GPT: The business of

workplace transformation

Principal author Lynne Blundell

Project Case Study - for GPT head office, Sydney

 Contents
4 The business of workplace transformation

14 New offices are part of a new direction and a

“community of interests”

27 Sustainable Procurement

35 Change Management

41 Technology: central to the goals

47 Shifting behaviour to create a new workplace

52 The technical side

59 The refurbishment team

Principal author Lynne Blundell

The business
of workplace
transformation

By Lynne Blundell When the GPT Group’s management decided it was time
to upgrade their offices in the 33-year-old MLC tower in
Sydney little did they realize they were embarking on a
company-wide transformation.

But 18 months later that is exactly what was delivered,

creating a much healthier, energy-efficient workplace with
state-of-the-art communications technology and a more
mobile, flexible workforce. All at no additional cost to the
business.

Before chief executive and managing director Michael

Cameron joined the group the project was to be a simple

4 5
refurbishment but it soon became clear it greater utilisation of space, and that
would be much more, says project director ‘future proofs’ the business for growth
Rob Hitchcock.
All of this was to be achieved on a cost
“Once we started the conversation about neutral basis with refurbishment costs
upgrading the physical space we very recouped through reduced energy, rental
quickly realised the enormous opportunity and other business costs. To do this suc-
this gave us to reinvigorate the business. cessfully the project brought together
This was more than a physical upgrade three streams – the built environment, the
– it was a tool to transform the business, technology overlay and behavioural change
help reposition the business and also to within the business.
showcase what can be achieved even in an
older building,” says Hitchcock. “Only when you get those three areas
right do you get the overlap in the middle
The brief where special things start to happen,” says All former fitout materials were recycled, T5 lighting with daylight sensors supple-
The project team started by asking how Hitchcock. re-used or donated and new materials and mented with task lighting. Light levels are
the business wanted to work internally and furniture were procured from sustainable now 240 lux on average instead of 500
connect externally. This resulted in a clear The physical space suppliers who used recycled materials in lux. In meeting rooms perimeter lighting
aspirational brief with six key aspirations for Refurbishment of the built environment their manufacturing processes. is set on 50 per cent capacity and can be
the work space: meant reducing the office space from five increased if necessary.
discontinuous floors to three contiguous “The original mahogany wall paneling, for
• freedom of information and easy floors. Architects, Woods Bagot, used the example, was removed and converted into More efficient chilled beam aircondition-
knowledge sharing sweeping, sinuous forms of the original other furniture, then painted black for a ingwith swirl diffusers has further cut base
• a diversity of work and casual settings 1970s Harry Siedler-designed interiors more contemporary look,” says Hitchcock. building energy.
• provide greater people connection to create a winding central staircase that
and promote circulation connects the three floors visually and Fresh air intake was increased by 25 per The number of desks was reduced from
• integration and movement of business physically. cent by installing external louvres in the 328 to 272 and these still have a 20
units façade. It is now 50 per cent higher than per cent daily vacancy rate – an indica-
• a stimulating and inspiring The dramatic harbour and city views were the required standards. In addition, more tion of just how mobile the workforce is.
environment that promotes creative accentuated by removing the existing than 500 plants were placed throughout Interestingly, despite the consolidation from
thinking façade and replacing windows with clearer the office space to improve air quality. five to three floors, people do not see it that
• an environment that reflects what glass panels that frame the view like post- Lighting energy use was cut by 70 per cent way, says Hitchcock.
GPT does, promotes wellbeing, allows cards and let in more light. through energy-efficient, zoned LED and
6 7
 “There is more density but people are happier – they feel they have more
space, not less. Some thought they may not get a desk but the space has
exceeded everyone’s expectations in terms of flexibility.”

The technology
At the heart of the GPT workplace transformation is communications
technology. It is this technology, says Rob Hitchcock, that has enabled a
seamless shift from a static style of operation to a highly mobile, efficient
and more creative way of working.

Internal and external technology specialists were given the task of convert-
ing the six strategic aspirations into tangible solutions. The result was an
innovative mix of leading edge technology:

Communication Unified communications network

Microsoft Communicator
Video and Audio Conferencing

Collaboration Collaborator tables

Interactive whiteboards
Wireless presenters

“ The
effect has been to
Mobility Wireless network
Swipe to print
iPhones

create a stronger work Efficiency Dual screens

Microsoft SharePoint
community with people Room booking system

developing more relationships Quality Large 21 inch monitor

”
Microsoft Office 2010
across the organisation.
8 9
Sustainability Data Centre relocation – both increases staff mobility and reduces
Power down the amount of printing. The number of
procedures printers have been reduced from 12 to nine
eWaste recycling multifunction units.

Staff no longer have specified work spaces Behavioural change

but instead move between a mix of open When the project team began to talk to
plan work areas, group meeting spaces and GPT employees about shifting the business
quiet soundproof pods. A wireless network to a less rigid, more mobile way of working
combined with software such as Microsoft there was some resistance, particularly to
Communicator and Microsoft SharePoint the idea of losing allocated work stations.
plus smart phone technology allows
company-wide interaction and complete But now, says Hitchcock, many of these
mobility. same people want to go even further with
workplace mobility as it has opened them
Paper use has been dramatically reduced up to a new way of thinking.
both through behavioural change and tech- Three months after completion of the
nology. A swipe to print system - where refurbishment GPT undertook an employee
any printer in the building can be used for survey to see how people felt – 90 per cent
a print job by swiping an employee card were satisfied with the change. Hitchcock
10 11
is optimistic that the remaining 10 per cent
will have ironed out any difficulties by the
time six months rolls around.

