7: Project Direction

During Project One, our group discussed what architectural outcomes could emerge from our proposed future scenario. We developed a character each, which lead us to think about how we could respond to their needs architecturally, and as a group decided that Brisbane would need (at least) four new architectural entities. My character, Parker, needed a new corporate headquarters, where he can help collaborate with the other four companies, and efficiently run Brisbane.

Building type

Figuring out our building’s type was therefore quite straight forward; it just needs fine-tuning and scrutinizing. So on the surface (my thoughts so far), my design will act as a corporate headquarters, housing offices for general workers as well as the big-wigs, with unique meeting spaces to collaborate and discuss the running of Brisbane. The headquarters will also need to act as a ‘show room’, providing a public façade to the city of the power, affluence and compassion of the Big 5. It should also be able to showcase the successes of Brisbane’s transformation, and allow sweeping views of Brisbane so that those working there can feel a part of the city they’re working on. Another element to the headquarters is providing accommodation and support to visiting investors, allowing them to see Brisbane in the luxury that they are accustomed to.

As Google is one of Brisbane’s 5 investors, I had to remember how they run their business; with the approach of “do no evil”, the company’s office environment is social and fun, an approach which could be translated over to Brisbane. Because most people may be skeptical and pessimistic that giant corporations are now running their city, the companies may take this opportunity to ‘do good’: their priorities could shift from monetary profit to social profit, and have a transparent work structure, where people are treated like people (rather than worker drones) in a healthy and positive environment.

Building scale

The chosen site for this headquarters is the current Chifley on Lennon on Queen Street. This site is perfect for a headquarters as it is close to the new metro station (underneath the Myers Centre) on a high elevation so it is seen from the river. Its scale is therefore determined by the current hotel, which is on a 30x42.5m block, reaching 27 floors. The headquarter may chose to go higher than this current height due to more relaxed planning restrictions in the future, but it would be a case of necessity or to contribute to Brisbane’s skyline.

Target users

The corporate headquarters will primarily be used by people working for the Big 5 in running and organizing Brisbane. Hundreds of workers, ranging from secretaries and interns to CEOs and VPs, will use this building 9am-5pm Monday to Friday (if not more often). Visiting investors will also use the site, as well as community consultations and any member of the general public who wants to have a say/learn about the changes in Brisbane.

Possible scenarios

There will be many different experiences within the corporate headquarters depending on why people are visiting. A few possible scenarios to be addressed in the architectural design are:

·         Parker: As P&G’s Brisbane executive marketing officer, Parker lives in the city and walks to work every morning. His office is on one of the top levels, as he is very important within the company. He must supervise all the work being done by his employees to ensure that P&G’s interests are maintained in the running of Brisbane. Because he is a very busy man, Parker doesn’t have time to go into the city for lunch, so he has it with others in the building’s cafeteria.

·         Susan: working as a community liaison, Susan’s job is to ensure that the local community is happy with whatever changes the Big 5 are implementing in Brisbane. She therefore has to attend a lot of meetings with everyday people of Brisbane, as well as corporate leaders. Susan lives in the outer suburbs of Brisbane, so has to catch the metro in to work every morning, or to visit community centres for consultations.

·         Stephen: Stephen is a free lance online journalist and is skeptical of the Big 5's sponsorship of Brisbane. He therefore goes to visit the headquarters to see what they’ve been up to. He is welcomed in the lobby and allowed in as a guest; as the building is open to the public to promote honesty. Stephen can see a display of all the amazing things the Big 5 have done for Brisbane, as well as look over the city from their amazing sky-line views.

·         Jackson: representing a potential investor to IKEA’s booming hotel industry in Brisbane, Jackson is given the full VIP treatment. He is given accommodation in the headquarters’ luxurious visitor’s suites, and meets with very important corporate members to discuss very important business. He too sees the display of Brisbane’s progress as he must be convinced that the Big 5 are going a great job, and that he too should become part of the deal.

I’m really excited to get involved in this project – the way of thinking about the architectural development through the individual experiences of different people in different scenarios is going to be an exciting challenge, which will hopefully result in some unique and inspired architectural outcomes.