One East Melbourne offices - Green Star project

PROJECT:                  OneEastMelbourne Offices, Melbourne

DESIGNER:                Andrea Wilson, Ashton Raggatt McDougall

CARPET:                    Pique II, textured loop pile

"Look and feel is very important, but our selections are always backed by rigorous research to ensure that performance, quality assurance, environmental and budget criteria are always met."

Interior architect Andrea Wilson, from Ashton Raggatt McDougall (ARM)  worked on the interior design of the six-storey commercial building which forms part of OneEastMelbourne, home to the building's developer Becton.  The office building adjoins the OneEastMelbourne apartment block at the edge of the city precinct and was designed by ARM's Sophie Cleland.

The 5500m² office building has achieved a 5 Star Green Star certified rating and is acknowledged as a landmark new building for the city.

What was the key brief for the office interior from the developer?

AW: The developer was keen to achieve an environmentally sustainable, quality outcome. They wanted flexible spaces with the ability for future expansion. This was also to be their new head office so they were very keen to showcase their product.

When designing the interior, at what point in the design process did the flooring decisions get made?  What influenced what you chose?

AW: The carpet was selected as part of the base building tenancy offer before all actual tenants were known, so our selections were largely driven by a desire to enhance a quality space and select a colour that would work flexibly with a broad, additional and yet unknown colour palettes.

We chose Pique II for its directional tight textured loop which we felt worked well within the dramatic lengths of the spaces. The colour, Tempting Taupe is an attractive mid tone earthy neutral which works practically at many levels. It allows good light spread, which is very ESD attractive within deep floor plates. It also maximises future colour palette choices, enhancing warm and cool highlights and pitched neutrals. The colour also has sufficient depth to absorb most wear and tear staining.

How much influence/collaboration was there with the client over the flooring choice?

Becton were the developers for this project. The delivery of quality product within realistic budgets is a key part of their branding and also ours which did make finishes selections relatively straightforward.

How much of the offices are carpeted?  Why was carpet chosen vs carpet tiles or hard floors?

AW: All areas except the foyer entries are carpeted. Carpet has a softness and lushness that is not immediately apparent in carpet tiles. Carpet also has a singular presence across the floor plane which enhances the stunning views beyond. Carpet tiles have a much more complex grid formation which we saw as distracting for this project.

Who made the decision to have a 100% wool carpet and what was the reason to go for broadloom wool over synthetic carpet tiles which are common in offices these days?

AW: Wool carpet spells quality and remains attractive to high end tenants.

How important was it that the carpet had GECA accreditation and contributed towards Green Star points?    You would have had numerous materials that all contributed under the materials calculator.

AW: It was extremely important that the carpet was GECA rated as this project was one of the earliest to gain a 5 star rating. Cavalier Bremworth was one of the earliest innovators within this field. At the time it was hard to find carpet manufacturers who were accredited - it is really challenging to get a 5 star rating & the carpet selected contributed significantly to the Green Star Points.

In general, how interested are your clients in using sustainable interior products?

Commercial and Government clients are now very committed to sustainable building solutions. They are leaders in this very important and necessary field.

Was the Cavalier Bremworth brand and reputation a factor influencing the choice?

Cavalier Bremworth offer quality product using local labour and material. We are always proud to support local industry.