Renowned architecture and design firm Gray Puksand demonstrates the importance of a healthy work-life balance with a sophisticated and elegant end of trip facility – Chifley Lifestyle.

At the forefront of the 21^st century workplace is an emphasis on a healthy work-life balance. A crowd favourite amongst the Australian workforce, End of Trip (EOT) facilities are a popular concept that addresses the needs of the modern employee. Sydney’s Chifley Tower recognises the art of wellness in enhancing workplace positivity and satisfaction with its state-of-the-art EOT facility, known as Chifley Lifestyle, designed by Gray Puksand.

Driven by collaboration and artful creativity, Gray Puksand is a leading Australian architecture and design powerhouse. Spanning the commercial, education, workplace and retail sectors, Gray Puksand is dedicated to delivering sustainable and inspiring projects that improve the way people work, learn and live.

The design studio uses its expansive knowledge and research in creating functional, dynamic and human-centric spaces that are designed for the present with an awareness of the future – human experience is at the heart of everything at Gray Puksand. Bringing this approach to Chifley Lifestyle, the End of Trip facilities are on centre stage at Chifley Towers offering luxury and a premium experience that redefines the mundane locker room.

“It had to be beautiful,” expresses Rob Worsley, Head of PRIME at Knight Frank Asset Management Services. “Chifley’s Manhattan-style architecture is distinctive on the Sydney skyline. It was important to be true to that architectural intent, but in a contemporary way.”

The design team at Gray Puksand responded with its distinct creative flair to craft an exquisitely detailed and sumptuously sophisticated space. Through a meticulously curated selection of materiality and tones, Chifley Lifestyle end of trip is an elevated, all-inclusive space that considers the primary needs of the users. Not only is it aesthetically beautiful, Gray Puksand has carefully approached this project as a place that sustains active bodies, busy lives and work-life balance.

“A focus on mental, physical and emotional wellness is expected in today’s workplace,” says Anna Breheny, Director of Interior Design Sydney at Gray Puksand. “Of course the facilities had to be extremely functional. The difference is, we considered the psychology of the user, and designed for their human needs and emotions.”

Greatly inspired by the existing fabric of the building and its intricate qualities, Gray Puksand employed a design language that celebrates the building’s originality and interwoven history. By adding a contemporary twist to it, the authenticity of the structure flows throughout the modern Art Deco styling that Chifley is renowned for. “We wanted the facilities to feel as though they had always been there,” adds Francesca Moccia, interior designer alongside Breheny. Adorned with extravagant polished stone, brass detailing and glass screens, this space is a beautiful orchestration of health and wellness through contemporary design.

The existing organic curvature of the basement provided a platform that was powerfully dynamic, offering a seamless transition throughout the space. Bespoke embellishments have been thoughtfully designed to fit into this unique space that took the idyllic Art Deco stylistics to the next level. The Chifley Lifestyle end of trip takes you on a journey – the curved corridor gently guides you from the basement car park, and once the doors close enclose behind you, there’s stillness in the atmosphere.

In a calm and collected moment within a triple-height space, your mind transcends into a different realm where you can see the facilities in the distance. Completely disconnected from the demands of the every day, this space offers a transitional bridge into the working routine. “When ready, you continue along the curved passageway towards the lifts. The volume gradually increases again; by the time you reach the lift, you’ve emerged ready to take on the world,” describes Moccia, on the psychological journey at the Chifley Lifestyle.

With the omnipresent awareness of wellness and the confluence of holistic mind and body health, especially within the workplace, businesses have recognised the increased productivity levels as a response to better and more mindful environments. Chifley Lifestyle is a promising step in creating better spaces with awareness for the inhabitants of tomorrow. It is a metaphor for the modern Australian business lifestyle, with Gray Puksand leading the way and Chifley positioning itself at the top.

Worsley adds, “Gray Puksand has been instrumental in defining what a modern end of trip facility is.” Completing over 50 lifestyle end of trip facilities, the celebrated design firm is a pioneer for workplace wellness and Chifley Lifestyle echoes 1930s glamour through a harmonious balance of grandeur, functionality and wellness.

Photography by Luc Remond.

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