120 Collins Street

The revitalisation of 120 Collins Street redefines one of Melbourne’s most distinguished office buildings, integrating its layered history with a bold new vision.

The transformation of 120 Collins Street showcases both the enduring strength of the original architecture and the forward-thinking enhancements that set a new benchmark for workplace design — seamlessly blending city life with home-like comforts and a contemporary business environment.

Located in Melbourne’s CBD on Wurundjeri Country, this project called for the refurbishing of the 35-year-old office building’s ground floor and entrance. Working collaboratively with the client, the design celebrates the old and the new and opens the building up to the city through a transformed lobby experience. A series of precise new features — lush gardens, thoughtfully conceived hospitality options, adaptable communal areas, premium end-of-trip facilities, and a striking sky terrace above a glass atrium — create a workplace as dynamic as the city itself.

The building’s new Collins Street entrance evokes grandeur through its scale, while subtly revealing and elevating the heritage fabric of the Professional Chambers building. A series of new stainless-steel canopies stretch across the site, reflecting the warmth of the existing heritage buildings and the landscape into the lobby interior. Inside the lobby, various third spaces have been created for tenants to book and use — formal and informal meeting areas, nooks, quiet areas, and lounges — offering different ways to work, meet, and connect.

Crowning the glass atrium of the main lobby space is a leafy sky terrace, which provides tenants with a unique view of Melbourne among the Collins Street heritage roofscape and a place to host special events. Beneath the lobby are new change rooms and shower facilities for cyclists and active commuters, while outside, a central courtyard with seating bounded by trees provides a peaceful green space in the heart of the city.

With its courtyard garden, easy access to good coffee and fresh air, and quiet spaces that enable focus and promote productivity, 120 Collins Street offers many home-like qualities people now seek in workplaces, as identified in The Big Calm – our 2024 Workplace Futures Research. Balancing heritage with contemporary design, the project preserves the building’s legacy while amplifying its relevance for a new era of work.