Professionalism and a premium employee experience are critical to MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ (MERW) success. The firm’s move to Commercial Bay’s PwC Tower instigated a transition away from hierarchical individual offices to an open​‘office free’ environment for its 245 staff. With this reorganisation came a brief that emphasised collaboration, knowledge sharing, and operational efficiency, with flexibility to accommodate various activities, from hosting events to confidential client meetings. With a proud history, the firm also required a timeless interior design aesthetic incorporating enduring materials and detailing. 

The light-filled, open-plan working areas are connected by a large, central staircase that facilities movement between the four floors, while encouraging collegial relationships and knowledge sharing. The interior design reinterprets the aesthetics of a traditional legal practice, including dark stained timber linings, natural stone flooring, polished brass detailing, and muted furnishings, all firmly contemporary in their resolution. The spatial arrangement and bespoke design speak to the firm’s forward-thinking approach.