Say goodbye to dark colours, timber panelling and small kitchenettes. The modern law office is all about clean lines, neutral colours and plenty of natural light. But it is not all about aesthetics: a good sense of judgement, preparation and a willingness to try new concepts are the secret to creating an office environment that will remain contemporary in a decade’s time.

Firms on the move

Overall, vacancy rates for CBD office space across Australian capital cities are higher this year than in 2009. Kevin Stanley, the executive director of global research and consulting at CB Richard Ellis, says that it’s a typical story of demand fluctuating with the economic circumstances.  Brisbane, he notes, is a good example. There was a shortage of commercial office space during the resources boom; building activity increased to meet this demand, but then demand for space tapered off during the financial crisis. Brisbane’s Cooper Grace Ward is one law firm which took advantage of increased vacancy rates and competitive rents in the CBD. When the firm began its hunt for new office premises back in 2007, ahead of its 2009 lease expiry date, 400 George Street was still a construction site.

On the one hand, the internal project team which oversaw the relocation and fit out process knew this presented a great opportunity for the firm to be involved in the construction process with the fit out it wanted. On the other hand, the team ran the risk of not meeting its 2009 lease deadline if there were any setbacks in the construction of the building.

Despite some artistic differences between the firm and its designers, Cox Rayner, CGW managing partner Chris Ward says that the end result ticked all the boxes. “We managed to achieve what our team wanted. It’s an efficient, clean and serviceable area,” he says. “I don’t think clients would want to walk in and see fountains in our reception area or pink pelicans walking around. Clients would like to see something which reflects the service they are hoping to achieve.”

The fact that the project entailed an integrated fit out in a yet-to-be-constructed building, rather than simply adapting an existing office space, meant that a larger budget and longer timeframe was required, but Ward says that an integrated fit out is a more efficient way of creating a new office space. “Doing a fit out as the building itself is being built requires a great deal of planning for everything to work like clockwork,” he says. “Integrated fit outs can be considered a more expensive way to do it but it is also an efficient way as you can build the office as you go along and make subtle changes on the way.” 

When CGW began to make plans for its 2009 relocation the Australian economy was strong; the construction industry booming. This led to inflated building costs and a fit out estimate which far outstripped the firm’s budget. But when the GFC hit the construction industry slowed, forcing costs down and making the market more competitive. “It was a benefit to us because costs dramatically came back in line with sanity. When we got the initial quotes we thought, ‘boy this is out of the park’ but that was back in 2007 when the world economy was flying,” Ward says.

Earlier this year, Mills Oakley in Melbourne made the move to 530 Collins Street. The relocation and new fit out took six months and came in under budget. According to Josh Piper, the firm’s IT manager and project manager, it was money well spent. “Lawyers and staff absolutely love the new office. It’s fresh, new and efficient. Very different if you compare it with our old premises,” he says.

Design

A main feature of the new Mills Oakley office is the centralised breakout room and kitchen for staff, which is a different approach from the individual kitchenettes on each floor of the old  premises. “Our old office was split across two floors so we had independent kitchens. Staff didn’t get the chance to mingle with staff on other levels,” he says. But with the new office located all on one level and the breakout room “dead-centre” in the floor space, it has brought a welcome change. “To a degree, the breakout area has changed the whole dynamic of the firm. Staff are interacting with each other a lot more,” Piper says.

CGW’s Brisbane office also features a central team cafe, a real hub for people to have their morning tea or lunch, says Chris Ward. Catering for the day-to-day needs of staff, the café – in addition to the usual kitchen appliances and eating spaces – even has its own catering team. Similar to Mills Oakley in Melbourne, the Cooper Grace team cafe serves as a point of interaction and communication for staff to have a coffee and quick chat.

According to Alec Tzannes, a director at Tzannes Associates Design, interconnection between floor levels and ‘social spaces’ such as cafes and full kitchens are viewed by employers as being desirable for potential employees. “Connectivity between staff is valued and the more socially inclusive work environment also means that the floorplate is more efficient, as the size of individual offices decrease in response to the addition of shared communal meeting spaces,” he says.

Requests for a central staff kitchen and lounge area can generally be expected from law firms, as are requests for single offices, informal meeting rooms, and large conference rooms with individual walls which can be used to host functions and events, says Nick Fowell, director of the Melbourne-based office design firm Graham Nicholas, which completed the recent design and fit out of Mills Oakley’s Melbourne offices.

Fowell says ‘hot desks’ are the new key feature in the legal office space, as they cater for lawyers travelling interstate on business. Firms are looking to improve office facilities in a way that offers greater flexibility in terms of space and resources, and ‘hot desks’ provide a permanent setup for the use and convenience of interstate lawyers without affecting the day-to-day work flow of the office.

Law firms are also devoting additional attention to improved occupational, health and safety facilities and equipment for staff. Office premises located closer to parks and gyms, and buildings which provide facilities and amenities such as showers and bicycle racks, have become a more popular choice for law firms over locations which place firms at the centre of commercial districts. 

Open plan

Law firms have remained fairly conservative in their preference for traditional single offices for lawyers rather than going with open-plan offices. Though support and corporate staff generally work in open-plan, very few law firms have gone completely this way. “There are a few laws firms that have gone open plan, but as much as open plan is good [for communication and interaction], lawyers need their privacy to do their work and lawyers need to provide a level of privacy to their clients,” Mills Oakley’s Piper says. “You can’t exactly have case-sensitive information that is getting blared across the office because of a vocal lawyer.”

The GFC also forced law firms to reconsider luxurious and experimental designs for more sensible and economical ones. “There was more emphasis on open plan offices and common meeting spaces, less walls and less offices. Also, there was more emphasis on reusing furniture –provided the furniture had the OH&S  tick,” Fowell says.

“There was less emphasis on environmental sustainability in office spaces, largely because environmentally friendly furnishings and fixtures cost more. Firms still wanted to incorporate it into the office space but not much as before,” he adds.

Despite the ups and downs of the market, law firms are still keen to match new levels of environmental design and experiment with different arrangements of offices, including open-plan layouts with varying degrees of visual and acoustic separation between users and activities, says Tzannes. “Interior fit outs which respond easily and effectively to accommodate organisational change at more regular intervals are becoming more important. Office layouts also need to be flexible to respond to market pressures with minimal change.”

Most importantly, law firms are seeking an individual response to their architectural brief, attuned to their corporate culture, service delivery models and aspirations, he says.