The National Australia Bank’s (NAB) Melbourne headquarters, designed by Woods Bagot, is Australia’s top performing workplace environment according to a post occupant evaluation (POE) survey conducted by two Sydney universities.

Sydney University and the University of Technology have surveyed occupants from 60 Australian workplaces over the past five years using their Building Occupant Satisfaction Survey Australia (BOSSA), which is designed to assess the indoor environmental quality (EIQ) of a building.

The BOSSA is recognised in Green Star – Design & As Built, Interiors and Performance rating tools and has three forms of EIQ measurement:

BOSSA Time-Lapse: a web-based survey tool that assess occupants' satisfaction with the IEQ performance of their office building;
BOSSA NOVA: a mobile IEQ assessment cart which measures thermal comfort: air and globe temperatures, humidity and air speed;
BOSSA Snap-Shot: a questionnaire is administered to building occupants with instructions to evaluate the indoor environmental quality of their work area “right-here, right-now.

According to a press release from NAB, the data from a BOSSA survey (it wasn’t noted which test was used) of 60 Australian buildings shows that the Woods Bagot-designed 700 Bourke Street is the best performing Australian workplace in terms of IEQ.

Lecturer in Architectural Science in the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Planning at Sydney University, Christhina Candido says the survey results were a great indicator of how well Australian buildings at the top-end of the market are performing.

“The results from the occupant survey conducted at 700 Bourke Street are without doubt remarkable,” she notes.

“NAB’s headquarters topped nine out of 13 Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) indicators: spatial comfort, individual space, indoor air quality, visual comfort, building image, productivity, work area comfort, building satisfaction, and health and maintenance.”

The 63,000sqm A Grade commercial building, which has achieved a 6 Green Star rating, spans 16 levels and is home to more than 6,000 NAB employees.

700 Bourke Street has 600 bicycle spaces, 1,000 lockers and changing facilities for its occupants, which exceed the minimum planning and Green Star requirements

It also has a 700sqm roof top garden which provides NAB workforce with an outdoor space and enables NAB’s childcare facility to introduce an outdoor education programme.

“Woods Bagot’s approach to understanding the complex parameters of design, whether urban, architectural, behavioural or spatial elements, forces us to continually test and reassess the quality of our work and ensure that we design for how a space will be used over time,” says Nik Karalis, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Office, Woods Bagot.

“NAB’s ranking in the survey confirms that our performance based design and user experience approach has a tangible and quantifiable impact to those experiencing the environments we create.”

Woods Bagot Managing Director and Chief Executive Office Nik Karalis says his firm's high BOSSA score is a result of the firm's approach to understanding the complexities of design.

“Woods Bagot’s approach to understanding the complex parameters of design, whether urban, architectural, behavioural or spatial elements, forces us to continually test and reassess the quality of our work and ensure that we design for how a space will be used over time,” says Karalis.

“NAB’s ranking in the survey confirms that our performance based design and user experience approach has a tangible and quantifiable impact to those experiencing the environments we create.”

PROJECT IN DETAIL:
NAB Docklands 700 Bourke Street by Woods Bagot

Nathan Johnson

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