Looking back on the most inspiring entries from the 2023 Shaw Contract Design Awards

Best of Region Winner: Silver Fern Farms by Unispace

With the pandemic serving as a catalyst to rethink their future ways of working, Silver Fern Farms came to Unispace with a simple brief: “Create a workplace experience where our people feel more energized and enriched when they leave.” 

Housed within a Category 2, heritage-listed building that was once Dunedin’s Central Post Office, the new design language creates symmetry within the building, adding softness to the otherwise industrial space. Inspired by the arched windows and geometric columns, Unispace translated these forms into custom furniture featuring wool fibers from Silver Fern Farms’ sheep farmers. 

The design models an experiential user journey from ‘Welcome’ to ‘Discover’ and ‘Innovation’ zones. These zones include dedicated long- and short-term project rooms, and a digital terrace that connects the Dunedin hub with Silver Fern Farm sites nationally and globally. 

The final zone, ‘Taste’, features a commercial tasting kitchen. A custom-built space for in-house product development, cooking demonstrations, and the film set for the Silver Fern Farms’ internal ‘MasterChef’ competition, which is live-streamed to their team across the globe.

Meredith Connell workplace by Jasmax Architects

MC’s new 230-person premises, located in the MC Centre, is designed to attract top litigation talent. The design brief was to celebrate contemporary Aotearoa, connect people with the natural environment in a workspace dedicated to well-being and challenge preconceived notions of ‘the typical law firm’.

Materiality and finish selections were driven by biophilic design principles, reinforcing humankind’s fundamental connection to the natural world. Jasmax intentionally selected warm, natural, textural materials that contrasted with the vibrant colour palette of the furnishings, to align with MC’s bold brand identity. Attracted to the design story of the Shaw Dye Lab carpet range, Jasmax chose a range of carpet tiles in Cornflower, Woad, Lac, Fustic Wood, Beet, and Brazil Wood to elicit users' interest and curiosity while walking through the space. 

The Shaw Dye Lab carpet range was selected for its natural dying techniques and organic tones that create irregular patterns and textures on the tiles which mimic the unpredictable beauty found in nature. The Shaw Dye Lab carpet was simultaneously chosen for its sustainable credentials, which were important to achieving WELL Certification for the project.

CBRE by STACK Interiors

CBRE's new workplace on Level 37 of ANZ Centre in Auckland is an inviting and agile space designed for a high-performing team. The contemporary workplace is open and relaxed, with thoughtful design details that balance form, function, aesthetics, and fun.

CBRE's recently implemented workplace strategy incorporates a new desk-sharing model. This allowed CBRE to condense to a single floor within the same building and included a shift to a fully agile way of working, with unassigned desks, blended neighbourhoods, and a mix of individual and collaborative settings. The multi-functional nature of the different spaces provides a timeless and contemporary design that can evolve in an ever-changing post-COVID industry.

Jacobsen Head Office by Studio DB

When the opportunity arose to refurbish our own Jacobsen head office in Auckland, one of the main objectives was to find creative and unique ways to celebrate our products. The flooring needed to create defined zones and transition areas and show off the way the product was intended to work together.

Studio DB took a unique approach to designing the space, allowing themselves to be inspired by Jacobsen and Shaw flooring products first and foremost. This then informed the material palette direction for the remaining finishes. The colour palette was informed by their carpet selections and developed from there into a modern, sophisticated aesthetic.

Sustainability is one of Jacobsen's core values and was kept at the forefront of making all decisions. A strict criterion was implemented with only flooring products that were best in class, in terms of environmental and human health measures, chosen.

Urbizen by The Development Collective

Idyllically located at the urban end of Mt Eden, the architecturally designed boutique development ‘Urbizen’ offers a desirable, yet affordable lifestyle. The vision was to design for the ‘forgotten missing middle’, establishing quality, architecturally designed housing options for everyone. The development is built around unique and innovative transport solutions for residents and community areas featuring vegetable gardens that create a suburban style of living while still close to the city.

The Urbizen concept was developed with the community and residents in mind, by designing homes built for the people that reside in them.

Global Insurance Company by Wingate Architects

The design for the new Global Insurance Company corporate office space aimed to embrace a contemporary way of working while reflecting a local context and global issues. To achieve this, the project relied on collaboration with local designers and suppliers who helped to create a Flex 60 model that allows the company to grow from 60% capacity in the office. mThe space is designed to reflect the brand and its connection to the global market, while also highlighting their New Zealand identity. The design incorporates different work styles that encourage collaboration and future thinking, while maintaining the professionalism of the corporate brand.

Sustainability was a key factor and Wingate Architects looked to reuse furniture items where possible and incorporate natural outlooks for best lighting and staff well-being. Wingate Architects thoughtfully selected Shaw carpet tiles for their suitability credentials and their consistent and reliable supply and lead times.