Malaysian developer <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/s-p-setia">SP Setia</a> is the latest to jump into St Leonards booming Transport Oriented Development precinct.

The developer, which has previously delivered Sapphire by the Gardens apartment development in Melbourne, identified the Atchison Street site in 2023. It filed a Scoping Report around 12 months ago, and now has revealed the designs for the new&nbsp;40-storey mixed-use tower.

The State Significant Development Application covers <a href="https://next-portal.urban.com.au/projects/14650/summary">20-22 Atchison Street</a>, a 1,374 sqm site positioned between St Leonards Station and the new Crows Nest Metro station.

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/cox-architecture">COX Architecture</a>, the project would deliver 181 apartments, above a four-storey commercial podium, five basement levels, and new public domain works along Mitchell Street. The apartment mix comprises 35 one-bedroom apartments, 39 one-bedroom-plus-study apartments, 85 two-bedroom apartments, and 22 three-bedroom residences.

The proposal has been lodged as a shop-top housing development under the NSW Government’s TOD planning pathway, which allows increased density around key transport infrastructure. The site sits within the recently rezoned Crows Nest Accelerated TOD Precinct.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b799673d-48e2-46b0-801a-0e33a9330100" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20site.png?VersionId=dPh0UfwfaHpbFL1R7H1cbZNbIW0CHbCC" />

SP Setia acquired the Atchison Street site as part of its continued expansion into the Australian apartment market. In comments made to City &amp; Country (The Edge Malaysia) in 2023, SP Setia President and CEO Datuk Choong Kai Wai described the acquisition as “a strategic move” aligned with the group’s post-pandemic market recovery strategy.

“Our target for this exceptional development is local and overseas buyers, including first-home buyers, downsizers and investors,” Choong said.

The tower has been designed as a slender vertical form rising from a mixed-use podium, with COX Architecture positioning the development as a response to the evolving St Leonards and Crows Nest skyline.

“The purpose of the project is to facilitate the delivery of high-quality housing at a strategically located site and deliver a built tower outcome that is consistent with the desired future character of St Leonards and aligns with the TOD controls,” the design report stated.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b1a85eee-76f7-436c-a6da-73ba827b9b13" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/atchinson%20entry.png?VersionId=dA9jHGPMcm.dDbwk4QfxqWiY5bfh3UVt" />

The podium would incorporate retail uses fronting Atchison Street, commercial tenancies, landscaped communal areas, and pedestrian improvements along Mitchell Street. Vehicle access and loading would be consolidated via Atchison Lane.

Residents would have access to more than 665 sqm of communal indoor and outdoor spaces, while the development proposes 96 parking spaces across five basement levels.

The proposal also includes a commitment for 10 per cent of residential floor space to be allocated toward affordable housing through a monetary contribution.

COX said the tower form responds directly to the emerging high-density character of the precinct while seeking to maximise solar access, cross ventilation, and outlook from apartments.

<img alt="First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2163f85c-f63b-4be3-aafa-f8763976cec5" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/Article%20Feature%20Image%20%28Grid%29_5.png?VersionId=WiAmtIKJ6.ZQ41EtYEQ1fol7AeorKBlL" />

“The building is orientated towards north,” the Apartment Design Guide compliance report noted, adding that the tower’s slim form was driven by the constrained inner-urban site dimensions.

The design also incorporates landscaped setbacks and communal open space at podium level, intended to soften the interface with surrounding streets and improve pedestrian amenity.

The project adds to a growing wave of redevelopment proposals reshaping St Leonards and Crows Nest following the opening of the Sydney Metro City line and the NSW Government’s push for higher-density housing around major transport nodes.

Last week Stockland filed plans just down the road. They want to build a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/601-pacific-highway-st-leonards-nsw-2065">52-storey tower on Pacific Highway</a>.

