101 Collins Street 'RISE' | Gray Puksand Architecture & Design

ONE and RISE represent a new era of amenity and inclusiveness for end-of-trip and wellness facilities within a commercial office tower, through adaptive reuse of underutilised basement carparks at 101 Collins Street. As one of Melbourne’s premium buildings built in the 1990’s, the interior architecture delivers anintegrated solution that’s uniquely tailored to its premium market. Underpinning this is a philosophy that elevates the user experience in every sense, and encourages cycling to work, exercising during the day to reduce congestion and improve wellbeing.

This benchmark project is industry-defining in what commercial landlords are providing to their tenants, that is a daily 5-star experience.

ONE, the end-of-trip component, comprises 44 showers, 500 bicycle parking spaces and 600 lockers. The design references the original highly detailed language of the building, refining rather than redefining it.The project has been a catalyst for a cultural shift within the community, realisinga 300% increase in female users and the way the tenants start their day.

At the threshold of RISE, the dark, lustrous square forms of ONE make way for a new design language. Airy biophilic curves and natural materials transport users to an internal oasis with suspended furniture placed within greenery below new skylights. A bespoke soundscape resonates whilst scent is injected into the space and changes throughout the day. This contextual relief invites users to ‘Discover a new you’, the essence of wellness.

Being the first of its type within a commercial office tower, a vigorous briefing process resulted in the wellness centre comprising two multi-purpose studios set up for yoga, barre classes, TRX and Pilates, four consulting rooms for massage, physiotherapy and allied health professionals. A design challenge was to plan for functional agility and changing demands depending on the uptake of the different health, wellbeing and education programs.

The design considers the notion of accessible luxury and how to engage our senses. Our research determined it’s not just about fixtures and fittings and the things you touch and feel, but it’s about creating an unexpected harmonious spatial quality, within a repurposed basement. An inclusive user experience is achieved through grandness of scale, high attention to detail and a tailored experience that respects the building’s architecture.

Material palettes, tone, texture, forms and shapes set the scene for an interior architecture where users can focus on their wellbeing in shared, private and intimate spaces that avoid the expected model. Two funnel-like skylights reach three metres to the courtyard above and draws daylight directly into the basement. Curved ceiling edges taper out at the skylights where light naturally falls into the space and floods the space below.

101 Collins Street ‘RISE’

Uncompromising and unparalleled health and wellbeing offer focused on the play of light, natural materials and biophilic response creating an oasis.

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