For Woods Bagot Principal and Global Workplace Sector Leader Kirsti Simpson, longevity has become one of the defining considerations of contemporary workplace design. 

“The conversation around workplace sustainability often focuses on operational performance, but one of the greatest opportunities lies in designing spaces that remain relevant for longer,” Simpson says. 

“Workplaces need the capacity to evolve alongside the organisations they support. Adaptability is fundamental to creating enduring environments that continue to deliver value over time.” 

This design model informed every aspect of the Sydney studio refurbishment. Following the decision to remain within its long-standing Wynyard home, Woods Bagot approached the project as an opportunity to rethink the conventional fit-out lifecycle and demonstrate an alternative model in practice.  

“Our studio refurbishment operates as a working prototype,” Woods Bagot Principal and Project Lead Hayden Crawford says. “It allows us to test ideas, understand how they perform over time and demonstrate how workplace environments can deliver greater flexibility, sustainability and long-term value.” 

Rather than treating the workplace as a fixed outcome, the design establishes a flexible framework capable of responding to future change. Existing elements were retained wherever possible, reducing embodied impact while preserving the character and history of the studio. New interventions were conceived as modular insertions that can be reconfigured, relocated and repurposed as needs evolve. 

At the heart of the workplace sits a meeting village that acts as both social anchor and collaborative hub. Designed as a demountable architectural system, it provides a variety of spaces for project reviews, workshops, informal discussions and client engagement while remaining adaptable to future requirements. 

The ‘village’ reflects a broader design philosophy that extends throughout the studio. Work settings, meeting spaces and joinery elements are organised through a modular kit-of-parts, creating a consistent architectural language capable of accommodating change without compromising design integrity. 

For Crawford, the success of the workplace is measured as much by how it feels as how it performs.  

“We wanted to create a studio that people genuinely enjoy being in,” Crawford says. “The workplace has become a destination for collaboration, creativity and connection. That experience was just as important to us as the technical performance of the space.” 

Drawing on ideas more commonly associated with hospitality and residential design, the studio prioritises warmth, comfort and social interaction. Shared spaces are positioned to maximise natural light and views across Wynyard Park, while material selections, lighting and furniture create an environment that feels welcoming, tactile and distinctly human. 

“We wanted to create a workplace that could continuously adapt while maintaining a strong sense of identity,” Crawford says. “Every intervention was considered through the lens of longevity, from the materials we retained to the components designed to be disassembled and reused in the future.” 

The strategy extends across every scale of the project. Height-adjustable workstations, adaptable joinery systems and demountable architectural elements enable the workplace to be reconfigured with minimal intervention as teams, projects and priorities evolve. 

There is a distinct gradient of spatial typologies. The client zones are clustered adjacent to entry sequence, while model-making, material libraries and collaborative project zones reinforce the culture of creativity and exchange that defines the practice.  

“The best workplaces today offer a sense of generosity,” Crawford says. “They support focused work, but they also create opportunities for conversation, exchange and community. We wanted the studio to feel open, engaging and connected to the culture of the practice.” 

Drawing on ideas more commonly associated with hospitality and residential design, the studio prioritises warmth, comfort and social interaction. Shared spaces are positioned to maximise natural light and views across Wynyard Park, while material selections, lighting and furniture create an environment that feels welcoming, tactile and distinctly human. 

“We wanted to create a workplace that could continuously adapt while maintaining a strong sense of identity,” Crawford says. “Every intervention was considered through the lens of longevity, from the materials we retained to the components designed to be disassembled and reused in the future.” 

The strategy extends across every scale of the project. Height-adjustable workstations, adaptable joinery systems and demountable architectural elements enable the workplace to be reconfigured with minimal intervention as teams, projects and priorities evolve. 

There is a distinct gradient of spatial typologies. The client zones are clustered adjacent to entry sequence, while model-making, material libraries and collaborative project zones reinforce the culture of creativity and exchange that defines the practice.  

“The best workplaces today offer a sense of generosity,” Crawford says. “They support focused work, but they also create opportunities for conversation, exchange and community. We wanted the studio to feel open, engaging and connected to the culture of the practice.” 

This emphasis on experience is visible throughout the workplace. Models, prototypes and material samples are integrated into the daily environment, celebrating the process of making and reinforcing the studio’s multidisciplinary culture. Collaborative project spaces encourage interaction between teams, while quieter zones support concentration and reflection. 

Importantly, these experiential qualities sit alongside a rigorous sustainability agenda. Existing shelving systems, library spaces and elements of the base building were retained and integrated into the new design. Demountable architectural systems, adaptable joinery and height-adjustable workstations support ongoing flexibility while reducing the need for future demolition and replacement. Material selections were guided by durability, recyclability and long-term performance. 

“Adaptability is ultimately about stewardship,” Simpson says. “It’s about designing environments that can respond to change while preserving the value of the resources, materials and investment already embedded within them.” 

The project builds on Woods Bagot’s broader research into adaptable workplace systems, including its collaboration with Dexus on the Forever Fitout initiative, which explores how workplaces can reduce embodied carbon and extend fit-out lifecycles through design for disassembly. 

“The spaces we create should be capable of growing with the people who use them,” Simpson says. “When a workplace is designed with longevity in mind, it remains valuable, adaptable and meaningful for much longer.” 

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Adrien Moffatt
Content and Communications Manager (Australia)