Read more:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/news/nsw/first-look-stockland-plans-52-storey-538-apartment-st-leonards-tower">First look: Stockland plans 52-storey, 538-apartment St Leonards tower&nbsp;</a>

Joel Robinson

First look: SP Setia targets St Leonards skyline with 40-storey TOD tower

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> has revealed plans for a new mixed-use tower at 10 Dangar Street, Wickham, advancing a proposal that would reshape the southern gateway to Newcastle’s city centre with one of the city’s tallest residential buildings.

The State Significant Development proposal, now on exhibition, seeks approval for a <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/bowline-10-dangar-street-wickham-nsw-2293">43-storey tower</a> immediately adjacent to the Newcastle Interchange. The project would deliver around 200 apartments, including 42 affordable housing dwellings, alongside 99 co-living units, a 171-room hotel, retail space, and new public domain integrated through the site.

The scheme marks a significant escalation of plans previously approved for the site. Urban Property Group took over the prominent 2,904 sqm parcel, where excavation and demolition had already commenced under an earlier consent for a 14-storey mixed-use development.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="58a96dd9-407f-4d20-86b4-94e4bfeef74b" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20podium.png?VersionId=LGlf08pdFGAZDzvx_CXC4XakHNZRuEE0" />

Designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/sjb-architects">SJB</a>, the tower has been conceived as a landmark transit-oriented development anchored to the Newcastle Interchange precinct. The proposal includes 245 build-to-sell apartments across a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom residences, as well as two penthouses. Fifteen apartments and one operational unit are earmarked for NDIS housing. The co-living component would add a further 99 units, while the podium would accommodate retail uses and hotel facilities.

SJB said the site presents “a valuable opportunity to anchor the precinct by setting the standard for design, active ground planes and character at the key southern gateway.”

The architecture responds directly to the site’s position beside major transport infrastructure and within one of Newcastle’s fastest-evolving urban renewal precincts. The tower form sits above a sculpted podium designed to frame new public spaces, including a through-site pedestrian link connecting Station Street to Hannell Street, landscaped plazas, and activated retail edges.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="a7bd6ff0-f7db-4ce8-a6dc-ea56e72c6149" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20lanne.png?VersionId=xzf39VADyhj7zBQY2I9fx9vI62u2tuSb" />

The design report describes the project as part of the broader transition of Wickham into “a vibrant, high-quality mixed-use urban precinct” that leverages proximity to the station, open space, and regional connectivity.

A detailed public art strategy has also been prepared for the development. The strategy positions the project as “a transit-oriented development of state significance at the gateway to Newcastle’s city centre” and outlines a series of integrated artworks responding to Newcastle’s industrial and transport heritage.

Creative Road’s curatorial framework for the project, titled Unveil, draws on “stratified surfaces, carved volumes, and light-filled apertures” while referencing Newcastle’s transformation from an industrial city into a contemporary education and technology hub.

<img alt="First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s next supertower at Wickham interchange" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="77a882bb-14b1-4d28-99ff-9438e39508c0" src="https://s3.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/inline-images/wickham%20site.png?VersionId=cevgo_vN0eKPK78P8YcEu3mKPLkpFqE7" />

The proposal is being advanced through the NSW Housing Delivery Authority pathway after being declared State Significant Development in June 2025. The accompanying scoping report states the development aims to “maximise the site’s proximity to the Newcastle Interchange by delivering transit-oriented development” while increasing housing supply and affordable housing provision within the Newcastle LGA.

Urban Property Group’s plans align with the long-term strategic vision established under the Wickham Master Plan, which identified the interchange precinct as suitable for substantial uplift in height and density. The current proposal would significantly intensify that vision, positioning the tower among the tallest developments proposed for Newcastle.

The site sits immediately north of the Newcastle Interchange, bounded by Dangar Street, Hannell Street, and Charles Street. It is surrounded by a rapidly growing cluster of residential towers and mixed-use projects that have emerged following the completion of the light rail and transport interchange.

