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With the merger of long-estabished legal firm Dibbs Crowther Osboune and Barker Goslings and move to premises in the new Angel Place building in Sydney's CBD, Dibbs Barker Gosling required a fit-out to reflect its new corporate identity, the strength found in partnership and its commitment to partner involvement in all projects.
The company's brief to interior design firm Incorp was for a contemporary, elegant design contrasted with traditional influences: warm and welcoming but with an edge. It was also to be a light and bright work environment to reflect its fresh image as a progressive law firm. This was to be expressed also in an emphasis on the firm's new logo: three 'jigsaw' people which symbolise the focus on the importance of people and relationships within the business environment, the emphasis on partnership, the successful merging of two firms and to demonstrate visually the process of mediation. The firm's new mission statement was also to be prominent and acoustic privacy and a quiet-den like feeling were requested in respect for clients' needs,
"From this starting point we came up with a concept based on a law book," says Incorp's Chris Lane, who worked on the project with associate Kathy Arnold. In the reception, Lane and Arnold literally rolled out the red carpet to emphasise the importance of the client to the firm and conceived a fluted ceiling and timber feature wall which allude to the reversed spine of a book, "We derived the colour pallette of leather, red, gold, black and bronze from the starting point of an old law book. A fluted feature wall leads you into the space and represents an oversized library with a page pulled out detailing the company's new mission statement on a framed etched glass panel." Bookshelves with bronze mirror backing are recessed into the corridor walls leading off the reception area. Originally, these were to contain old legal volumes, but now remain empty as a more subtle allusion to tradition. "The fluted spine on the ceiling reinforces the open book concept," adds Lane, "but also acts as acoustic control in the reception area. The open book also represents the honesty and openness of the company."
Rich red fabric wraps around the core at one end of the reception area, again for acoustic purposes but also to give a plush feel. Ve felt this arrival area should feel plush and inviting," says Lane, "so it is not intimidating but makes the visiting client feel important."
Situated over two floors, the fit-out is bright and light, with a combination of g lass- partitioned offices for partners and centrally arranged workstations for support staff. Meeting rooms and the boardroom feature painted acoustic panels which are hung prominently as "artworks".
The staff cafe, cheekily named Six Minutes in honour of the billing time for clients, is a bright, white cheerful space with orange graphics on cupboards which open up to store the folding tables and stools when the space is being used for entertaining or training purposes. For larger gatherings, the space's operable walls can be opened to join it with the adjoining boardroom. "The client didn't want to have to leave the building to entertain guests, " says Lane, "so they have fully self-contained facilities here.' A smaller cafe, Side Bar, provides a breakout space on the second level and adds a shot of colour with its bold orange wall.
"The project did take off in a different direction to what the client was expecting," says Lane, "but they were fantastic in their patience and support throughout."
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