Description

Located on Wurundjeri Country within I.M. Pei’s modernist tower at 55 Collins Street, the new Melbourne studio for international design practice Hassell is conceived as a ‘worklab’: an open place to experiment, refine and share ideas. Intentionally raw and rigorously planned, it seeks to challenge the design of more traditional workplaces via a design-with-less philosophy that delivers a space that’s unexpected, distinctive and environmentally responsible.

Aiming for Living Building Challenge certification — the world’s most exacting standard for regenerative architecture — the studio treats regenerative design (the principle of giving back more than a building takes) as a baseline. Ninety-eight per cent of all construction and fit-out waste was recycled and diverted from landfill. Existing ceilings, perimeter walls and concrete floors have been left as found, while joinery, workstations, furniture and studio tools have been salvaged and reused from the company’s previous workplace. 

With no formal reception, visitors step directly into the heart of the studio among the models and sketches, seeing firsthand how a climate-conscious future is negotiated. By exposing the reality of the design process, Hassell’s Melbourne studio acts as a physical manifesto for a design firm that values accountability and environmental consequence over a polished front-of-house.

What's On

International design firm Hassell opens its Melbourne studio as a ‘worklab’: a functional testing ground rather than a curated showroom.

Through a self-guided tour, visitors can observe the real-time mechanics of a practice aiming for Living Building Challenge certification. The space serves as a physical case study in regenerative design, where ninety-eight per cent of construction waste was diverted from landfill and existing structures were left raw. It’s an invitation to see how exacting environmental discipline translates into a purposeful, lower-impact aesthetic, reimagining the workplace as an active participant in the city’s ecological future.