First look: Urban Property Group unveils Newcastle’s latest tower at Wickham interchange

Bottega House has completed settlement of a landmark riverfront site in Macquarie Street, St Lucia, representing its first major Brisbane development.&nbsp;

Positioned on the banks of the Brisbane River, the <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/180-macquarie-street-st-lucia-qld-4067">premium site at 180 Macquarie Street</a> features uninterrupted river frontage in one of Brisbane’s most tightly held residential precincts.&nbsp;

The proposed development, currently under assessment with Brisbane City Council, has been designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/plus-studio">Plus Studio</a> with interiors by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/interior-designers/mim-design">Mim Design</a> and will deliver a boutique collection of premium residences positioned specifically for owner occupiers and downsizers.&nbsp;

The residences are set to redefine luxury apartment living in the area, with a focus on architectural quality, refined finishes, landscape integration and elevated amenities including curated wellness facilities, resort-style pools and recreation spaces rarely seen in the local market.&nbsp;

Exclusive sales for the project will be led by Keenan &amp; Byrne, ahead of an anticipated launch later this year.&nbsp;

Bottega House Managing Director Nick Malloch said the project reflects the group’s ambition to deliver a highly curated residential offering within one of Brisbane’s most tightly held precincts.&nbsp;

“This is an incredibly rare riverfront opportunity and one we have approached with a long-term perspective,” Malloch said.&nbsp;

“Our vision from the outset was to create a boutique collection of residences that feel more like private homes than traditional apartments, with generous proportions, refined finishes and exceptional amenity throughout."

Malloch says there is a&nbsp;lack of premium owner-occupier stock of this quality in the market, particularly for downsizers wanting space, privacy and a true lifestyle offering without compromise.&nbsp;

"Demand is expected to be strong given the scarcity of premium riverfront opportunities of this nature within Brisbane’s inner-west."&nbsp;

Bottega House secures landmark riverfront site in St Lucia 

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The arrival of the first piling rig officially marks the commencement of construction at SIERA’s new beachside apartment development, Exhale, in Northcliffe.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/exhale-surfers-paradise-8-enderley-avenue-surfers-paradise-qld-4217">Exhale</a>, a glass-encased tower featuring 54 large-scale apartments at 8 Enderley Avenue, is SIERA’s third Gold Coast development. It follows the recently completed PIPIS Bilinga beachfront project, which achieved suburb-record prices, and the soon-to-be-completed Chevron Island development, Tapestry.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359603]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/siera">SIERA</a> Founder and Managing Director Brent Thompson said the arrival of the piling rig represented a significant milestone for the development, which is scheduled for completion in late 2028.

Over the next month, around 260 piles are expected to be installed as work progresses on the basement structure. The building is anticipated to rise above ground level early next year, before unveiling its sculptural glass curtain wall, developed in collaboration with specialist façade engineers.

“The façade was designed to maximise panoramic coastal views while creating a distinctive architectural identity,” Thompson said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=355935]

Designed by BDA Architecture, Exhale will comprise just 54 two- and three-bedroom residences across 26 levels, a level of low-density living rarely delivered in this beachside pocket between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

The project has been conceived as a resident-only building, with no short-stay accommodation permitted. SIERA says the model is intended to appeal to long-term owner-occupiers rather than transient holiday demand.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=361052]

Residences have been designed with large-format layouts and expansive glazing, with most apartments featuring more than 30 metres of glass frontage to maximise natural light and ocean views.

The amenity offering spans two levels and centres on wellness and lifestyle, including a heated magnesium pool, sauna, yoga and Pilates studio, gymnasium, private dining facilities, cinema lounge, and dedicated surfcraft storage.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112661 project_image_fid=359607]

More than half of the apartments have already sold. SIERA has also opened a sales gallery for Exhale at its Chevron Island commercial premises, near its Tapestry tower and the site of its second Chevron Island apartment development, which is slated to launch in early 2027.
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[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112661]

SIERA kicks off construction at Northcliffe tower Exhale

Local Little Bay residents, along with buyers from premium postcodes across Sydney’s affluent Eastern Suburbs, have dominated purchases in developer-builder Urban Property Group’s first Eastern Suburbs apartment development, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a>.