“I like to think we’ve liberated ourselves and

leveraged off the diversity of the people
who work here, ” says Hitchcock.

“We have created a club where nobody

owns the space, where people come and
go as often as they please and where there
is no line-of-sight management. The effect
has been to create a stronger work com-
munity with people developing more rela-
tionships across the organization. People
are more respectful, generally, because
they have a better understanding of the
company as a whole.”

The result:
• a more engaged and mobile workforce
• 90 per cent reduction in paper storage
– from 900 to 90 lineal metres
• 75 per cent reduction in paper use
• 50 per cent expected reduction in
energy costs
• 70 per cent drop in lighting energy
consumption
• lower rental costs through reduction of
floor space

13
 New offices are part
of a new direction
and a “community of
interests”
By Tina Perinotto

When Michael Cameron took over the not only showcase a new collaborative
helm of GPT as chief executive and man- workplace culture but at the same time
aging director, he had a reform agenda in be a live working demonstration of just
mind. how far it was possible to take a corporate
office.
Part of that was financial and part of it –
just as important – was in the way the com- At completion of the work, sitting in his
pany worked, particularly in its workplace. new offices for an interview, Cameron
reflected on a mission accomplished – on
Given the company’s headquarters in the the key indicators he had set for himself
33-year-old MLC building in Sydney’s and the company.
Martin Place were due for a makeover,
Cameron decided that the premises would
14 15
The work was done to exacting environ- Cameron has lost count of how many have
mental standards at no extra cost to its contacted him for a walk through.
shareholders. At the same time it shrank
the amount of space it occupied from five “I’m trying to think who hasn’t come
floors to three. And it left staff numbers through,” Cameron says.
unchanged.
There has been a delegation of 130 people
The design of the space continues breaking from the Property Council of Australia,
the mould. The office is virtually paperless, another from the Banksia Foundation, and
with no fixed seating but clusters of work an almost daily flow of visitors in the weeks
pods that mimic a city “club”, and sophisti- that followed the opening, including keen
cated technology that enabled the design interest from the technology and design
to work. It was a radical rethink of the way sectors.
you can deal with an old building.
“The big surprise has been that you can do
The move has resonated with the CEOs of something like this in a 33-year-old build-
large corporates starting to mull over the ing,” Cameron says.
options of an upgrade.

