Telstra is the main tenant at 242 Exhibition Street in Melbourne. The building houses the Telstra Experience Centre, which is a showcase for leading-edge communications technology. The objective of the centre is to create a larger-than-life visual experience that gives visitors the feeling of being in an immersive, futuristic high-impact digital world. Telstra needs the ability to customise the content ‘on the fly’ to be relevant to their clients.
In the same building, the Gurrow Innovation Lab provides an open space that enables Telstra, its enterprise customers, partners, incubators, vendors and researchers to connect and collaborate.
Engineering the Gurrow Innovation Lab
In 2015, we engineered the services for the Telstra Gurrow Innovation Lab, working with Daven Port Campbell throughout the design and construction of the unique creative space.
As a global technology business, Telstra invested in this centre for innovation and technology research to create a unique ‘maker space’. This is where employees and their innovation network design and prototype IoT devices, network services and software. “Gurrowa” means interchange in the Wurung language, signifying the exchange of ideas in this space.
This project was an extension of our earlier work on the refurbishment and fitout of most of the base building.
A Technology Showcase
In 2011, WSP coordinated the refurbishment and fitout of 42 floors for Telstra including the:
- Telstra Experience Centre
- Executive floors
- Ground floor retail and food outlets
- Secure entry and reception areas
- External and internal lighting
- Basement bicycle facilities
Our team also implemented a major base building chiller and cooling BAS and FIP tower upgrade. One of the project challenges was that the building remained operational during the refurbishment. Our solution was to refurbish in stages, with the temporary relocation of tenants to other floors in the building until work on their home floor was complete. This delivered a considerable cost saving for Telstra.
Creating A Flexible and Futuristic Workplace
Telstra’s vision is to be a world-class technology company that empowers people to connect. The company is driving new ways of working and giving employees more choice in how they work. The workplace Melbourne is one example of how the company continues to evolve its offering to employees and customers.
