Hassell Melbourne Studio 55

AT A GLANCE

A living worklab designed for experimentation. Challenges conventional concepts of a workplace

Grounded in ​‘sustainable brutalism’ and true regenerative practice

Reinforces Hassell’s collaborative culture. Deliberately ​‘anti-home’

Located within I. M. Pei’s landmark 55 Collins Street building, Studio 55 — our Melbourne office — is conceived as a ​‘worklab’: a place to test, experiment, and share the evolution of our design ethos.

As part of Hassell’s journey toward Living Building Challenge (LBC) certification — the world’s most rigorous sustainability standard set by the International Living Future Institute — Studio 55 is a live demonstration of how workplace design can push past net-zero. While achieving net-zero aims to do ​‘no harm,’ our aim is to create a place that gives back more than it takes from the environment.

Created as a single open space, Studio 55 welcomes clients, collaborators, and friends into the heart of our practice. By keeping the perimeter completely open, the design maximises natural light, tracks the changing seasons, and guarantees everyone access to the views.

DESIGNING THE ​‘ANTI-HOME’ WORKPLACE

While the modern office has spent years trying to mimic the living room, our Melbourne workplace takes a radically different stance. Enter the age of the ​‘anti-home.’ An intentional pivot away from the quiet, slipper-clad isolation of the home office, this space thrives on the creative energy of teamwork. It features highly adaptable elements —such as custom forum tables that transform into pin-up walls — that shift the space seamlessly from collaborative workshop to bar-like event mode.

Backed by a flexible attendance policy, the studio acts as a natural magnet, proving that the workplace shouldn’t compete with the home but offer exactly what the home lacks: a vibrant hub for social connection and rapid knowledge exchange.

CULTIVATING THE STUDIO LANDSCAPE

The studio’s planting strategy extends our experimental ethos. Developed with local small business Flora’s Daughter, the concept explores combining established indoor species with unique Australian native flora more commonly used outdoors, such as the Wollemi Pine and Polystichum Proliferum or the Mother Shield Fern. Monitored fortnightly, the planting acts as a living test lab within the workplace — contributing to atmosphere and wellbeing while helping us better understand how resilient species can adapt to an indoor studio environment.

THE POWER OF ​‘SUSTAINABLE BRUTALISM’

In collaboration with Arup and MPA, our design showcases true regenerative practice. Intentionally stripped back yet rigorously planned, it challenges traditional workplace conventions through a ​‘design with less’ philosophy that we’ve dubbed ​‘sustainable brutalism’ - unexpected, distinctive, and environmentally responsible.

Every element of the build was governed by radical transparency and wherever we could, we reused what was already available from joinery, workstations and furniture to lighting salvaged from our former Little Collins Street studio.

We documented ingredient lists, emissions testing, and chains of custody for every material used. This created a rigorous paper trail starting at each material’s origin, such as a forest, and ending at the final building site, ensuring every material selection met strict environmental and ethical standards.

To ensure full alignment with these ambitious goals, all subcontractors completed dedicated LBC training modules and construction costs were reviewed specifically to assess the regenerative impact of each component.