Approximately 42,000 sqm of office space across 8 levels is connected by a central atrium. The atrium brings natural daylight, while also enhancing the community feel of the workplace. A range of stair types and pathways facilitate circulation, with non-linear routes weaving through the spaces to encourage exploration and interaction. The openness of the atrium also enables the viewing of the internal activity within the workspace.

Conceived as a miniature village, CBA Axle offers a variety of workspaces and hubs for interaction and retreat.
Image: Conceived as a miniature village, CBA Axle offers a variety of workspaces and hubs for interaction and retreat. (Image: Woods Bagot)
The central 8-floor atrium brings daylight into the workspaces.
Image: The central 8-floor atrium brings daylight into the workspaces. (Image: Woods Bagot)

The former railway workshop has inspired the creation of a vibrant public space network with a focus on the communal aspect of the project. Conceived as a miniature city, the workspace offers a range of spaces for its 4,000 employees, providing spaces for collaboration, independent tasks or retreat. The design aims to foster collaboration, facilitated by a range of flexible spaces for different activities, including secluded private booths, multipurpose rooms for groups, outdoor terraces, café-style meeting areas, recessed meeting rooms, timber room pods, etc. These fluid and dynamic spaces provide opportunities for discussions and spontaneous conversations.

CBA Axle offers various workspace options, from quieter individualised workstations to spaces for collaboration and informal meetings.
Image: CBA Axle offers various workspace options, from quieter individualised workstations to spaces for collaboration and informal meetings. (Image: Woods Bagot)
There are also options for quieter hubs away from the main circulation space. An app lets users book spaces while connectivity enables them to work anywhere in the building.
Image: There are also options for quieter hubs away from the main circulation space. An app lets users book spaces while connectivity allows them to work anywhere in the building. (Image: Woods Bagot)
 The Baob is an installation that provides opportunities for socialising.
Image: The Baob is an installation that provides opportunities for socialising. (Image: Woods Bagot)
Exposed services and concrete beams throughout the various workspaces hint at the history of the site.
Image: Exposed services and concrete beams throughout the various workspaces hint at the history of the site. (Image: FJMT)
The café on the ground floor can be a setting for informal meetings, while the timber amphitheatre facilitates informal assemblies. 
Image: The café on the ground floor can be a setting for informal meetings, while the timber amphitheatre facilitates informal assemblies. (Image: FJMT)

CBA Axle has achieved a Leesman+ certification, which measures and ranks workplaces based on employee experience. The Leesman+ certification is awarded to workplaces with an Lmi score of more than 70, and only represents a fraction of workplaces measured by Leesman. With an Lmi of 81.9, CBA Axle is one of 32 workplaces receiving the Leesman+ certification in 2019.

According to Woods Bagot, Dr. Peggie Rothe, Lessman’s chief insights and research officer, said that CBA Axle stood out among the rest of the spaces of similar size for its experience.

“We’ve measured nearly 5,000 workplaces globally during the past ten years and if we look just at the large workplaces, Axle is number two on the entire list,” said Dr. Rothe.

Woods Bagot Global Workplace Design Leader, Amanda Stanaway commented that “with [CBA’s] workplace strategy and identity shifting from ‘bank’ to the environment of a tech company or a start-up, CBA’s commitment to supporting a healthy and sustainable future for its people is exceptional.”

By being open 24/7, Axle provides employees with the flexibility to work any time of the day depending on their schedules. Bradhly Le, a workplace interior design leader working closely with Stanaway, explained that the design meets the needs of diverse roles by creating spaces that allow for rest and respite.

“The design for Axle flips the fixed, process-driven model of thinking with spaces that are focused on the intellectual exchange and intuitive wellness for a mindset of innovation,” described Le.

CBA Axle is part of Mirvac’s South Eveleigh masterplan, which aims to transform the historic site into a vibrant new precinct with office, retail and community spaces. Axle includes a childcare centre and retail tenancies. Together with public art, landscaping and public spaces, the building invites and engages with the local community. Located near Redfern station, the precinct also has the potential to connect with the wider community.

In addition to achieving the Leesman+ certification, CBA Axle has also been shortlisted for the Australian Interior Design Awards 2020 in the Workplace Design Category. Winners will be announced in an online ceremony on the 29th of May.

Cover Image: CBA Axle, Australia’s largest single company workplace, is part of Mirvac’s South Eveleigh Masterplan. (Image: FJMT)