The $250 million coastal project, one of the first new developments in the area in several years, has proven particularly popular with downsizers, especially those from Coogee and Bondi. One Double Bay downsizer paid $4.7 million for a four-bedroom penthouse, setting a new local apartment price record in the process.

Buyers have been attracted to the combination of coastal tranquillity, premium design and amenity-rich neighbourhood living. The walkable village setting, along with proximity to three of Sydney’s leading golf courses, New South Wales Golf Club, St Michael’s Golf Club and The Coast Golf Club, has also been a key drawcard.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352689]

Built across two low-rise buildings designed by <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/architects/hill-thalis-architecture-urban-projects-pty-ltd">Hill Thalis</a> and set along a lush, landscaped green spine, designed by leading landscape architect <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/landscape-architect/arcadia-landscape-architecture">Arcadia</a>, ESTE Little Bay offers a collection of one, two, three and four-bedroom residences with interiors by Richards Stanisich.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/developers/urban-property-group">Urban Property Group</a> Sales Director, Tom McIvor said the response to ESTE has been "nothing short of extraordinary."

“Buyers have been quick to recognise ESTE as a rare opportunity to invest in a coastal sanctuary that offers both seclusion and connectivity to the heart of Sydney,” McIvor said.

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352687]

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">SRM Residential</a> Senior Director, <a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/project-marketer/srm-residential">Clayton Ross</a> said the local market has responded incredibly well, driven by ESTE’s exceptional location and the rarity it offers.

“We’ve seen strong interest from a variety of buyer groups, all of whom are drawn to the exclusivity and quality of the build and construction by the 4.5-star iCIRT-rated builder / developer, Urban Property Group. There’s truly nothing else like it along Sydney’s coastline.”

[smartcode_project:default project_id=112343 project_image_fid=352690]

The project also includes robust buyer protections, including Resilience Insurance’s Latent Defects Insurance, providing 10 years of structural cover, and an independent iCIRT-rating of the developer.

“The iCIRT-rating adds another layer of confidence,” Ross added. “Buyers see it as a safeguard for their investment and their lifestyle.” A highlight of ESTE’s offering is its exclusive wellness amenities, including a heated rooftop infinity pool and outdoor heated spa, a state-of-the-art Technogym fitness centre, and a sauna.

<a href="https://www.apartments.com.au/new-apartments/este-little-bay-jennifer-street-little-bay-nsw-2036">ESTE Little Bay</a> is topped out and is on track to complete towards the end of 2026, with residents moving in before Christmas.

[smartcode_project_cta:default project_id=112343]

