by Francesca De Ponti
Of Arch (Italy)
No. 117, April 2011
pp. 156-163
Italian international architecture and design publication Of Arch featured ANZ Centre in its April 2011 issue.
The client requested that ANZ Centre be designed as open, permeable and transparent space, sitting on the banks of the Yarra River in Melbourne's Docklands. The article notes that, "The design is characterised by a gentle wave that defines the North elevation and the building sits gently along the river, extending towards the water and towards the light."
A multitude of informal work stations and break-out spaces throughout the building, that houses over 6,500 employees, ensure that this urban campus is a project belonging to a new generation, where the majority of the ambiences are dedicated to shared activities and they stimulate almost accidental interaction between people.
Finally, the article notes that the layout of the interiors reflects "the decision to use a simple user-friendly language which infiltrates the entire project. Warm wood, glass and metal for the common areas, bathed in natural light and designed to simulate life on the outside (...) Special care and attention was paid to the furnishings: they are joyful, colourful and very definitely unusual."
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