Kennedy Nolan were approached by a group of Barristers who were forming a new Chambers and were interested in making an environment distinct from the conventional offering.

Essential to the design outcome was to ensure that individual chambers would be capable of customisation acknowledging the unique nature of Barrister’s Chambers as a collective of allied individuals rather than a singular corporate identity.

Visually and acoustically, the Chambers are reminiscent of domestic settings in recognition of the need for comfort during often very long hours of work. The public and shared areas however, needed to be cohesive and reflect a consistent aesthetic and experiential quality reflecting the shared values of the Barristers who came together to form the Chambers.

Architecture & Design: Can you describe the initial vision for this project and how it evolved over time?

Kennedy Nolan: The brief included 26 separate chambers of varying size. It was important to consider that essentially each Barrister is a sole practitioner and therefore each individual chamber requires a high level of acoustic separation and privacy to protect client confidentiality.

In addition to the individual chambers there is a central reception zone and meeting room with a nearby shared staff lounge, kitchen and staff dining. Visually and acoustically, the chambers are reminiscent of domestic settings in recognition of the need for comfort during often very long hours of work.

What were the biggest challenges you faced during the design and construction phases, and how did you overcome them?

A compressed project program required an elaborate and concise consultant coordination process between the base build design engineers and fit-out consultant team. The brief included 26 separate chambers, each with high level acoustic separation and privacy. In addition to the individual chambers there is a central reception zone and meeting room with a nearby shared staff lounge, kitchen and staff dining.

Our approach was to soften the corporate edge of the overall space, to step away from the conventional projection of the law as expensive, prestigious and stuffy and to make a space which could provide calm, softness and even a sense of refuge.

Manipulating the immutable requirements of building owner requirements, regulations, acoustic performance and technical infrastructure, we sought to represent difference through a warm and textural material palette and public spaces which afford privacy, natural light penetration and domestic comfort.

How did you ensure that the project met the client’s needs and expectations?

The sensitive nature of the work done by criminal Barristers presented both a critical challenge and an important aspiration for the project - to make an environment sensitive to the often extremely stressful situations that many of the Barristers’ clients face, including significant fines or prison sentences.

To meet this need, we were careful to avoid cues or symbols of institutional, corporate or legal settings, and focused on making the spaces quiet, soft, private and natural. The spaces are dignified to reflect the seriousness of the work, but hopefully not intimidating.

Were there any unique or innovative techniques or materials used in this project?

The materials and colour palette is quite distinct and not conventional for a Barrister’s chambers but reflects our Client Group’s desire for something which reflected their values. It was clear that the space needed to be warm and nurturing rather than corporate, friendly rather than intimidating, soft rather than sleek.

We worked with both colour and texture – a colour palette of rust, ochre and rich, complex greens offset by complementary materials including natural timber, cork, felt and linen. The overall effect is intended to be visually and aurally soft, to be calming and quiet but also informal and approachable.

The colours seem bold, but we maintain that the overall sense is neutral in the way that the Australian landscape is neutral despite being made up of reds and greens.

The colour is characterful but also subdued in acknowledgement of the unique nature of Barrister’s Chambers as a collective of allied individuals rather than a singular corporate identity and therefore required to accommodate diverse furnishings and accoutrements.

How does this project fit into your broader portfolio and design philosophy?

The completed space, whilst very much a workplace, also has a definite domestic quality – the sense of a refuge, a retreat from the harshness of the world. This sense feels useful for a workplace where the Barristers work huge hours and where clients are often going through inconceivably stressful times.

We love the totality of the space, the way the various elements combine to make a pleasing whole, but one of our favourite features was provided by the Client Group, the beautiful paintings by Nancy Yukuwal McDinny in the reception space. They seem to encapsulate so much about William Street Chambers, but also elevate it in a way we couldn’t have expected.

William Street Chambers 6.jpg

William Street Chambers 1.jpg

William Street Chambers 5.jpg

William Street Chambers 7.jpg

William Street Chambers 2.jpg

William Street Chambers 3.jpg

Let's Connect!

Let’s connect!