Knight Frank Workplace
Brisbane, Queensland
Knight Frank’s decision to establish a new workplace within Brisbane’s Blue Tower positioned the project as a re-investment in place, people and the future of the building itself. The brief was to create a workplace that reflects the professionalism, quality and culture of the business, while supporting new ways of working now and into the future.
Conceived as a vibrant marketplace, the design supports Knight Frank’s relationship-driven business as a hub for collaboration, engagement and connection. The highly connected workplace encourages movement and interaction throughout, creating a dynamic place of exchange where teams gather, industry forums are hosted and emerging talent takes a front row seat in a culture of commercial excellence.
The workplace is designed as a series of ‘buildings within a building’ enriched by the spaces in between. It balances focus and connection through a network of adaptable spaces designed to support gathering, collaboration and everyday exchange. Fixed built form is limited to just 20 percent of the floorplate, creating a flexible framework that can evolve over time without major reconfiguration.
Responding directly to the constraints of a 1980s commercial tower, the design embraces restraint as both a practical and sustainable strategy. Existing building elements are exposed to maximise light and spatial generosity, while a disciplined material palette and lightweight interventions minimise waste, cost and lifecycle impact.
Art and local identity are embedded throughout the workplace to strengthen a sense of connection to place. COX supported the development of Knight Frank’s RAP artwork in collaboration with First Nations artist Rachael Sarra, alongside a custom artwork by Brisbane-based artist Tom Percy that maps the stretch of river the workplace addresses.
The result is a flexible, high-impact workplace that demonstrates how contemporary design can expand upon the re-invention of a legacy asset within Brisbane CBD.