Eastern Suburbs buyers snap up ESTE Little Bay apartments

Office

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The future supply pipeline for Sydney offices remains relatively constrained over the short to medium-term, despite a number of large commercial towers commencing construction during the last 12 months, Savills Research has noted.
 With almost 70% of this new stock already committed to, there will be an increased amount of backfill space in the market over the medium-term. That said, Simon Hemphill, Savills NSW Research director, advised a large amount of that backfill space will be removed from the market for short-term refurbishment, medium-term redevelopment or removed from the office market altogether for conversion to residential or hotel uses.
The Sydney CBD office January 2015 report noted there is currently just over 247,000 square metres of new and refurbished stock in the supply pipeline under construction and due to complete by the end of 2016, 68 percent of which is already committed. Almost 90 percent of this supply is new space, with construction underway at 5 Martin Place (30,300 square metres), and International Towers T2 (89,000 square metres) and T3 (78,000 square metres) as well as a number of smaller projects.
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Gross supply over the next five years (2015-2019) is expected to total approximately 875,500 square metres; however, during the same period almost 510,500 square metres of stock will be withdrawn from market. This will result in 365,000 square metres of net additions in the Sydney CBD, on a per annum basis this is way below the long-term average. 
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There are a number of buildings within the Sydney CBD that have already been withdrawn from the market or are earmarked to be withdrawn for conversion to residential or hotel use over the next three years. The potential future withdrawals over the next decade add up to almost 256,000 square metres and would shrink the current size of the Sydney CBD by 5.2%. 
The resultant spill of tenants, which totals 217,000 square metres, would place considerable downward pressure on the overall vacancy rate. 
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The bulk of the future supply pipeline is expected to be delivered by the Barangaroo project located at East Darling Harbour, with three commercial buildings known as International Towers Sydney T1, T2 and T3. 
According to the latest information available, the project is valued at over $6 billion. Barangaroo is Sydney's largest redevelopment project this century and will evolve over the next 10 to 20 years, injecting more than $1.5 billion into the NSW economy annually.
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The first of these towers (T2 – approx. 89,000 square metres) is almost 80% precommitted and due to complete in late 2015, this will be closely followed by T3 (approx. 78,000 square metres) which is 77% precommitted and due in early 2016. The final, and at approx. 101,000 square metres the largest, building is known as T1. 
This building is currently only 34% precommitted and is due to be delivered to the market in early 2017. 
The Barangaroo Delivery Authority has also announced that Crown and Lend Lease have signed an exclusivity deal for the development of a hotel at Barangaroo South. 
The Authority will continue to work with Lend Lease, and now their exclusive rights partner Crown, to negotiate a new location for the hotel in Barangaroo South and oversee the appropriate planning applications that must be approved before any concept moves ahead. 
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jchancellor-FAypfDUnLy

Sydney's office pipeline supply constrained: Savills Reseach

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The Melbourne-based boutique, property fund manager, Quintessential Equity, has sold its Parramatta commercial property located at 87 Marsden Street.
The property secured $33.15 million when purchased by a private European investor represented by VennCap Real Estate.
Market sources suggested the Hilti Group bought the building on a yield in the low 8% range.
Established in mid-2010, Quintessential Equity Pty Ltd is a fully-managed property syndicate catering to wholesale investors and they acquired the property in 2011 for $20.5 million from GE Capital.
After a subsequent upgrade, it awarded the prestigious Energy Efficiency Council award for best commercial building project for 2013.
The building achieved 100% tenant occupancy with long-term leases to major government and commercial organisations including the NSW state government, the Australian Institute of Fitness, Shine Lawyers and Marsh Insurance.
The building has a net lettable area of 6,659 square metres and comprises seven levels of commercial office and two levels of secure basement parking with 79 individual car spaces.
Russell Bullen, head of property for Quintessential Equity, said the sale was managed by Colliers International and Knight Frank. 
Colliers' Gavin Bishop, John McCann and Tim Russell and Knight Frank's James Parry and Wally Scales brokered the deal.
It has been one of the most traded office blocks in Parramatta, selling seven times since 1989.
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Quintessential Equity sells award winning Parramatta commercial property 

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The recovery in office leasing markets gathers momentum, according to JLL's latest national office stats.
The research noted CBD office markets recorded a second quarter of positive net absorption, the first time since 4Q11.
"However, a dichotomy in leasing activity between the service-orientated markets of Sydney and Melbourne and the resource-dependent markets of Perth and Brisbane exists," JLL Research advised.
The figures recorded positive net absorption of 16,200 square metres over the quarter – the first time positive net absorption has been recorded in two consecutive quarters since 4Q 2011. 
Nevertheless, the national CBD office market vacancy rate was unchanged at 12.5%, JLL’s National Director of Research, Andrew Ballantyne said.
The recovery in leasing enquiry and activity is concentrated in Sydney and Melbourne. Sydney recorded 27,700 square metres of net absorption over 4Q14 – the highest figure since 2Q10 – taking the full year net absorption figure to an above-trend 70,000 square metres. 
JLL’s Head of Office Leasing, NSW &amp; Australia, Tim O’Connor said net absorption surprised on the upside in Sydney over 2014. 
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Office leasing recovery dichotomy: JLL Research

