Cardboard tubes, upcycled and reused materials were used to create this new office fit out

The Asaleo office fit out in Victoria, Australia is a highly sustainable and budget driven project which creatively upcycled and reused materials from the existing workplace. Designed by Splinter Society the project involved a complete redesign of the inefficient 30 year old layout and upgraded it to include open plan working and collaborative team spaces.

The client is an Australian producer of paper and pulp related materials with a focus on recycling and plantation grown timbers, so materials which complemented this ethos are featured throughout the space. Cardboard tubes, a by-product of their manufacturing process, were crafted into wall linings, screening devices and display shelving units.

The reception desk with it’s curved array of blades was created out of 100% post-industrial recycled HDPE, including some of the waste products which come out of the factory.

Plantation OSB (orientated strand board) was used to inject warmth into the design and was fashioned into wall and ceiling linings, banquette seating, table tops and screen devices. OSB is a wood chipped product made from softwood waste from the pine industry.

An extensive cataloguing exercise was involved to reuse as much of the existing fit out as possible and the desks, furniture, storage, partitions, glazed walls, ceiling finishes, carpet and doors were reused and rearranged.

An open reception/coffee lounge was created at the front of the building which connects the office team and the factory team. The existing fitout was stripped back to reveal off-form concrete ceilings and columns.

Indoor plants were added in the form of a screening device to inject some greenery into the space and to help purify the air.

Related project: If you like projects which include upcycling and recycling check out Bungalow upcycle in Pascoe Vale

Sustainability specs:
– Upcycled and reused materials
– Extensive reuse of existing furniture, workstations, storage, partitions, glazed walls, ceiling finishes, carpet and doors
– Plantation OSB used for wall, floor and ceiling lining
– 100% post-industrial HDPE used to construction reception desk
– Indoor plants to purify the air
– Floor plan was updated to use space more efficiently and to house more staff

Util­is­ing their cor­po­rate val­ues of Pride, Integri­ty and Courage, this large work­place fit out was designed to reuse and up-cycle a sig­nif­i­cant amount of the exist­ing fit out, whilst dou­bling the work­spaces and cre­at­ing a flu­id team envi­ron­ment. Work­sta­tions were designed in a com­pact yet effi­cient man­ner, allow­ing the cre­ation of a gra­da­tion of shared team­work spaces to accom­mo­date every­thing from small touch and go meet­ings to large work­shops or café style work meet­ings. Spaces were designed for inter­ac­tion, enjoy­ment and to sup­port inno­va­tion with­in the business.