Being an organisation that welcomes and supports the Australia Cricketers, the space we created needed to make this set of sporting professionals and the staff that support them feel welcome, relaxed and supported. In their previous space the organisation had no space within their office to engage with cricketers and their support network in anything other than a formal, rigid boardroom environment. This meant many engagements had to happen outside of the workspace in coffee shops where engagements could feel more relaxed and foster closer relationships. The new main collaboration and talent engagement space is one which these engagements can now happen inside the facility and has the relaxed vibe needed to welcome these interactions. This space is now more readily used than the fixed working environments and enclosed meeting spaces by the staff on a day-to-day basis.

Throughout the space there are touches and hints of the backbone of the organisation which is of course cricket. Details like the column clad in wickets, the deep red “pleather” seating finish with white stitching and the Astro-turf flooring to the meeting rooms are a reminder of what the Australian Cricketers Association is all about. These subtle touches combined with the tiered seating (the spectators’ space/presentation viewing area) all give a vibe that the staff and talent can relate to.

From a size perspective the new space is very similar in size as their previous office, however, due to clever space planning it fits more staff into fixed seating zones and has a larger breakout and collaboration space. This was achieved through combining uses (kitchen/waiting/breakout/meeting) into one larger space instead of having them scattered throughout the workspace. These combined spaces stretch from the traditional kitchen, tiered seating and presentation space, cricket pitch, casual booths for informal meetings then onto fixed meeting spaces. All these areas combined make for an eclectic zone that can be utilised for whatever style of interaction they desire.

The feedback on the space is that it has greatly lifted the vibe of the organisation where interactions can happen effortlessly and freely both within the organisation, their consultants and the talent they represent.