Spaceworks has designed a new office space for beverage firm Charlie’s Trading Company in Auckland, New Zealand. Charlie’s Trading Company Limited is a premium branded Beverage Company which manufactures and distributes beverages under the Charlie’s, Phoenix and Juicy Lucy brands. Charlie’s new Auckland workplace is in the Axis Building, 91 St Georges Bay Road, Parnell. It is home to the New Zealand Leadership Team; Finance, Sales, Marketing and Customer Service Functions of the business.

Axis, Parnell is an A-Grade commercial building. In converting the building from a chocolate factory to a multi-use commercial environment, the building owner – Samson Corporation – has been sympathetic to the existing materials of concrete walls, steel window joinery, high stud height and timber and tile floor finishes. These striking features provide a New York loft style backdrop to a fit-out with attitude; bold, fun and mischievous.

The leased office is 598m² of level space situated on the ground floor. Most of the floor is a floating wooden floor barring a terracotta tiled boardroom (the existing floor finish from when the building was a chocolate factory). The space has high ceilings and a number of large windows facing in to a courtyard.

Charlie’s engaged Spaceworks – from a selected short list of commercial designers – to develop an environment representative of its brand qualities and the values and feel of the business. Honest and real, campaigners for better things, and a sense of family. It is not only a designers responsibility to translate a client’s 2D brand promise and values in to a 3D environment but to understand the people and culture driving the brand. We’ve had a preliminary think about what might best represent Charlie’s Trading Company Limited and the business of fast moving consumer goods with a twist.

The design had to be flexible for growth, in terms of headcount change in all functional areas as well as new brands coming in to the portfolio. And have a strong emphasis on optimisation of work flow, creating a positive and collaborative working environment for employees.

Photography: Grant Southam
Design by Spaceworks

http://officesnapshots.com/2014/07/29/charlies-trading-companys-auckland-offices/