The new office of tech giant Dropbox in Sydney features design by the Sydney studio of Gensler that draws on the domestic appeal of a Sydney home. Despite the global nature of the client, themes and imagery from Australia were vital in the development of the design. ‘We want it to have the DNA of the Dropbox family but with a design that is uniquely Australian,’ says Gensler’s Simon Trude.

The entry reception is designed to resemble the front façade of a contemporary Australian home. Inside, the heart of the space is a large, open-plan kitchen surrounded by a range of different seating options. Near the windows at the back, a raised seating area filled with natural light and planting to resemble the deck of an Australian backyard. ‘People bring a glass of wine and they chill out here pretty much every night,’ explains Deeps de Silva of Dropbox Sydney. ‘It’s bringing a bit of outdoors indoors.’

These hospitality-style social spaces are divided from the work zones, which feature sit–stand desks as well as a range of different meeting rooms of all sizes. ‘People don’t really stay at their desk, which is a good thing,’ says De Silva. The formal boardroom features a walk-in garden separated from the main space by a wall of glazed, manually-operated louvres, offering a connection to nature, as well as an acoustic buffer from the main lobby.

A number of integrated graphic elements add character to the design, including an inlaid metal ‘welcome mat’ sign embedded in the stone floor of the front entry which is unique to this Dropbox address. Elsewhere, images of Bondi Beach taken by local photographer Aquabumps, form large murals on walls and on the ping pong table, adding a distinctive Sydney flavour.

http://www.frameweb.com/news/gensler-draws-on-the-domestic-appeal-of-a-sydney-home-for-tech-giant-dropbox