16
 “What it will potentially do is see a lot of Cameron is unfazed. He did not come to Dick Dusseldorp, who wanted to foster a
For GPT, tenants stay and refurbish their premises GPT to be conventional, he says. “community of interests” in the company.
rather than move to a new site.
Australia’s oldest He joined the company in 2009, with “I felt really comfortable that when I got to
“The big attraction is if you move from a background that included a decade in GPT I wanted to get the company focused
property trust, something terrible to something brand new banking with MLC and another 10 years on that rather than offshore expansion,” he
down the road, you pay another $100 a with Lend Lease. Since joining he has been says.
with nearly $10 square metre. But if you can show you can on a mission to turn around the company’s
do it at the current premises for no extra performance. This includes what he calls “equipping
billion in office, cost ….” people for excellence” and funding scholar-
That doesn’t mean bigger, it means better, ships, such as to the University of Western
shopping centre Does this mean he will replicate this for Cameron says. And that’s a vastlly superior Sydney, and sending teams to Harvard for
someone else? result, in his view, than the previous strat- advanced management programs.
and industrial egy that saw many REITS (including GPT)
“I’m sure we can. Absolutely. Well, we’ve stray from their original concept as low-risk It’s about “opening up people’s minds to
assets, you could shown that it’s possible.” property assets, and chase rainbows in the non-property things” that could inspire
overseas expansion and high leverage. the company to achieve its goals, and
say the move was But it was a risky move. perhaps letting go the temptation to see
What if the staff rejected the paperless ap- “We’ve probably got the organisation at a the method as the objective. Newspaper
on the risky side. proach and found it a threat to their notion point where we’re going into best perfor- companies, for instance, are in the business
of good work practices? mance,” Cameron says. “From a returns of providing news, not newspapers.
perspective we’re right at the top of the
What if costs blew out? The plan was to ladder. He motions to his IPad: “How has a group
save on space, money and materials. But like Apple grown its business?”
so much of the work involved exploring “We’ve been on a journey and right now
unknown territory, asking suppliers, craft- we’re looking to grow the business. We’re On a recent visit to the Apple store in
speople and designers to come up with looking at what people want. It could be a Sydney’s George Street Cameron was
solutions that had no template. sustainability fund. astounded to find maybe 800 people
inside.
The bigger question is what made Cameron But finance and returns isn’t the whole
do something quite so radical? picture. Cameron is strongly attracted to “Apple didn’t go computer companies or
the inspirational vision of GPT’s founder, the phone company and get them to build
an iPad,” he says.
18 19
In his new office environment Cameron
finds himself sitting next to any of the
employees – from someone in finance
to juniors the age of one of his sons.
21
 “It’s been a real eye opener to the next were in the last 40 years, “just different,” Does Cameron think the model of the car-
Cameron has also found inspiration much generation. It’s something I’ve stumbled Cameron says. dependent, stand-alone shopping centre
closer to home. He just happens to have on to. A person like me has had a large has an end date?
five sons – mostly in their 20s; with the number of mentors. These days I look for “It’s just another wave of change. We were
youngest 15 – and they turn out to be a mentoring and coaching from a very differ- first to have a food court and you would be He says some radical changes might be
very handy asset for a CEO to have when ent group of people.” insane not to have one now. And tradition- afoot.
he wants to position the company for ally they’ve been designed so that it would
future stakeholders. In his new office environment Cameron be easy to get in there, but you couldn’t get To find out, though, his team doesn’t talk to
finds himself sitting next to any of the out. the people who go to centres; they talk to
“When I think about my five sons, they’re employees – from someone in finance to those who don’t and ask what’s missing in
quite selective about who they work for juniors the age of one of his sons. “Now it’s more about bringing people to a the experience for them. It could be cul-
and what they do with their money and community of interests.” tural; it could be that the local demographic
what products they use,” he says. This is opening his eyes to different views has changed.
and different ways of communicating. Increasingly, Cameron can see shopping
When he joined the company, Cameron’s A chat to a junior after a board meeting centres starting to morph and blend with At Casuarina in Darwin there has been an
sons and some of their friends bought recently saw his report go viral through the other uses – like town centres with a effort to make the centre more relevant to
shares in GPT. They keep an eye on their company in hours. multitude of uses where you might have the local community and for it to “embrace
investment. residential, commercial and retail blend- indigenous culture”.
In the past, the report might have come in ing together. Rouse Hill Town Centre has
When Cameron catches up with them on a formal letter a week later. already embraced this concept, he says. At Highpoint in Melbourne it has meant
weekends, they want to know how the incorporating a more multicultural focus to
company is going. Shopping centres “They will have all the technology and be reflect the changing demographic of the
“You don’t need expensive research.” Most wi-fi friendly and have apps to help you get area.
“They individually take a lot of time to research is biased towards a particular your way around the centre. Whatever is
understand the culture of the organisation. view, anyway, he says. out there will have to be integrated.” Charlestown, near Newcastle, has a
I might see them on the weekend and major solar power installation and strives
they’ll say, ‘We see what you’re doing at “If you talk to shopping centre people they Melbourne Central is a good example of a for a green profile. When it opened on
Highpoint Shopping Centre’, or ‘We saw will tell you why the shopping centres are shopping centre that does very well with- November 27 last year, 3000 people came
that Rouse Hill won an award…’” here to stay.” out a department store – to the tune of 30 through the doors in the first four hours.
million visitors a year.
Their view on sustainability sometimes In shopping centres, the changes that will At Rouse Hill shopping centre GPT
astounds him, he says. come will be no less challenging than they invited leading chef and author Stephanie
Alexander to open a kitchen garden
22 23
 integrated into the centre for the local after sending customers to deal with online
community. banking?

When Cameron joined the company the “Definitely,” Cameron says. “Because if
first thing he did was meet the repre- you think about financial services, they
sentatives from major tenants, such as definitely suffered (from that move) from a
Woolworths, Myer and David Jones. financial perspective.

“I asked them what the experience was like “They saved expenses but also suffered on
dealing with GPT.” revenue.”

He won’t reveal much, but here’s a hint: At the core for GPT business, Cameron
in February this year the company took says, “it’s all about attracting and retaining
over management of many of its property your clients.
assets.
“If you have a bad service experience and
This meant that a layer that normally don’t have a connection [to the owner
separates the owner from the tenants, the of the business], then you put at risk the
customers and other stakeholders, has now continuity [of your relationship with the
been removed. customer].

“Where we can operate in the community “We have tenants now who talk with other
We have tenants now who – that’s where the real opportunity is,” tenants who say, ‘We love our relationship
Cameron says. with GPT and these are people you can
talk with other tenants ring if you have a problem’.

‘
“Other REITs think of themselves as
who say, We love our landlords with tenants; we think of our- “As a result of that, you can get great
selves as customer service providers with referrals.”
relationship with GPT and customers.”
The goal, Cameron agrees, is to always be
these are people you can So it’s a move back from disintermediation, available and responsive, as the Apple Mac

