Despite the small population base, Australia is a world leader in workplace innovation, and has been for some considerable time. From the mid-80's when IBM built its Cumberland Forest campus in Sydney that incorporated environmental sustainability initiatives that are still considered industry-leading even today, there has been a steady stream of projects undertaken that have pushed boundaries in the configuration and use of commercial workspace. Indeed the pace of innovation has accelerated in the past decade as organisations have sought to achieve the dual imperatives of improved efficiency and staff productivity and well-being from their corporate real estate.

The financial institutions have been particularly prominent in this area, with projects by National Australia Bank, ANZ Bank, Westpac, Suncorp and Macquarie Bank all being notable for their innovation. Such projects have a number of common themes:

• The need to drive down both occupancy and operational costs;
• Enhanced interaction and collaboration between business units;
• Supporting business "agility" - responsiveness to change through rapid deployment of teams;
• Increasing mobility - work anywhere, anytime - supported by advanced information and communications technology and new management practices that support remote working; and
• Stakeholder participation, user engagement and change management - "bringing the people on the journey".

Most recently there has been significant interest in "activity based working" - where management and staff are able to access a range of different task-specific worksettings rather than having to attempt to undertake all job functions from the one assigned desk, the most recent example being the new Macquarie Bank workplace at Shelley Street, Sydney.

Chris Alcock has had over fifteen years' direct experience in this workplace innovation journey, starting with Lend Lease Interiors' revolutionary workplace in Australia Square in 1993 through to the current day. He has participated in significant research both locally and internationally in the development of these projects and has acquired a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with exploring these new workplace models.

Stockland HQ, Sydney

Rehabilitation of an existing high rise office building to create a new collaborative, environmentally sustainable workplace. The project clusters meeting rooms and other collaborative spaces around an open atrium cut into the existing floors to support cross-divisional interaction and knowledge sharing. This project won the 2008 Best International Workplace Award at Orgatec, Cologne, Germany.

Architect: BVN Workplace Strategy: DEGW Photography: John Gollings