Most Innovative Designers of 2016: Sydney – Hughesbruce
Hughesbruce is a vibrant and creative Sydney-based company, built around a core group of commercial interior design strategists and entrepreneurs of ideas. Their clients consist of multi-national and nationwide icons, across projects such as pre-lease developments, interstate satellite premises, multi-floor tenancies and small operation working environments. The business operates out of Sydney, and supports clients across Australia.
Hughesbruce is one of the few firms in their industry that offers an integrated approach to achieving their clients’ objectives, by providing interior architecture, work place strategies, logistics and project management. With experience extending over three decades, their knowledge ensures intuitive, imaginative, aesthetic, sustainable, performance based creations. ‘We love what we do and we love creating optimum outcomes for our clients’. Balance, space and emotional connection is the key to the design philosophy at the heart of Hughesbruce.
It is hard to quantify the positive impact that Hughesbruce has had over many years of supporting their clients’ operations through their ability to create brilliant outcomes and shape human experiences. Hughesbruce has proudly contributed to enhancing culture, boosting motivation, productivity, and strengthening company operations.
Hughesbruce was first established in 1993, and has experienced many changes in workplace operations and functionality. They have supported many clients through challenging times, and their clients have supported them in return. With advancing technology in a world of flexible, global, tech-savvy individuals the work environment has evolved incredibly over recent years.
The work environment is a series of moments, a place to imagine, a place to collaborate. The role that Hughesbruce sees itself filling, as the designer, is to shape human experience, which takes the form of connecting design solutions to contemporary social, economic and cultural determinants. They are, in their words, ‘design strategists’, with an integrated approach to solving their clients’ problems.
In earlier years, Hughesbruce created solutions with extensive integrated cable management into joinery and furniture. In more recent times, there is little cable management required. Designs have become less complex in some areas, and more complex in others. To Hughesbruce, it is more about the space experience and flexibility in work lifestyles. The company has adapted to meet the challenges of transitions and to educate clients for informed progressive decisions.
Hughesbruce regularly attend industry forums and communications platforms, and share information with strategic partners, to develop new visions of inspirational work environments and to stay abreast of industry progress. They create and resolve work environments that are planned with space awareness and balance, and implemented with managed processes.
Hughesbruce maintain that one of the key factors in achieving such great outcomes is their ability to listen, to understand and be clear about the client’s objectives, explore options, educate their clients, and guide them along the design journey. With clear direction and interpretation, the processes build and earn trust so that communication is fluid, and inspiration and imagination are boundless. Another key factor is the emphasis that the company places on the emotional connection to the places an individual occupies: the experience, the feeling of space, the benefit that comes from balance and flexibility to health and wellness, and being able to cope with lifestyle pressures.
One of the most notable projects that Hughesbruce has recently had the pleasure of being involved in was the relocation DHL Global Forwarding NSW operations in Sydney. This was a purpose-modified building of 4,600-square meter office, as well as a 16,000-square meter Warehouse, all of a site coming to an overall 35,000 square meters. The project extended over 4 years and represents a landmark project for Hughesbruce. Part of our role was to manage the implementation of the warehouse refit as well as the office environment and act as DHL’s representative on all site issues. The two-floor office environment was seamlessly extended into the warehouse, plus a central zone was created with natural light from the roof and central working hub, for all to benefit.
Another notable project that Hughesbruce is currently working on is the relocation of KONE Elevators’ operations to a new landmark site in Sydney. This project is a pre-lease development with Goodman Australia and is a new 11-floor construction with floor plates of 2000 square meters, into which KONE plan to relocate by mid-2017. This relocation has been brought about by government plans to progress the new WestConnex transport infrastructure, which impacts on KONE’s current premises. The new premises will embrace the flexible ‘Agile’ working philosophy.
Hughesbruce, and its army of visionaries, believe that the the word ‘office’ will become obsolete, as over time the typical work environment as we know today will become smaller and be transformed as a new model with total flexibility in fulfilling tasks, thus becoming a place for sharing information rather than simply performing the actual tasks. Health and wellness will become increasingly important to the individual and our ability to adapt to ever advancing technology and lifestyle pressures. Interior design solutions, they believe, need to accommodate work areas that fulfil ease and effective collaboration methods, health and wellbeing of the individual, and support client’s objectives for motivation, inspiration and performance.
The interior design industry is definitely changing, demanding a new kind of operation with fewer resources, increased speed of production, and widening roles. The industry has also become diluted with several competitive ‘players’ outside of the interior design industry. ‘Smart’ buildings have already exerted a notable impact on the practice of interior design, and will undoubtedly continue into the future. Designers are facing a mounting need to expand their roles further and drive home the benefits of smart design, of intelligent and quality solutions, of space awareness, of flexible work habit solutions, and of sustainable products, to ensure clients receive the maximum benefit to their operations.
As such, the Design Strategist approach asserts the leadership role of the designer that is best able to serve clients as the intelligent connectors in the work environment development and evolution.
Company: HughesBruce
Name: Elizabeth Bruce
Email: [email protected]
Web Address: hughesbruce.com.au
Address: Po Box 8, Round Corner Dural NSW 2158
Telephone: 61 2 89202100 / 0411 852632