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GUEST OBSERVATION
With all the chatter about beautiful office design, it would be easy to assume workplaces have come a long way from the days of the cubicle farm. But recent research has shown this may not actually be the case.
In spite of increasing <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/the-deal-magazine/gpt-nab-and-macquarie-make-hot-desking-cool-again/story-e6frgabx-1227125767954" target="_blank">images</a> of attractive workplaces from many large Australian companies, many of today’s workplaces are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4112857.htm?site=%28none%29&amp;topic=%28none%29&amp;listaction=unsubscribe">not well designed</a>. Poor workplace design leads to increased conflict and stress, which reduces performance and leads to employees resigning.
Workspace is the second largest overhead for most organisations and can <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/096132199369615#.VHa_pleUcdI">influence productivity</a> by up to 20%. This is why organisations are increasingly exploring ways of using the environment to support performance and innovation.
To accommodate changes in work and the changing needs of workers, the corporate world has seen a significant shift to activity based working or “free addressing”.
Activity based working allows organisations to save on their accommodation costs, fitting in <a href="https://www.afr.com/f/free/national/professional_services/kpmg_to_trial_activity_based_working_Bd5StvXbxlGX0DFCCMhkuO">up to 20% more people</a> in the building by designing workplaces where employees have no fixed desk. The concept arose in part in response to the increased desire by organisations for collaboration and networking among employees, and secondly to the increasingly mobile and virtual nature of work.
Initial research however, has indicated growing concern. A 2013 <a href="https://www.gensler.com/uploads/documents/2013_US_Workplace_Survey_07_15_2013.pdf">global study</a> by Gensler found that as few as one in four workers report working in an optimal workplace environment, and more than half report being disturbed by others when trying to focus.
Employees report being constantly interrupted, distracted by noise, and not having enough space. Cortisol tests conducted on employees have shown stress levels in quiet private spaces at around half those in noisy open areas.  
Difficult to focus
<a href="https://www.gensler.com/uploads/documents/2013_US_Workplace_Survey_07_15_2013.pdf" target="_blank">Research</a> on knowledge workers has shown an increase in the time needed for focused individual work, with the time required for collaborative work decreasing. The concept of the activity-based workplace may be actually producing counter-productive results.
When people can’t focus, the <a href="https://www.gensler.com/uploads/documents/2013_US_Workplace_Survey_07_15_2013.pdf" target="_blank">research</a> indicates, they are less effective at learning, building relationships and at collaborating.
In many new offices based around the concept of activity based working, employees are using boxes and posters and plants, pretty much anything they can find, to try and create a space where they can actually get work done.
A recent <a href="https://www.cbre.com/o/international/AssetLibrary/Genesis%20Report_Exec%20Summary_1029.pdf" target="_blank">study of 5,500 office workers</a> globally by commercial real estate company CBRE showing that the ability to think and concentrate was important for workers of all ages; millennials and baby boomers want the same thing.
Innovation remains a top priority for organisations, and yet changes in workplace design may be negatively affecting innovation potential.
The clean desk policy required by activity based working, means that workers need to remove all of their work and belongings at the end of each day. <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidburkus/2014/05/23/when-to-say-yes-to-the-messy-desk/" target="_blank">Studies</a> have shown that messy desks can increase creative thinking and serendipitous discoveries.
What <a href="https://www.griffith.edu.au/business-government/griffith-business-school/departments/department-employment-relations-human-resources/hdr-students/elizabeth-sander" target="_blank">research to date</a> does demonstrate is that the design of a workplace needs to accommodate not only the type of work that needs to get done there, but also the individual needs of the people who are completing that work.
There is an increasing focus on objective measurement within the workplace, examining issues such as stress and productivity using physiological and neuroscience tests.
Results have shown employees can be significantly stressed with detrimental effects on both well-being and performance, though they may not report feeling stressed in self-report research.
More work to do
The importance of a well-designed workplace to support connection is as important as ever. A recent Harvard Business Review <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://hbr.org/2014/10/workspaces-that-move-people/ar/1" target="_blank">article</a> reported research that showed digital communication does not replace face-to-face interaction and that remote teams do not perform as well as those co-located.
It is somewhat surprising to realise we actually haven’t worked out how to design offices that make a positive difference to performance for all types of individuals and types of work.
We do know that subtle cues in our environment can cause us to be different versions of ourselves, more innovative, more outgoing, more <a href="https://www.jll.com.au/australia/en-au/Documents/jll-au-activity-based-working-2012.pdf" target="_blank">collaborative</a> for example, but we haven’t understood exactly how the workplace needs to be designed to achieve this.
Emerging theories of <a href="https://www.propertyobserver.com.au/https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/14725960510630489" target="_blank">integrative workplace design</a> should help us understand how to design workplaces that not only allow employees to perform better and make them feel better, but that could fundamentally change the experience of what it means to be at work.
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.edu.au/content/33677/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1">Libby Sander is a PhD candidate, Founder Future of Work Project, Speaker, Author at Griffith University.
This article was originally published on <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>.
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Office design should focus on people, not just the work they do

