Inspired by contemporary learning environments, Hayball’s Sydney studio is conceived as a prototype workplace that can actively test education strategies. Education is at the heart of what we do and we have created a space where we can continue to learn and educate ourselves and others using a variety of settings that stimulate imagination, creativity and collaboration.
Designing for a range of individual needs allowed a comfortable environment for all working styles, including some quieter environments to focus away from an open plan setting, achieving the ultimate goal of staff wellbeing enhanced via bespoke spaces that facilitate play, movement and cooperation.
The child-friendly play spaces are designed to facilitate parents back into the workplace, particularly supporting women returning to work. By observing how children use the spaces we are informing and influencing our project work, and all spaces contribute to our ethos of exploration and collaboration through research and assessment.
By incorporating a flexible working environment with elements such as shared workstations, laptops and mobile storage, we enable a seamless utilisation of settings and encourage the active use of spaces. The studio incorporates future flexibility, allowing ongoing customisation, investigation and testing and feeds into our ongoing collaborative research projects.
Detailing is robust and elegant as well as beautifully realised. The creation of bespoke joinery elements and a natural material palette adds to the unique studio personality and character working seamlessly alongside the procured furniture to enhance the workplace environment and provide a volumetric expression of specialist functions.
This inspiring and innovative setting is directly transferrable to our cross-sector design work, and allows us to practice what we preach. It has been fully embraced by our team, and we are excited to see it evolve over the coming years.