PROJECTS
Deacons Lawyers
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DETAILS
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Bligh Voller Nield
(web)
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D.E.G.W.
(web)
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| Carr Design (web) | ||
| Office | ||
| 2002 | ||
| Brisbane | ||
| Trevor Mein (web) |
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175 Eagle St  Riverside Centre |
A radical new look for leading Brisbane law firm Deacons is breaking down barriers in traditional law circles and launching a new era for the firm's operations.
Deacons took four levels in Brisbane's premium office tower 175 Eagle
Deacons, challenged accepted legal parameters by overhauling its office environment.
The $100 million dollar, environmentally friendly, fully automated office tower provides tenants access to the systems aimed at maximising energy efficiency, cost savings and employee productivity.
The new set-up will be far-removed from the traditional heavy oak panelling and button-back chairs of many practices.
The planned club/den environment at 175 Eagle features bright colour-coded work areas, sleek glass partitions and "loud rooms" for time-out, and embraces modern designs and flexibility for greater information exchange and teamwork.
Deacons were able to pilot some of the new office concepts, based on a concept trialed by Bligh Voller Nield, at their current premises.
Glass partitions feature heavily on the trial floor, maximising the amount of sunlight. Team workstations dot the outer perimeter, while Deacons' few individual offices hug the floor's centre and entry point.
Departments are colour-coded, and utility rooms for photocopiers and file binding are acoustically shielded.
The design embraced Deacons' informal work style and identity. Deacons' work style is quite relaxed, so they took the design well away from traditional book-lined, closeted corners.
Light timber beams were used to open the space and make it more friendly, more like home, and vibrant patterns and colours to stimulate the work environment.
The most notable change though was the move away from individual offices to workstations.
Mr Don Boyd, National Chief Executive Partner at Deacons, said abandoning some of the legal traditions and hierarchies significantly increased team morale and productivity on the trial floor.
The more open design and reduction of individual offices has created more effective communication, supervision and mentoring of the younger lswyers and paralegals.
Younger lawyers now have the opportunity to work alongside partners and have a much richer experience as a result.
Many of our projects are heavily reliant on teamwork, and have had desks and workstations specially designed for this purpose.
As a result, we can relocate a workstation in just 20 minutes.
Deacons took full advantage of the building's wireless technology for our telephone and computing systems.
The client floor facilities, such as wireless technology, will enable clients and firm staff to move about and work as they wish.
The final design and features of the 175 Eagle suites set a precedent for the rest of Deacons offices throughout Australia.
Deacons enlisted the expertise of international design consultants DEGW to assess the firm's space and design requirements. DEGW worked closely with employees at Deacons, implementing surveys, interviews and other consultative practices to determine the most suitable floor and design layout.
The absence of interior corridors in favour of glass partitions, recessed into walls and ceilings to avoid chunky floor and wall frames, will maximise the level of light in the suites and take advantage of 175 Eagle's expansive city and river views.
Private meeting rooms and flexible workstations, laptop bars and soft lounges will diversify Deacon's space while catering to staff members' needs.
The 17th level, Deacons' top floor, will be solely devoted to state-of-the-art client meeting rooms and outdoor entertaining. Client meeting areas will feature libraries, video conferencing and internet facilities, while expansive views and entertaining areas will dazzle the most discerning clients.
While law firms are traditionally known for storing rooms of paper records, Deacon's will take advantage of technology and embrace advanced networking and information storage
Deacons' move to 175 Eagle was a catalyst to review our strategy, and take what worked well and consider alternatives for what didn't.
The design process for Deacons was particularly collaborative and led to exploring all planning and technology opportunities. As a result, the design is much more reflective of Deacons' culture, and the relocation was a very positive move.
Central to the long-term success of Deacons' new tenancy will be its ability to adapt to new technologies, organisational structures and operations. The design embraced modularity and flexibility for ease of change and control of ongoing costs.
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