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The Young Street Terraces, the only Sydney CBD buildings that remain from the original site of Government House, have been leased by the law firm AR Conolly and Company Lawyers.
AR Conolly and Company Lawyers have taken out a five year lease at a gross rental of $630 per square metre per annum.
Constructed in 1875, the heritage buildings at 36-38 Young St, Sydney, were leased in a deal negotiated by Ray White Commercial office leasing director Jeremy Piggin on behalf of the Historic Houses Trust of NSW.
Behind the Victorian Filigree architectural style, the building offers a floor area of 313 square metres.
It consists of four units, each of three storeys and a basement, interconnected on all floors.
The interior detail is largely intact in terms of skirting boards, architraves, doors, windows, staircases and fireplaces.
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Young Street, Sydney terraces leased by law firm

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Brookfield Prime Property Fund has a conditional agreement to lease part of the vacant space in its 50% owned property at 108 St Georges Terrace, Perth. 
The agreement for lease for 8,300 square metres is with a BHP Billiton entity that would be part of South32, the new company which BHP Billiton plans to create via a demerger. 
A final decision on the proposed demerger is subject to BHP Billiton Board and shareholder approval expected to take place in May 2015. 
The lease will be for a period of 10 and a half years commencing May 2015.
Occupancy at the property will increase to 75%. 
Brookfield's 50% interest in the property is valued at around $166 million.
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BHP'S South32 takes 108 St Georges Terrace, Perth office lease

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The Commonwealth Bank of Australia will relocate its Brisbane headquarters to the 180 Brisbane office tower at 180 Ann Street.
The bank will lease 10,500 square metres in the <a href="https://www.180brisbane.com.au" target="_blank">Crone Partners-designed 34-storey tower</a> on an average 11-year term.
Contenders who missed out included Investa’s 259 Queen Street (formerly the Bank of Queensland headquarters), Grocon and DEXUS Property Group’s 480 Queen Street and Brookfield’s 240 Queen Street, which is where the CBA is ­currently mostly based.
The bank will leave three buildings to take up six floors at 180 Ann Street.
The Australian Financial Review advised the deal was extremely competitive, with an annual face rent around $700 per square metre and an incentive of more than $20 million.
Vacancies in the Queensland capital’s CBD hit 14.7% late last year, the highest level recorded by the Property Council since 1990.
The A-grade 59,100-square-metre tower with floor plates ranging from 1,678 square metres to 2,058 square metres is being developed by Daisho, the company headed by Japanese billionaire ­Katsumi Tada.
Knight Franks Campbell Tait and Graham Clarkson acted for Daisho, which has property holdings in excess of US$1 billion (A$1.23 billion).
Stuart Allison from Independent Corporate Property acted for CBA in the negotiation.
The Daisho Group portfolio includes:
<ul>
<li>192 Ann Street office building developed in 2000 and acquired by Daisho in 2001.</li>
<li>A 510 room hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia managed by the Hilton Group completed in 2004.</li>
<li>The AO retail complex in central Tokyo developed in March 2009.</li>
<li>The Park Hyatt Sydney, acquired in February 2008 and fully refurbished in 2011.</li>
<li>180 Brisbane, early works commenced February 2012, due for completion mid 2015. </li>
</ul>
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Daisho's 180 Brisbane secures the Commonwealth Bank

