Woodhead’s graphic signage and symbols at Perth’s hkew Alpha

This approach is magnified in the overall architectural gesture for hkew Alpha - a clear graphic cut-out against the skyline with intense referential colour, contextualising the scheme.

Woodhead Principal, Perth, Jacqui Preshaw, said, “The architectural design strategy for hkew Alpha, the keystone building in the new 20 ha Business Park, had to match Westralia Airports Corporation’s (WAC) employer branding strategy.”

“In order to attract and retain valued staff WAC wanted the building to represent a cultural shift for its employees.”

“Having outgrown their previous building, both physically and in terms of who they are, the new headquarters had to not only house their growing numbers comfortably and stylishly but also present a strong message about their identity.”

A democratic inclusive approach was taken to define that identity, with staff representatives from all levels and types of work consulted to ensure the space created reflected everyone’s needs.”

Energy conservation was a key consideration in the scheme. Jacqui Preshaw said, ”The floor plates needed to be as large as possible without making the building awkward to move around in, so the width of the building could not exceed 22 metres to ensure that no point of the internal floor space would be far from natural light.”

“For the sake of efficiency and cost-effectiveness, the plates had to be regularly shaped and as column and curve-free as possible.”

Further energy conservation measures included orienting the building east-west to reduce solar heat gain and provide good access to natural light.

The facade features aluminium sandwich panel cladding, which is low maintenance and extends the life of the external cladding.

The main structure is steel, reducing the construction period and building costs. And to further save on costs and energy consumption, the entry and main access stair are designed to create a spacious open feel at the entry and encourage use of the stair instead of lifts.

Sun shading and energy efficient glass is used throughout. And even the meeting room light boxes illuminate when the room is in use and switch off automatically when not in the drive for energy conservation.

Architecturally, hkew Alpha is innovative in that it does not have a central core surrounded by office space - instead it comprises two simple rectangular floor plates connected by a core containing shared services such as toilets and air-conditioning as well as communal facilities incorporating meeting rooms, bathrooms, open stairway and café.

This arrangement offered several advantages. It meant the scheme could be built in two stages and the floor plates could be kept totally clean for greater tenant flexibility. Even the escape stairs are external to preserve the clarity of the floor plates.

This approach will create relatively large floor plates with the potential for nearly 3000sqm of floor space per floor when fully completed. It has also created a relatively large office building at only three-storey’s in height, reducing construction costs and allowing for viable communal facilities such as the cafe.

The three-storey footprint (shaped like a giant H in keeping with the overall graphic theme of the scheme) breaks down the apparent bulk and height of the building to give it a low-rise feel with good access to daylight and landscaped outlooks.

“Airports are designed to accommodate large numbers of people passing through,” said Jacqui Preshaw, “so the signage has to facilitate mass navigation and bridge different languages and cultures.”

Using a similar device, the staff hub and utilities rooms for instance are identified by generic symbols: a coffee cup and soup bowl for the hub and scissors for stationary and utilities.

Large-format illuminated numbers similar to gate numbers for arrival and departure lounges identify the meeting rooms.

The introduction of colour and interest reflecting the nature of the organisation is again used in the graphics mimicking a cross-section of an aeroplane interior, exterior elevation and a baggage conveyor belt complete with luggage in the vinyl super-graphics applied to the compactus units’ end panels.

Jacqui Preshaw’s team developed a colour strategy for the scheme around those associated with (WAC): the blue of the sky, the yellow of the sun and the dark grey of the tarmac.

This palette is used in the refined materials and finishes of the public spaces and more playfully in the bolder colours in the staff break-out areas.

A series of screens for windows, which cut out early morning and late afternoon light, were designed to create feature detailing for the walls and to maintain the visual connection to the roundabout outside - a point of interest and movement at the main entranceway to the business park.

Other features of the scheme include the cellular spaces within the building, which are all internal so that windows are not owned by those staff next to them.

And a primary circulation (corridor) route gives all employees greater access to the pleasant canopy of trees outside.

WAC, Property Development Manager, David Barnes said, “The Woodhead design for hkew Alpha fulfills every element of our brief. The building creates a real presence at the entranceway to the park.”

“It’s the benchmark for all future tenants and is a great example of how well the green initiatives and flexible floor plates work. It is fast becoming Perth’s ultimate suburban office park, combining the latest services and facilities with an accessible site.”

“hkew Alpha 1 and 2 buildings have created a new work culture and environment for WAC and a building which is the template for further buildings.”

Within Perth’s first dedicated suburban office park, hkew Alpha offers lease sites with location, size and extensive infrastructure making it an attractive alternative to Perth’s current business precincts.

With more than 80% of Perth’s population living within 25 minutes drive from the airport, the complex is expected to create significant interest from businesses seeking high-quality office accommodation and readily addresses the current shortage of office space in Perth in general.