Sydney Commonwealth Parliament Offices

The Sydney Commonwealth Parliament Offices (CPO)
provides accommodation for Australian Federal Government
Ministerial and parliamentary staff including Sydney-based
Ministers, the Leader of the Opposition, visiting Senators
and Members and the Prime Minister. It also provides an
important portal for Australian Parliamentarians when
meeting and collaborating with guests.
Located across three floors of the Architectus + Ingenhoven
designed office tower 1 Bligh Street, Sydney, the offices
were designed to provide a contemporary and
environmentally sustainable workplace that is user-flexible
and highly secure.
The aspiration of the brief was to ensure the fit-out
reflected the unique nature and character of Sydney, while
maintaining a timelessness and value for money that would
endure a significant lease period.
This aspiration was realised on qualities such as natural
daylight, maximising views, transparency deep within the
plan, local use of materials and importantly local
craftsmanship whilst embracing the unique attributes of the
building.
A high quality design standard which aligned with a
functional material aesthetic and facilitated cultural change
was required while achieving a high degree of security and
amenity within the context of a contemporary office fit-out.
Technical challenges included the separation of various
occupants all sharing a building yet meeting stringent
acoustic and protocol requirements. Access control regimes
and their management and operation were paramount,
including necessary public accessibility, restriction and
privilege hierarchies.
The radial plan configuration was developed to optimise the
perimeter allowing the large number of individual suites to
access views. The plan was also layered to provide further
separation, locating the most public space around 1 Bligh’s
central atrium and lifts, followed by a layer of shared public
and private accommodation with the most secure areas to
the perimeter.

Architectus is a top-tier Australian architecture and design studio specialising in commercial, education, interiors, public, residential, transport, urban design and planning.

Our insightful and human-centric design approach is combined with a collaborative ethos to create unique places that are exemplars of elegance, function and sustainability. We operate as a single studio with our creative team based in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

We enjoy a strong collaborative relationship with our associated New Zealand studios located in Auckland and Christchurch.

https://architectus.com.au/awards/