workplace, bringing a tactile, human feel. The inclusion of warm, natural, humble materials brings a grounding sentiment.
A stand-out component of this project is the level of collaboration between several talented and creative craftspeople, to combine various elements of design into one cohesive environment.
Close partnerships were established with local businesses:
•Lucy McMillan, Studio Lucy McMillan – collection of ceramic sculptures
•Matthew Kennedy, Interlink – salvaged timber posts in reception
•Henry Wilson, Studio Henry Wilson – designed handcrafted bronze wall sconces
•Yuka O’Shannesy, Public Record, curated objects from her gallery were integrated throughout the space
•Jeremy Price, Rivet Fabricate – fabrication of feature spiral stair
The result is a unique and layered interior. Each piece has been carefully curated to tell a story, celebrating the talent, creativity and people behind the craft.
Design Challenge
Due to the level of detailing and quality of the design, there were several challenges across both design and construction, with particular focus on the feature stair:
• Design and installation of bespoke helictical stair manufactured by specialists in New Plymouth, disassembled into smaller part to bring onto 24th floor and re-constructed.
• The continuous, curved, 4.5m long handcrafted, back-routed handrail - an unusual shape and size, was transported on top of a truck to Wellington.
• Required meticulous care and coordination to load onto L24 in one piece, requiring the team to open up and remove the lift roof.
A significant challenge lay in creating optimum productivity for partners and practice groups within a modern workplace - without designated offices. This was achieved through a Partners-designated lounge that provides space for Partners to come together, dine and talk across disciplines. This space is part of the strategy to ensure Partners are supported and enabled to achieve the outputs required, alongside the carefully considered open-plan workspace and day offices which Partners use and free up as needed. This approach ensures that the investment into a refreshed workplace would be a beacon for attracting talent, while being fit-for-purpose for many years to come.
It is an incredible achievement to deliver a project of this quality and detail on-time, on-budget and zero variations, with 19 weeks onsite.
Sustainability
This workplace is a long-term investment for Russell McVeagh. Diversity and inclusion considerations were strongly interwoven into the design to ensure longevity and wellbeing of their people. Providing equality in experience for all employees, visitors and clients is a core value for Russell McVeagh. Accessible bathrooms were added to all three floors - previously accessible toilets were only available over 10 floors down, on L11.
Working with local artists and craftspeople was a key consideration of the design to honour and support small, local businesses. This brings visibility and awareness to their businesses while reducing the emissions involved with sourcing products from alternative countries.
The design is timeless, and the use of natural, durable materials such as timber, stone and wool textiles promotes longevity and supports circular design practices. From the start, the workplace was intended to last and continue to support the future of Russell McVeagh and their people in Wellington.
The result is a space that not only functions as a workplace, but a warm and comfortable space that Russell McVeagh’s employees, clients, and community feel at home. It is a beautiful representation of their brand, values and position in the market, positioning Russell McVeagh as a desirable place to work in Wellington for both existing and future employees.
Interior Design - International Commercial
Open to all international projects this award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes. <div><b>
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