Former Carpark Building Remade as Marketing Headquarters

30th October 2013

Former Carpark Building Gets New Life as Marketing Headquarters

Practical attitude creates collaborative space where original meets industrial meets quirky, and fun meets business

With the growth of VOLOM, the outsourced marketing specialists, came the need for a new workspace – and a disused carpark building fitted the bill perfectly.

VOLOM was seeking an evolving environment that encouraged both inspiration and productivity as the business went from strength to strength. An unconventional solution was delivered in a 1970s two storey 379 square metre warehouse space at 8 Leek Street, Newmarket and Auckland based interior design company Outline was challenged with designing the space.

Outline Design Director, Victoria Wilkes, says the clear brief, unique nature of the client, and a few challenges along the way made for an exciting project.

“Our brief was to create two office tenancies within the envelope of an existing warehouse, and a communal central hub with meeting rooms and a bar so the teams could interact socially in a stimulating space,” says Victoria. “VOLOM wanted to re-establish the building’s industrial nature, which had been eroded due to previous fit outs, as well as supporting its creative nature – so we listened, researched and designed an inspiring look we’re very proud of.”

The design phase took four weeks, the build eight weeks, and the result is quirky industrial – with a big pinch of fun. Juxtaposing the old with the new, the interior embraces the boldness of industrial style, creating contrasts with spaces providing both transparency and privacy.

Details including half height partitions and iron cladding roofing provide ‘stage-set’ spaces, giving a theatrical backdrop to various custom designed elements like the oversized reclaimed timber bar leaner and bright green table tennis meeting table.

The project wasn’t without its challenges, with maximising natural light putting the Outline team to the test – which they passed with flying colours.

Victoria explains: “The existing glazing was confined to the façade with a couple of skylights already in the roof. So we created a series of low height partitions allowing light from the façade to flood the space.”

Given Outline’s strong customer focus, the end-user, VOLOM, was top of mind throughout the entire process. Russell Tills, Director, VOLOM Properties says the team is thrilled with the result and its new space.

“With the expansion of the VOLOM network over the last year, we'd outgrown our previous space; we were excited at the prospect provided by the carpark building in a prime Newmarket location,” says Russell. “Transforming the building took considerable creativity and vision from Outline Design – they interpreted our brief very well; creating a vibrant, functional space with a semi-industrial, yet slightly retro feel to the decor using bold colour to convey a sense of energy – something we felt was important for a marketing business."

Russell adds: “The whole process was very smooth and efficiently managed by all involved, and we're extremely happy to have created a space for our people, business owners and clients to all enjoy."

About VOLOM – www.volom.com
VOLOM specialises in providing outsourced marketing resources for small and medium sized New Zealand businesses across diverse industries. Created by mathematician and former Saatchi and Saatchi advertising specialist Paul Wilkes, VOLOM is an industry first business model offering SMEs marketing expertise and resources previously available only to large companies, without the high cost.

VOLOM is built on a network of marketing professionals, initially started in Auckland and rapidly growing to a fully national network. For less than it costs to take on one full time employee, VOLOM clients are delivered a marketing department for a set number of hours each week to suit their needs. VOLOM provides the full spectrum of marketing expertise from brand identity to direct marketing and everything in between – all managed from an office of experienced marketing experts.

About Outline Design Ltd – www.outlinedesign.co.nz
Established in 2002, Outline is an interior design practice that sees design excellence as just the beginning of what it offers. Outline’s focus is the entire process, including feasibility and building analysis, space planning, concept and design, full project management, furniture and fittings procurement and office relocation – on time and on budget, with a stunning end result.

Outline understands creating beautiful space and a workspace that’s a business tool for clients goes hand in hand. The company’s core philosophy is based on the premise that each and every one of its clients is the most important, and therefore requires an individual, innovative response.

ENDS

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