’
similar to the way banks now say they people strive to be.
ring if you have a problem want to provide more individual service,
24 25
Sustainable Procurement
As part of the drive for a Six Star Green Star rating, GPT’s aim was to be By Lynne Blundell
a net exporter of materials from the project. To achieve this all of the old
fit-out materials were reused or recycled and new products and materials
were specified sustainable, reused or recycled.
27
As part of the drive for a Six Star Green including from recycled Coca Cola bottles Materials Strategy The suppliers
Star rating, GPT’s aim was to be a net have been used in the new kitchen area. Materials and Equipment Audit
exporter of materials from the project. To Furniture manufacturer, Koskela, supplied Prior to demolition, a detailed audit of all Emeco
achieve this all of the old fit-out materials incidental furniture and meeting tables existing materials and equipment was Product: Emeco 111 Navy Chair®
were reused or recycled and new products made from recycled or FSC accredited completed and catalogued. All existing The Emeco 111 Navy Chair® was created
and materials were specified sustainable, timber. fit-out materials and equipment were either when Coca-Cola approached Emeco to
reused or recycled. recycled, provided to other organisations recreate its classic 1944 Navy Chair out of
Where rubber flooring is used it is 100 per for reuse or re-used in the new work recycled PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)
Bruce Precious, GPT’s national sustain- cent rubber rather than synthetic and in environment. bottles. Each chair is made of 111 PET
ability manager, says historically old fittings areas where carpet tile was not appropri- bottles and, according to Emeco, in its
have all been taken to landfill, a practice ate, woollen or goat hair carpet has been In some cases the materials were rejuve- first year the chair diverted more than 3.5
that the property industry must change. used. Benchtops are bamboo and fabric is nated and used in a different form. For million PET plastic bottles from landfills.
from carbon neutral suppliers. Wherever example, carpet tiles were recycled, dark-
“By recycling we have significantly reduced particle board or laminates are used they stained timber used in the new joinery was Gregg Buchbinder, chairman and CEO of
our carbon footprint. Materials such as are specified E-Zero (European Standard) recycled from the timber paneling in the Emeco, says the chair is a perfect example
timber have an almost infinite life, particu- and contain no formaldehyde. old fit-out and zip hot water boilers were of up-cycling. Unlike traditional recycling,
larly hardwood. Previously, the complex refurbished rather than replaced. Office where plastic bottles might be recycled
design of furniture often meant it was “All our suppliers signed a stewardship chairs were reupholstered and re-gassed. to make toys or carpets that still end up
hard to extract individual materials. In this agreement that all materials can either be in landfill, up-cycling is the idea of turning
project the simplicity of design of our new reused or that products are derived from Materials Selection waste into products of greater value that
custom-made work stations means at the recycled content. We have avoided fossil GPT’s overall materials selection principle have a long life.
end of life they can be easily recycled,” says fuel-derived materials so that our total was aimed at responsibly sourcing materi-
Precious. carbon footprint has been dramatically als and products in order to:
reduced. • avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle
Materials and product suppliers were • select healthy materials that were
chosen for their green credentials and ma- “Not that long ago this would have been fit-for-purpose with the lowest
terials were recycled from other projects. difficult to achieve but the number of environmental impact providing the
Timber paneling in the reception area, for sustainable suppliers have increased expo- best indoor environment quality
example, is made of recycled floorboards nentially. A world of suppliers has sprung
previously used at Kempsey High School. up around Green Star,” says Precious. This process was applied across 20 of the
most significant (by quantum) materials
Carpet was sourced from sustainable and was over and above the Green Star
manufacturer, InterfaceFLOR, and chairs criteria.
28 29
 the Asia Pacific division of InterfaceFlor,
“We keep consumer waste out of landfills said that just by reducing waste on every
and up-cycle it into something that does one of its sites in every country by 10 per
not need to be recycled for a long time. Our cent a year, the company has saved more
Navy Chair design is over six decades old,” than $480 million over time. This has
says Buchbinder. funded other activities aimed at achieving
InterfaceFlor’s Mission Zero™ target.
InterfaceFlor
Product: InterfaceFlor “By using four per cent less yarn
����������������
in our car-
recyclable carpet pets, looking up the supply chain the effect
InterfaceFlor supplied recyclable carpet for is to save the amount of energy it would
the GPT refurbishment project. A US-based take to run our factories for two years.
carpet manufacturer InterfaceFlor is listed
on the NASDAQ and has sales of around “Seventy per cent of the energy in our
US$1 billion a year. In 1944 founder and products happens before it even gets to
chairman Ray Anderson decided the way us in the raw materials. We could take the
the company and the petrochemical-based view we only account for fifteen per cent of
carpet industry operated was out of step the problem but we prefer to take responsi-
with nature. He set about creating a new bility for it,” says Coombs.
organisation with a mission to achieve zero
negative impact on the environment by Using the gecko as inspiration, the compa-
2020 with closed loop production where ny has developed an innovative method to
all materials are recycled. replace glue in its carpets by placing sticky
discs on the surface beneath the carpet to
Sixteen years later the company is halfway attach it. This removes the toxic glue from Compared to 1996 the company
there and aims to achieve its mission in the carpet and ensures it is recyclable.
less than 10 years. Compared to 1996 the uses 43 per cent less total energy,
company uses 43 per cent less total en- As a result of InterfaceFlor’s sustainable
ergy, 82 per cent less water, has reduced focus, says Coombs, its costs are lower, its 82 per cent less water, has reduced
GHG emissions by 35 per cent and waste products are better, it has more customers
to landfill by 82 per cent. and it attracts and retains high quality GHG emissions by 35 per cent and
Speaking at Vivid Creative Sydney 2011, employees.
Robert Coombs, president and CEO of waste to landfill by 82 percent.
30 31
 Koskela is an Australian “When business focuses on social and envi- also starting to use new materials such as
ronmental impacts as well as its finances it bamboo and recycled cardboard.
furniture company will do better in all three dimensions – they
are mutually supportive,” says Coombs. Titchkosky would like to see more compre-
creating aesthetically hensive and flexible rating of innovative
All InterfaceFlor carpets carry Level 4A materials under Green Star.
pleasing, functional and Environmental Certification Scheme (ECS)
accreditation via the Carpet Institute of “Currently bamboo doesn’t fit into any
durable furniture with an Australia and receive full points under the rating because it is classified as a grass and
Materials category in Green Star ratings.a the cardboard we’re looking at is not clas-
emphasis on sustainable Koskela
sified as a timber product either. But both
can be used as substrates,” says Titchkosky.
materials and practices. Product: Custom-made furniture
created from sustainable materials All Koskela furniture is finished with
Koskela is an Australian furniture company low VOC water-based finishes and the
creating aesthetically pleasing, functional company is committed to working with
and durable furniture with an emphasis on manufacturers and suppliers with sustain-
sustainable materials and practices. The able materials and practices. Each piece of
company is increasingly supplying custom- furniture is designed so that it can easily
made furniture to many leading sustainable be disassembled and each of its parts
office refits aiming for Green Star Interiors recycled.
ratings.
“We have a take-back policy so that if
Koskela supplied GPT with seating, meeting clients can’t recycle we will take back the
tables and boardroom tables. piece and either give it a second life or
take it apart and recycle the materials. This
According to Sasha Titchkosky, Koskela’s is factored into all of our designs,” says
principal and co-founder, there is growing Titchkosky.
demand for custom-made furniture that
meets the Green Star requirements. Birch
ply is the most commonly used material,
as it is a fast growing timber, but Koskela is

