Project Overview

Headquartered in Sydney, Bartier Perry is a leading Australian law firm with a proud 80-year history. An unwavering commitment to their clients, their people, and their community, defines the Bartier Perry culture and provides a primary source of design inspiration for Spaceful when creating their new workplace. The new space spans two floors at Premium Grade Tower, Liberty Place, in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.

Project Commissioner

Bartier Perry Lawyers

Project Creator

Spaceful

Project Brief

“It was important to us that our new offices reflect the modern and progressive firm that Bartier Perry is today. We wanted a modern, attractive, and welcoming space for our clients and our staff. A space to collaborate, connect and learn – a space where we could deliver our best work for our clients.” - Riana Steyn, CEO at Bartier Perry Lawyers.

The top motivations for the new workspace design were to:
- Attract and retain the best people, who today want flexibility and options in their working lives.
- Emphasise company culture and connection to the land to strengthen their bond with employees and clients alike.

Project Innovation/Need

To determine a working model that aligned with Bartier Perry’s business goals, Spaceful conducted staff engagement surveys and discovery workshops to collect data that was then used to craft a bespoke workplace strategy that spoke to Bartier Perry’s immediate needs, while also balancing their vision for the future.

The space pays homage to Gadigal Country, drawing inspiration from the native flora and the natural colors and textures found along Sydney Harbour. These elements are reflected in the bespoke graphics, palettes, fabrics, and finishes used throughout. Spaceful formulated an earthy palette mirroring the colors and textures found in the sandstone, eucalyptus gum leaves, and the pigments of native florals. Light oaks combined with fuchsia, emerald, and terracotta create an inviting atmosphere that puts visitors immediately at ease, whilst layered textures and patterns, like Venetian plaster, travertine, and herringbone oak flooring, add a refined quality to the space.

To reinforce this connection to land, all meeting rooms on L25 feature a bespoke hand-illustrated artwork of the native Hakea flower, uniquely designed by Spaceful for Bartier Perry. These hand-illustrated graphics form a bold statement that creates an intentional flow between zones and sets the space apart from the traditional office.

Curved ceiling lights define the pathways that weave throughout the neighborhoods. The lighting winds and bends with the structure of the building, creating a sense of openness that reflects Bartier Perry’s commitment to transparency.

Design Challenge

For Bartier Perry, their new space needed to provide a variety of different working styles for increased flexibility. This was critical to fuel their business culture, improve overall well-being, and help to achieve long-term goals.

Originally, the design strategy was created for a space that was 500 sqm larger than the final location. Due to non-negotiable criteria, such as proximity to the law courts, property selection was limited and the market fierce. In the end, a space with a smaller floor plan was selected, but this did not stop Spaceful’s team from coming up with a solution to incorporate the same level of flexibility within the space.

By positioning all the work points along the perimeter of the building, staff, and clients enjoy unrestricted access to the natural light and beautiful views of the city. The spaces that are used less often – such as the quiet rooms, storerooms, and support services – were placed around the central core within easy reach for all practice groups.

This open layout was an intentional move away from the traditional closed office, facilitating flexible working and encouraging connection, whilst still allowing for focused and confidential work.

Sustainability

Liberty Place is a Premium Grade tower in Sydney’s CBD and requires its tenants to achieve a 5-star NABER rating. Throughout the entire design process, from planning to execution, sustainability was top of mind to achieve this exceptional rating – from hardware to acoustics and everything in between.