Gerflor Contributes to the Ultimate Healthy Workplace
Gerflor is proud to be an integral part of the cutting edge new $100 million Medibank headquarters, Thrive, in Melbourne’s Docklands.
Almost 3000 square metres of striking flooring from the Taralay Premium range feature in this showcase of innovative workplace planning and design.
Certified to the highest level possible for resilient flooring under Green Tag, Taralay combines environmental and low maintenance features with a stunning macaron palette of unique, fresh colors.
Designed by Hassell for developer Cbus Property, Thrive epitomises the ideal workplace.
According to Hassell Melbourne Managing Principal, Ingrid Bakker, the building is a landmark on the Melbourne skyline and great place for Medibank employees and other tenants to work.
"Medibank provided an inspirational brief based on its 'for better health' brand,” Ms Bakker said.
“They want a building that promotes employee health and encourages healthy lifestyles, a workplace that serves as an exemplar of a healthy work environment.
"Our design responds to the brief, creating a workplace that employees will want to work in. It will foster teamwork and collaboration and allow very efficient use of the space,” she said.
ACTIVITY BASED WORKING
Instead of traditional rows of desks and panelled walls, the work spaces inside Thrive are designed to accommodate activity-based working (ABW) principles. The idea is to empower staff to choose where and how they need to work, be it in a quiet nook in the library, one of the dozens of meeting rooms, or in a more collaborative setting. Unlike the open plan offices of last century, ABW provides the means by which staff can focus and concentrate to be as productive as possible.
Cutting-edge circadian lighting has been installed throughout the building. It is believed to emulate natural light and enhance performance by adapting to the body’s circadian rhythms.
Features continue on the exterior of the building. About 10 per cent of the facade is covered by plants growing from planter boxes on terraces and through trellises dotted around the tower. There is a communal parkland and vegetable patch for Medibank workers to tend and help themselves to when cooking in the building’s demonstration kitchen.
Medibank has taken a 10-year lease in the building that aims to be a sustainable property, targeting a six-star Green Star and five-star NABERS rating.
If it stays on target, the landmark project will be among only a few buildings in Australia to have achieved this level of energy efficiency and waste minimisation.