32 33
Change
Management
The key to a successful refurbishment and workplace By Lynne Blundell
redesign is to put people, not the built environment or
technology, at the centre of the design
35
Change management this is just the starting point. Too often we properly so they don’t get pushed to the are measured on their performance,” says
The key to a successful refurbishment don’t leave enough room for people to side,” says Kirkby. Kirkby.
and workplace redesign is to put people, personalise spaces,” Kirkby says.
not the built environment or technology, “The workplace design must be flexible This flexibility and mobility means that
at the centre of the design, according “We’re doing a big piece of work here at enough to change, I’m a great believer in people must be more disciplined about
to Rosemary Kirkby, GPT’s head of the moment on cultural renewal and look- designing places to give enough cultural dividing professional and personal life. A
sustainability. ing at what we want our culture to look like headroom – this one has plenty of room,” key turning point for GPT employees was
in ten years time. Part of our ongoing focus says Kirkby in thinking about their work environment
“Workplace redesign is a tool for change will be to evaluate the work space against differently, says Kirkby.
but for it to work effectively it is critical to that target culture to ensure it evolves in What makes the GPT
involve everyone across all aspects of the line with our cultural aspirations. Is it facili- redesign work? “It is important to stop thinking about it
business from the CEO down – and they tating what we need for our business to run Kirkby has been instrumental in earlier as a workplace as that carries baggage. I
must be genuinely admitted. It cannot be more productively, more collaboratively and ground-breaking workplace transforma- think of it as a club where we are allowed
token involvement, This is fundamental to a with more fun and, if not, what interven- tions – with MLC in its campus style office to spend as much time as we like and to
successful outcome. tions are needed to make it work?” redesign at North Sydney more than a enjoy this amazing view.
decade ago and more recently for the
“Then when the consultant team is as- The cultural renewal program has been NAB headquarters in Melbourne. The GPT “The design is disarmingly simple with
sembled they must be appointed on their running since early in 2011 and has project is the first time that the results nothing that screams ‘look at me’ and the
cultural as well as architectural or technical a team of 25 who report back to the have exceeded expectations for mobil- view is incredible both for physical and
credentials. It is no use having architects leadership team. The team is working with ity and flexibility, says Kirkby. The main mental health. To me this is democracy
or mechanical consultants who are not consultancy Walking the Talk and GPT has reason for this is technology that enables in practice – we all have the same access
prepared to run an inclusive process,” says released one of its key development man- complete mobility of staff and integrated to views and light and can move around
Kirkby. agers, Sam Jordan, to focus full time on communication. freely. People are also free to choose who
leading the team. It has just completed an they sit next to,” says Kirkby.
This inclusive process has to happen from audit comparing the way GPT works today “In previous projects laptop computers
day one and continue beyond the end of against nine key cultural levers for moving were not as widely used so mobility She believes the GPT transformation
the project as the workplace and the way the group to its future targets. wasn’t possible in the way it is today, and represents a step towards a future when
people use it will continue to evolve. other technology we’ve used here really is the property industry will start to think of
“This has helped us work out our priorities leading edge. The technology, along with high-rise buildings as communities and
“If you don’t leave enough room for people to get us to our future cultural targets and peoples’ willingness to change their work tenants will configure buildings to cater to
to personalise the new environment you has been factored into our 2012 budget. practices, has been liberating. It means those communities. It is also a step towards
won’t be able to release its full value and It is important to budget these things we can manage on output and results a time when buildings could be used
future potential. People must understand rather than presence in an office. People
36 37
primarily as meeting places rather than Darwin and want to set up meetings in
somewhere employees go to each day. Sydney. Why not use this space? We could
also host fundraisers here for groups like
“I can see a lot more dynamic process Emergency Architects who work in our
emerging where tenants may want certain industry. The opportunities are enormous
amenities that they may not be able to – this space is for sharing knowledge and
justify if it is only for their use but if it was experience,” says Kirkby.
shared with other tenants they could. It
may be places for eating or meeting rooms. And as for the success of the workplace
It could be childcare or training facilities. It
transformation at GPT thus far? Kirkby
could be all sorts of things,” says Kirkby. believes that the complete turnaround of a
paper-based, siloed organisation into one
At the ground plane of buildings there that is integrated, uses substantially less
could be sharing of energy through pre- paper and has a highly mobile workforce,
cinct power generation. She would also like was only possible because people were
to see buildings integrate more effectively willing to change.
with the areas beyond them with social
sustainability a key feature of all develop- “I did have my reservations about whether
ments. Building owners and tenants could we were going to be able to go as far as
work together to bring a better quality of we wanted, particularly reducing our paper
life to cities. use so dramatically, but I knew we were
going to give it a good go,” says Kirkby.
“We need to stop thinking of buildings as
layers of space and more about communi- Governance structures also played a vital
ties of people. In this building there is more role. By demonstrating to Governance that
room for cultural development. We are only the investment in training and technology
just ramping up in terms of using the space was critical to GPT’s future success, Kirkby
for engagement and engaging with other was given the backing to ensure the pro-
tenants. ject was adequately supported financially.
“Michael Cameron is also a great driver of
“There is nothing to stop us sharing change – he didn’t want the total cost of
our space with others. Our retailers, for accommodation to be any greater than it
example, might be coming down from already was for the life of the lease so the
39
team was under great pressure to do more with less. I always think that’s a good starting
point for innovation.