<html><body>A warehouse and office space in Clayton, Victoria secured $675,000 when sold by Ray White Commerical. The 757 square metre property, with 580 square metres of floor space, was purchased by a local investor. It sold through Ray White Commercial Oakleigh's Paul RIzzo and George Kelepouris. Kelepouris said the property was located in Clayton's industrial precinct. “Properties within this industrial pocket rarely come to market so we weren’t surprised by the significant turnout of prospective buyers and bidders at the auction,” said Kelepouris. “The property is less than 20 kilometres from Melbourne’s Central Business District and is an excellent and convenient location with easy access to Wellington Road, Westall Road, the Monash Freeway and Eastlink.” The two storey office has a kitchenette and an adjoining warehouse.</body></html>

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Clayton standalone warehouse sells

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The 360 Capital Office Fund has exchanged a conditional contract to buy 576 Swan Street, Richmond, Melbourne for $46.5 million, reflecting an initial yield of 7.7%.
The property is located within the Botanicca Corporate Park, set five kilometres from the Melbourne CBD.
Completed in August 2013, the A-grade building provides 8,331 square metre of net lettable area with 217 car spaces.
It is fully leased to GE Capital Finance and Forever New Clothing.
Its leases subject to fixed reviews, averaging 3.5% per annum.
The contract is conditional upon approval of the form of landlord deed of covenant by major tenant GE Capital Finance.
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576 Swan Street, Richmond offices sold for $46.5 million

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EG Funds Management has spent $20 million on a three-storey office building in the inner-Sydney suburb of Pyrmont.
It was sold by Aveo through Paul Fernandes of Colliers International. 
EG Fund's purchase for its Core Fund was on an initial yield of around 10 per cent.
<a href="https://www.realcommercial.com.au/property-offices-nsw-pyrmont-501091883" target="_blank">The 63 Miller Street property</a> is known as the former Festival Records building, the pale face brick, Interwar Functionalist style facaded building.
It has rounded corners, asymmetry, long spandrels, parapet and metal framed windows - the hallmarks of the late 1930s Functionalist style. 
It was initially known as Wakefield House, built in 1939 by A.W. Edwards and its architects were Crane &amp; Scott.
The former Festival Records building served as a recording studio for artists such as Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel, Silverchair and Peter Allen who recorded I Still Call Australia at the recording studio.
The Sydney city fringe investment was offered earlier this year as 75% leased to the advertising agency.
In 2006 BMF Advertising leased 2,500 square metres for six years at $440 per square metre.
There was some <a href="https://www.mmj.com.au/buying/NSW/Sydney-City/Pyrmont/Office/2P1551" target="_blank">1,250 square metres of refurbished vacant space</a>. 
The offering's passing net income was given as $1.7 million.
In 2003 Sydney's then Lord Mayor, Lucy Turnbull, stepped in to stop Australia's unofficial rock'n'roll headquarters being torn down and replaced with apartments.
It's future looked like demolition after News Ltd, owner of Festival Records, sold to the Glish Holdings development consortium headed by Mike Wrublewski who wanted build a six-storey block of apartments.
Rupert Murdoch's Mirror Newspapers bought Festival Records in 1960.
Glish Holdings had paid $9.5 million. It last sold at $11.9 million in 2005.
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