Location
Sydney, Australia
Typology
Office
Year
2011-2013
Status
completed
Client
Department of Finance Australia on behalf of the Commonwealth Parliament
Size
sqm
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Across three levels of 1 Bligh Street in Sydney, ingenhoven associates and Architectus designed the new Commonwealth Parliament Offices, bringing the requirements of federal government into a contemporary workplace environment.
The CPO accommodates suites for the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition and federal ministers, alongside parliamentary workplaces, conference and meeting rooms, media facilities and associated spaces. The programme called for an unusual balance. The offices needed to support the protocols, confidentiality and security of government while retaining the openness, daylight and connection to Sydney that define the architecture of 1 Bligh.
Location
Sydney, Australia
Typology
Office
Year
2011-2013
Status
completed
Client
Department of Finance Australia on behalf of the Commonwealth Parliament
Size
sqm
Read more
The fit-out builds on the underlying spatial logic of the tower, whose planning establishes clear transitions between public, semi-public and restricted areas. Secure circulation and controlled access could therefore be integrated at tenancy level without compromising the operation of the wider commercial building. Within the parliamentary floors, operational rigour is paired with a restrained and tactile material palette. Warm timber linings define meeting rooms and ministerial spaces, their finely articulated surfaces contributing to the acoustic performance required for confidential government work. Glass maintains visual depth and brings the daylight and expansive views of 1 Bligh St into the interior, while muted flooring and integrated lighting give the more protected spaces a quieter, concentrated character. Transparency and enclosure are calibrated rather than opposed: shared areas remain visually connected to the city, while conference and meeting rooms acquire greater material weight and acoustic separation. The result is an interior that feels contemporary and distinctly civic without resorting to conventional symbols of institutional authority.
The fit-out builds on the underlying spatial logic of the tower, whose planning establishes clear transitions between public, semi-public and restricted areas. Secure circulation and controlled access could therefore be integrated at tenancy level without compromising the operation of the wider commercial building. Within the parliamentary floors, operational rigour is paired with a restrained and tactile material palette. Warm timber linings define meeting rooms and ministerial spaces, their finely articulated surfaces contributing to the acoustic performance required for confidential government work. Glass maintains visual depth and brings the daylight and expansive views of 1 Bligh St into the interior, while muted flooring and integrated lighting give the more protected spaces a quieter, concentrated character. Transparency and enclosure are calibrated rather than opposed: shared areas remain visually connected to the city, while conference and meeting rooms acquire greater material weight and acoustic separation. The result is an interior that feels contemporary and distinctly civic without resorting to conventional symbols of institutional authority.
The interiors extend the environmental ambitions of the base building, achieving a 6 Star Green Star Office Interiors rating, demonstrating how a highly secure government workplace can operate within the framework of a high-performance commercial building.
The Commonwealth Parliament Offices reveal a quieter dimension of sustainable design. Adaptability is as consequential as efficiency. A commercial tower capable of accommodating the demanding security and operational requirements of federal government without losing its architectural clarity demonstrates the value of designing buildings for uses that cannot always be anticipated at the outset.
The interiors extend the environmental ambitions of the base building, achieving a 6 Star Green Star Office Interiors rating, demonstrating how a highly secure government workplace can operate within the framework of a high-performance commercial building.
The Commonwealth Parliament Offices reveal a quieter dimension of sustainable design. Adaptability is as consequential as efficiency. A commercial tower capable of accommodating the demanding security and operational requirements of federal government without losing its architectural clarity demonstrates the value of designing buildings for uses that cannot always be anticipated at the outset.