“It also says a great deal about the cultural DNA of GPT that people rose to the chal-
lenge,” says Kirkby.

Measuring the social and wellbeing outcomes

Numerous studies and research projects have been undertaken on how to measure the
impact of the work environment on productivity and wellbeing. GPT intends to measure
the results across two key areas.

Tangibles such as physical comfort and changed work practices:

• Six star Green Star rating for Office Interiors
• Five Star NABERS rating for Energy (off a 2.5 star base)
• Fresh air intake increased 25 per cent
• Power bills reduced by 50 per cent
• Paper usage reduced by 75 per cent
• Telephone calls to remote sites reduced by 10 per cent
• Travel costs reduced by 5 per cent (video conferencing)

Areas of self-assessment by employees three months after the move

• 98 per cent said the new work environment reflects the environmental and
sustainability leadership position which GPT aspire to hold
• 89 per cent said there is greater opportunity to collaborate effectively with other Technology:
central to the goals
teams and individuals located at MLC
• 97 per cent said the technology provided supports greater flexibility and efficiency
• 79 per cent said they were better supported to do their best work
• 76 per cent said they would not go back to the old way of working
• Employees said they felt 15 per cent more productive
By Lynne Blundell

40 41
Technology and we didn’t want to move away from this
New technology systems were central to because that is expensive. We were pretty
GPT achieving its aims for a more mobile confident we could get the outcome using
and collaborative way of working. In addi- the strategy we had,” says Miller.
tion to a new financial system and docu-
ment management solution implemented The team looked at how the different physi-
in 2010, the technology in the new cal spaces in the building would be used
office has equipped employees with new and came up with technology solutions for
systems, programs and tools to make their those spaces.
working lives easier and seamless.
“Once we had a vision of how people
Ross Miller, technology director for the wanted to work we then started to build
project, says that the key aim for the tech- technology around that to deliver that
nology in the new workplace was to break outcome. It was time to upgrade GPT’s
down the silos that previously existed at technology investment so each technology
GPT. we put in was a big project in itself. It also
had to be integrated and seamless,” says
“We asked how do we get collaboration? Miller. Building a bespoke system around to make this work but we just
And at that point we realised the project The aim for a seamless, wireless workplace worked through them one at a time and
was going to be much larger than we The new technology architecture centres required a complete overhaul of all systems. eventually they fell away without having to
initially thought and the technology was around GPT’s aspiration for collabora- Miller looked at what else was around but do major upgrades to SAP,” says Miller.
going to underpin the way people worked. tion and going green with very little use found that while companies like Macquarie
If you don’t get the technology right people of paper. At the heart of that is Office had created a similar workplace, their In order to achieve greater energy efficien-
won’t be able to work differently and we Communicator, or OCS, says Miller. technology architecture was entirely differ- cies, improved security, btter utilised space
certainly would not be able to reduce our ent to GPT’s. This meant a bespoke solution GPT decided to move its data centre. This
paper use,” says Miller. “When you look at our architecture had to be created. had to be done over 12 weeks.
diagram OCS is the absolute plank of our
The technology team began to look at technology – everything else works off “There were some big challenges. One of “Moving all our servers in 12 weeks was an
what the required outcomes were and then that. For OCS to work we had to upgrade these was upgrading to Windows 7 ­– we incredible challenge. We had to choose a
matched technology to those outcomes. to the latest Microsoft – Microsoft Office had just put SAP [business management facility and get a project manager to man-
2010 and Windows 7. That impacts all the system] in and some of the things we age the process but in the end it worked
“We had an IT architecture and strategy applications that go around it.” put in for that weren’t compatible with really well. That was two weeks before SAP
that was built around Microsoft and SAP Windows 7. We had a fair bit to work
42 43
 went live so we had a lot of balls in the air,” “The standout result from the new technol-
says Miller. ogy is collaboration. People now mingle
across the organization so you don’t have a
The sustainability outcomes of moving the whole lot of silos doing their thing in isola-
data centre were significant. Data centre tion. This creates a great crossover of ideas
power usage is measured in the ratio of that wasn’t there before.”
the power used to run the centre to the
amount of power delivered to computers. Key to ensuring the new technology oper-
In the old GPT data centre the ratio was 12 ated efficiently from day one of the new
and in the new one it is 1.72. By removing move was establishing an iTeam made up
its data centre to a specialised facility has of employees from across the organisation.
both freed up prime real estate and created Their role was to test all systems and find
a much more efficient operation. any bugs before the company moved into
its new offices. They also acted as advo-
“Moving the data centre was cost neutral. cates in the technology learning process.
The capital cost of moving it was recouped
in the savings through efficiency,” says “Resistance to activity based working
Miller. and new technology was pretty high but
I’d guarantee nobody would want to go
Integrating all of the systems was the back to the old way of working now. The
next big step and the success of this has advantages are so obvious. It’s the most
delivered a cutting edge solution for GPT, exciting IT project I’ve worked on because
says Miller. we created the future of the office - we
compressed the rental space, we did cut-
“People have done similar things but ting edge technology and we now work
A One Swipe Access Card nobody has quite the level of integration seamlessly ” says Miller.

