Creative Cubes Carlton is a welcoming and attractive space that follows in the same spirit as its sister co-working spaces in South Melbourne, Hawthorn and Cremorne. It provides inspiring co-working, serviced, private and collaborative work and event spaces for Melbourne based businesses and entrepreneurs.
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Project Creator
Project Brief
This vibrant and sophisticated 2,000 sqm co-working space was designed by the team at Corso Interior Architecture and is situated across 2 levels. Creative Cubes is a diverse space that feels like an extension of the local area. With a spacious and relaxed lounge bar feel, the team at Corso have transformed this once inner suburban supermarket and dated office building into a warm and inviting oasis, blending perfectly with the hustle and bustle of the lively suburb of Carlton.
A towering black spiral staircase with a modern stainless steel finish winds up through the ground floor to the first floor and draws the eye as a focal point in the room. The main boardroom situated on the ground level features a bold statement light pendant and the unique herringbone feature wall, complemented by European white wash oak walls. High quality goat hair carpets with simple, elegant designs are used throughout the meeting rooms.
Dark finishes, plush leather couches, polished concrete floors and the abundance of natural light are all key elements of this space. Greenery is used to create a sense of calm. The Happiness desk is the in-house concierge service that provides helpful and friendly assistance to Creative Cube members. The bricks used on the Happiness desk located near the entrance on the ground floor mimic that of the facade of the building and bring the outside in. The skeleton of the building had exposed brick walls which were retained in many parts in order to showcase the original look and maintain elements of the history and style of the original building.
Large murals featuring global themes, foods and flowers helps to create an international vibe. Art features emphasise the thriving diversity of the workspace and match that of the surrounding precinct. From colourful murals such as a Japanese cherry blossom tree to a world map featuring a variety of flowers, each piece brings interest and introduces vibrant colours into the interior space.
Colourful pops of neon are found throughout the venue and clever restroom signage helps to elevate the sense of playfulness in the space. This continues to be a theme throughout the ground floor meeting rooms from an African themed Hakuna Matata meeting room with its cheeky tiger print wallpaper to the Super Mario meeting room with its fun and quirky noughts and crosses gameboard wall, complete with gaming inspired flooring.
Positioned directly above the stairs to the east of the building is a large glazed opening that lets natural light in and filters deeply into the open plan area of the first floor. The client brief was to maximise natural light so the gable skylight roof was the perfect solution allowing for the offices to be designed around this central focal point.
Project Innovation
Melbournians are craving human connection a sense of community and the revival of connectiveness. The space at Creative Cubes delivers all of these in spades. This collaborative space, fosters connection and networking.
Sound proof phone booths that are acoustically lined are an innovative feature that minimises noise. Noise is often a complex feature of collaborative work spaces creating design challenges. To combat this, scattered throughout level one of the complex are the sound proof booths with vacuum sealed doors creating private little cocoons for important and sensitive business maters to be discussed. Acoustic lining in meeting rooms and carpeted floors also help to minimise sound.
Design Challenge
There were three key design challenges. From a project viability perspective, the client wanted to ensure that the office space was maximised whilst still creating a sense of openness and spaciousness. The team at Corso were able to maximise the space to ensure that every private office and open area has an abundance of light and space. Each area feels generous and roomy.
Secondly, it was imperative that the design allowed for an abundance of natural light to filter in and throughout the venue so that meeting rooms and offices were well lit, bright spaces, minimising the reliance on additional lighting and creating energy cost savings. This was achieved through the use of the central large gabled roof on level one. This large glazed opening allowed for generous amounts of natural light to fill the space and was supplemented by strategically placed catenary lighting.
Thirdly, all of the offices were designed with a wall type that minimises sound from travelling. Open and communal areas blend high backed seating and booths as well as cleverly placed furniture to help create a sense of a semi private spaces and partitioning. Additional sound proof phone booths made out of a ply shell with acoustic lining and vacuum rubber sealed doors that included a built-in desk were created to allow people to hide away to take private business calls or attend to confidential matters.
Sustainability
Motion activated lights and automatic doors were used to create an energy efficient experience. The open design promotes good ventilation and greenery is also used to help soften the hard edges of flat surfaced pieces of furniture and to help improve indoor air quality.
Many recycled materials were used throughout the fit-out, with the plaster board using recycled content. The timbers used were Forest Stewardship Council approved and paints were low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) paints.