Redefining the future of work at 180 George Street, Sydney

At JLL, we take our purpose seriously. That is, to shape the future of real estate for a better world. This starts with our people and how they connect with our purpose. But our workplaces are fundamental too – to our brand, culture, operations, and talent strategies.

When it came time to creating our new office in Sydney, we found the perfect opportunity to showcase the expertise we provide to our clients every day through our real estate and workplace solutions.

Our focus was on delivering a next-generation workplace. After consultation and collaboration among JLL colleagues, what transpired was a showroom for the future workplace: Sustainably designed for agile work practices, with technology-supported spaces.

The creation of JLL’s 180 George Street office started in 2014, when our leasing and research teams had conversations with the building’s owner, Lendlease to help with their vision for the site.

Since that time, our leasing and tenant representation teams have helped place tenants in the premium building, specifically, businesses looking for hospitality-led experiences for their employees, clients, and visitors.

For JLL, when it came time to figuring out our own tenancy, we wanted a focus on a sustainable solution that would continue to serve us into the future. When we started working on 180 George Street, it became clear, due to its focus on amenity, sustainability, and accessibility, that it would be the perfect home for our Sydney CBD team. We decided to lease three floors which would allow us to cater to the changing nature of work and shifting priorities of our team.

Getting the building into operation mode is where JLL’s property and asset management (PAM) team brought its experience. The team initially advised Lendlease on potential costs and outgoings during the building’s development phase, then continued to work with Lendlease’s development, construction, and investment management teams to prepare for the transition from development phase to operational phase.

This set JLL up to take over the building operations from the developer, including contractor management, operations, plant equipment, defects, financial budgeting and reporting, lease administration and ongoing works. JLL’s PAM team now manages the entire building, working behind the scenes to make the work experience easy for tenants and guests.

Located across levels 25, 26 and 27, halfway up the tallest building in Sydney, Salesforce Tower, JLL’s Sydney head office is designed with people, purpose, and culture front of mind.

The three floors, designed by our in-house interior design team, are connected by a state-of-the-art spiral staircase that encourages interactions and showcases what good design and clever planning can to do an office. Bringing the design vision to life, were our teams of project management and construction experts. The team were agile, and solutions focused. In a unique post-COVID environment, the team embarked on their work and adeptly navigated unforeseen challenges to successfully transform the space, turning their vision into reality. Now, visitors are immediately greeted by a breathtaking view of Sydney Harbour. A hotel-like lobby, manned by our friendly community ambassadors make the arrival experience welcoming and memorable.

Our workplace offers a variety of collaboration spaces – 70 of them to be exact. And with 10 hydration points across the three levels there are also plenty of spots for colleagues to connect over a beverage. These count among the formal and informal spaces that are central to the overall office design.

But just as critical is the technology that enables interactions. Technology-infused team settings within larger multi-use neighbourhoods activate the workplace and maximise real-estate value.

The office has been designed to be agile, allowing it to adapt around how people and teams want to use it. It is also flexible enough for future headcount growth. Level 26 is our social hub, a central point for teams to relax, get to know each other and enjoy the views over Sydney Harbour. Beer and wine taps cater for afternoon social functions.

With an iconic location at the doorstep, and our commitment to our Reconciliation Action Plan, the workplace had to reflect the Aboriginal custodianship of the Gadigal lands of the Eora Nation. We worked with Gadigal artist, Kate Constantine to name our level 27 meeting rooms with words in the Gadigal language that reflect how Indigenous people used the land some 100,000 years ago. With Kate, we created a narrative throughout our office design about place and connection. Australia’s natural wonders informed the meeting room names across our other two levels.

Various innovations are in place to empower our employees to achieve their goals and propel the business forward.

Large-screen panels offer our visiting clients interactive showcases and enable them to experience virtual site visits. Our media room is fully equipped to facilitate multimedia content creation, enabling our teams to connect with our clients and the public through various forms of content.

Our workplace was built with wellness and sustainability in mind and is built to Green Star and WELL Platinum standards. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow for natural light, and automated systems take care of our air quality, lighting, and occupancy limits to ensure our day-to-day comfort.

A work café and wellness room provide our team the space to unwind and take a break. Waste management systems dispose of food, recyclables, and general waste sustainably. Indoor plants not only improve the indoor air quality, but also have a positive effect on mental health and reduce stress by promoting connection to nature.

Other smart sustainability and wellness features include:

• Lower energy consumption with LED lights
  
• Automated window blinds to reduce heat gain and glaring
  
• Furniture sourced from suppliers that provide a stewardship program, meaning they will take back the items for reuse or recycling at the end of life or end of lease
  
• Perimeter zone lighting that can be adjusted depending on the amount and level of natural light to maintain comfortable levels and reduce energy costs. Photo electric cells installed in these zones detect the illumination level and activate the window blinds
• Occupancy sensors control lighting, manage space and provide insights on how and when people are using spaces
  
• Filtered still and sparkling water dispensers
  
• Low volatile organic compound materials used in the fit-out
  

Our new CBD office is an example of JLL at its best: Putting the workplace experience first, pulling the right teams together, and delivering future-centric best practice.