Hassell | Research

Media September 04, 2023

Could vacant office buildings in Melbourne be repurposed to boost housing supply?

A new study by globally-reputed design studio Hassell reveals that there are approximately 90 office buildings built before 1990 in Melbourne that could be converted into housing for up to 20,000 people. Hassell partnered with Ethos Urban on the research study conducted on behalf of the Property Council of Australia, with the comprehensive property audit of the city centre identifying these buildings, which represent roughly 6.5% of CBD office buildings built before 1990, and can be repurposed into 10,000−12,000 new apartments, significantly adding to Melbourne’s housing supply through adaptive reuse. Read the article in Architecture & Design.

Media August 17, 2023

Hassell workplace survey says change is key for office occupancy

Hassell has released its latest report, the Great Adaptations – 2023 Workplace Futures Survey, which provides a number of insights into workplace satisfaction. The general consensus amongst built environment professionals that people must be lured back to the office via good design has been proven correct by the survey, with companies that have made a change to their offices and way of working post-pandemic recording a 17 percent higher satisfaction score compared to those who haven’t. Read the article in Architecture&Design.

News August 21, 2023

Converting vacant CBD offices into apartments could create up to 12,000 Melbourne homes

“Ripe for adaptive re-use”: Hassell’s latest Office to Home research, conducted on behalf of the Property Council of Australia in partnership with Ethos Urban, has identified 86 vacant Melbourne CBD buildings that could be converted into 10−12,000 new homes for 20,000 people.

Media August 19, 2023

Melbourne office towers considered ideal to turn into 10,000 new homes

In a property audit of the city centre, conducted by the design studio Hassell and planning consultancy Ethos Urban for the Property Council of Australia, more than 80 unoccupied and underused office buildings in Melbourne’s CBD have been identified as prime candidates “really ripe for adaptive re-use”, ie ready to be converted into more than 10,000 new homes. “If we only converted half of those, we could supply around 10,000 to 12,000 new homes, and each repurposed building would use roughly half the upfront embodied carbon compared to knocking existing buildings down and rebuilding,” said Ingrid Bakker, principal at Hassell. Read the full article in The Age. Image: Justin McManus.

Media August 16, 2023

Six things that will bring you back to the office… maybe

How to get workers back to the office is a problem exercising the best brains in the business, with responses ranging from demands to suggestions to enticements… a new workplace futures survey shows that improving working conditions and changing the office is the best way to repopulate the workplace. The Great Adaptations report from Hassell said that companies that did so in the post pandemic world have enjoyed a 17% higher satisfaction score from employees. Read the article in The Fifth Estate.

Media August 11, 2023

AFR reports on Hassell’s Annual Workplace Survey: Great Adaptations

AFR’s Senior Reporter Michael Bleby dives into Hassell’s new global workplace survey Great Adaptations, noting the research “shows a return to the office gaining pace, generally” while hybrid working remains dominant. Bleby spoke with report author and Hassell workplace researcher Dr Daniel Davis who notes, “the biggest surprise of the survey’s findings was that people with freedom to choose their workplace were more likely to be back in the office, rather than those required or encouraged to do so”. Read the full article in the Australian Financial Review.

Research

Great Adaptations: 2023 Workplace Futures Survey

Our annual workplace survey casts a light on the link between office transformation and employee satisfaction.

PODCAST

Great Adaptations: three take-outs from our 2023 Workplace Futures Survey

There’s no ‘silver bullet’ lying behind the return to the office that many companies are seeing. But as we discovered, there is a common theme.

News August 10, 2023

Big changes ahead for Perth Zoo as construction commences on its new Playground

Climbing, swinging, and views from the clouds are soon to enhance the playful experiences at Perth Zoo, where construction has begun on the Hassell-designed all-ages, all-access, nature-based Playground. The Playground, which is part of the first delivery phase of Hassell+Iredale Pedersen Hook’s ‘Master Plan 2040’, is set to open in time for the Zoo’s 125th birthday celebrations later this year.

Media July 14, 2023

Bradfield’s groundbreaking first building racks up construction milestone

Bradfield’s first building, the Hassell-designed Advanced Manufacturing and Research Facility (AMRF), has recently hit a major milestone, with the facility’s concrete slabs now officially poured. The facility is on track for completion in early 2024. Read the article in Architecture&Design.

Media July 17, 2023

Hybrid work is here to stay: winning strategies for landlords and employers

The upcoming REwork Summit offers facilities managers and other workplace leaders a chance to plan their future of work. The summit includes Hassell’s recent research findings from The Magnetic Office. “Rather than try and create a one-size-fits-all solution, organisations need to cater to employee preferences by embedding flexibility while supporting and empowering teams. Plans must also factor in the role technology can and will play, both in enabling their hybrid future and in shaping strategic priorities.” Explore the REwork program.

News July 20, 2023

Blurred Lines:
urban planning in an age of digital disruption

In a recent paper presented at the Joint Planning Law Conference in Oxford UK, our Urban Research Lead Camilla Siggaard Andersen explores how the relationship between technology, the environment and society impacts urban planning. Read the full paper.

Media June 30, 2023

Brisbane Open House returns in 2023

Hassell-designed projects to be showcased amongst a curated selection of 80 iconic and contemporary buildings open to the public when Brisbane Open House returns 15-16 July 2023. Read more in ArchitectureAU.

Media June 15, 2023

Big reveal: The 2023 INDE.Awards shortlist is live!

Hassell’s Westlab Experience Centre in Melbourne, Australia is shortlisted in the Retail Space category of the 2023 INDE.Awards to be announced Thursday 10 August. Find out which projects are up for INDE.Awards in InDesignLive.