that gives employees access we achieved. Our video conferencing is

completely integrated with our email, the “I was also blown away by the way people
to personal lockers where meeting booking system and the room
controllers. There is complete integration,
have adapted to this new way of working. I
really thought there’d be more resistance.”
they store their laptops, which is complex and had not been done
to this scale before,” says Miller.
work and personal items.
44 45
The new technology • interactive whiteboards for real-time
The latest technologies and functions document editing and presentations
include: • Wireless Presenter software
• wireless network over all three floors • Microsoft Office Communicator for

Shifting
• a unified communications framework instant messaging, audio and video
which enables employees to conferencing
check landline voicemail via email • Windows 7 and Microsoft Office
notifications and from an iPhone 2010

behaviour to
• a combined 21 inch monitor and • remote access to GPT’s network
universal docking station for each • video conferencing and streaming
work station to plasma screens within the
• the ability to update meetings environment and live stream to GPT

create a new
remotely via mobile phone or retail centres
telephone • Live Meeting for online conferences
• a one swipe access card that gives with multiple parties sharing desktops
employees access to personal lockers • media rooms.

workplace
where they store their laptops, work
and personal items. The same card
is used for ‘follow me printing’ on all
printers thus reducing paper wastage
and greater flexibility when choosing By Lynne Blundell
a printer
46 47
Shifting behaviour to electronically was one of the most impor- “The impact was amazing. People had their A work environment passport
create a new workplace tant aspects of the cultural shift. Initially partners coming in to help clean out their To prepare for the move to the new
It is one thing to aspire to a whole new way the target was to cut the amount of stored paper on weekends because they wanted workplace a ‘work environment passport’
of working but quite another to bring about paper from almost one lineal kilometer to to win. We got from one kilometer to 500 was created to ensure work practices and
the necessary behavioural change within 300 metres but the actual result of 100 metres in eight weeks,” says Davies. technologies were understood. Individual
an organisation to make it work. metres surprised everyone. progress was measured through a passport
The real challenge though, says Davies, system where people received stamps in
Amy Davies, GPT’s organisational change “The natural reaction of people was that it was giving people the skills to use technol- four competencies. A small prize was on
and development manager, was given the wouldn’t work. That is the reaction of many ogy and work more electronically so that offer for those who reached goals first.
challenging task of ensuring everyone at people to activity-based workplaces – the paper, and the old habits, did not come
GPT both understood the cultural changes there’s no resistance to having a shiny new back. The four competency areas included:
that would be needed in the new work- workplace but when it comes to changing • Reducing paper – goal of under one
place and were prepared to put them into the way you work as an individual the Reducing the amount of printing was metre per person and a clean desk
practice. natural human reaction is ‘well I’m quite essential and GPT set a target to reduce which could be packed up in five
happy with the way I work now thank you printing of documents by 25 per cent. minutes at the end of the day.
The key to success was establishing a very much’. Results have exceeded this with printing • Technology learning
bespoke engagement and training program reduced by 75 per cent. • Induction – workshops and tours on
that involved some innovative ways of Shifting to a new protocols and practices
tapping into the competitive spirit of GPT’s near-paperless office This has partially been as a result of work- • Living and Performing together –
people. A training program and reward system ing more electronically but it has also been behavioural protocols and education
that spurred people on and encouraged due to the introduction of large screens for managers in how to lead in the
“Our aspirational brief was to create a their sense of competition was established. at work stations, making it easier to read new environment
workplace that encouraged more sharing of Humour was central to the program. documents on-screen, and swipe-to-print
information and knowledge and gave them technology. “The passport system took off more than
more flexibility and freedom. When we A ‘Biggest Loser’ competition encouraged we were expecting. It was a tangible way
looked at how to do this there were things paper reduction by measuring weekly “All of those pages, where you pressed the of explaining to people what was required
that were tying them to their desks and paper reduction for all employees and print button automatically and then forgot to work effectively in the new environment.
previous ways of working that we had to rewarding the winning team with funding about it and it sat on the printer, have gone. The rumours around it and the myths
get rid of. And the big one was the paper,” towards a small team event. The target was The option to do that is no longer there - were great – people thought you had to
