101 Collins Street

The iconic 101 Collins Street holds a special place in Melbourne’s design history. It was a pioneering commercial project of the early 1990s, with 80,000sqm of NLA, and an ambition to be like more like a ‘hotel’ than an office block. This meant a focus on a concierge experience, hotel-style facilities, a grandness of scale, and the highest attention to detail. Fast forward almost 30 years and the building has maintained this reputation for luxury.

Gray Puksand was approached to develop an inspired design for the future, with a new end-of-trip facility that would be respectful and mindful of the building within which it sits. “This is 101, probably the seminal premium office building in Melbourne, if not in Australia, has held the crown since its completion in 1991,” explains Gray Puksand Senior Associate, Dale O’Brien. “There was no point introducing a completely new design language that didn't have a relevance to the existing building. Their tenants choose that building, they choose to be there and they like to be there. We really needed to get to the heart of that.”

Working within the constraints of upper basement level, the new facility comprises 44 showers, bicycle parking for just short of 500 bicycles and 600 lockers. With a focus on high-end materials and quality fixtures and fittings, individual shower rooms have been created. Natural stones, terrazzo, and rich timbers give the spaces opulence, reflecting the ‘hotel approach’ to 101 Collins.

The most significant challenges for the design team were the structural load and the limitations of the existing infrastructure. “Adding a great deal of stone, and increasing live and static loads in the space, proved to be quite challenging, as well as dealing with a lot of existing services which were below a major ground-floor lobby,” O’Brien says. “It was about maintaining design intent around immovable objects, and getting height, beautiful ceiling height, into the space.”

It is this height, used within the generous corridor and circulation spaces—which cleverly avoid the services infrastructure—that delivers a true sense of luxury in a limited basement space. “Luxury isn't just about what you touch and feel it's also about the sense of space. Providing extra space around the facility was key to meeting this design criteria.”

Being in the B1 level and due to the gradient of the site, the Gray Puksand team has also devised a direct ground-floor entry to the facility for both cyclists and runners. “It’s a complete separation of vehicles from the bikes and runners,” O’Brien says. “It means the tenants using the facility don't feel like it's a tradesmen's entrance. It really elevates the space to reflect the building’s premium persona.”

Gray Puksand, as always, approached the project with its research and collaboration methodologies, developing a deep understanding of the users, the client, and the significance of the building. Working to re-imagine what an end-of-trip facility can be, this addition has already spawned a new focus on wellness at 101 Collins, with plans for dedicated yoga, pilates, fitness studios and consulting suites already underway.