says Davies. an average of one lineal metre per person the new technology means we only print do everything on it to get your bonus for
but the competition was so successful the when we really need the document,” says the year. We just decided not to dispel that
Getting rid of the mountains of paper results were much higher. Davies. myth,” says Davies.
and teaching people how to work more
48 49
A more formal measure of technology The change management team facilitated
learning was also introduced by building in over 2,362 hours of training (an average of
a technology learning component to peo- 8.35 hours per person).
ples’ performance objectives for the year.
Technology learning workshops included:
“This reinforced to them how important it • Microsoft Office 2010/Windows 7
was to the business and to our strategy and • Microsoft Office Communicator and
how we want to work in the future,” says Live Meeting higher levels of competency. Each week both liberating and enlightening. Her back-
Davies. • meeting room technologies there was a task to complete and Davies ground in organisational psychology and
• video conferencing and phone and a colleague would don large Angry human resources gave her the skills to deal
Technology training technologies Birds fluffy slippers, bright yellow T-shirts with the enormous shifts that people must
Sharing information more effectively is • working wirelessly and swipe-to-print and hats and visit employees to check on make in a workplace transformation such
integral to the new way of working and technology. their progress. as GPT’s.
technology is the key to this. Microsoft
Communicator and Live Meeting, meeting A team of technology advocates from “We introduced Angry Birds post the move “If you’d asked me when I was studying
room technologies and an upgrade to across the business, called the iTeam, into the new office. There was a lot of work psychology whether I imagined I’d work in
Microsoft Office/Windows 7 has enabled tested the technology before the move to done to prepare people for the move and an organisation like this I’d probably have
mobility and collaboration. iron out any bugs in the system. They were the worst thing we could have done was to said no but it is a handy skill set to have. It
not part of the IT department but came put people in and say ‘off you go, you’ll be gives you a different perspective on what’s
“A lot of information was stuck in peoples’ from diverse areas and their role was to fine now’,” says Davies. going on and in those moments when it is
heads or in filing cabinets so we needed try to find weaknesses in the way systems challenging - and it is for any organisation
to free it up. Technology was integral – the worked and to support others in their team “People need to learn as they go and Angry making a really big change to the way they
way we worked before was tying us to our to use the new technology. This took the Birds was a fun way to embed peoples’ work -­­ it helps to be able to remind yourself
desks,” says Davies. load off the IT support desk and ensured a understanding of the technology in a fun that that’s a natural and normal part of the
smoother transition. and supportive way. There was all sorts of change process in changing any human
An important part of the learning program attempts at bribery and coaching of each behaviour and people just need to work
was to ensure that employees were confi- Embedding knowledge other which was all in good humour but through that to come out the other side.”
dent with the new technologies, allowing The next step was to ensure knowledge the point of it was to make sure people
them to work smarter. Over a period of 12 was embedded and old habits did not were taking the time to practice and learn.”
months, all GPT employees underwent a return. Following the move to the new
series of training sessions and workshops. workplace, a program based on the popular For Amy Davies the experience of shifting
iPhone game, Angry Birds, was introduced peoples’ behaviour so that they can work
to embed knowledge and shift people to in a more flexible, creative way has been
50 51
 As a leader in sustainable property devel- floor plates that are easy to design for,
opment GPT’s ambition was to create a and deep-set windows so they’re shaded,
fitout within its own asset that could be reducing heat loads. So passively it’s a
used as a benchmark for an interior within good building.
an existing building. To achieve this GPT
aimed to set a new environmental standard “Inherently the services are well designed
in materials reuse and selection, lighting – they are really good premium building
and mechanical design. services. So it was then up to the tenancy
designers to make use of these base build-
The ambition for the new refit was to ing services,” says Precious.
achieve a Six Star Green Star Interiors
rating, 5 Star NABERS Energy and carbon Energy systems
neutral target in operation for 2011 and Airconditioning
GPT worked with architects Woods Bagot GPT, as a co-owner had the opportunity to
and engineering firm Arup to achieve this. refresh the base building services and then
as part of its tenancy work it engineered
The base building, designed by architect services over and above what the base
Harry Seidler in the 1970s, has good bones building provides. In regard to aircondition-

The technical side

with strong passive design features and a 5 ing Arup conducted a building user survey
star NABERS energy rating. to rank how well the existing aircondition-
ing system worked, which informed the
Bruce Precious, GPT’s national sustainabil- redesign of the new system. Meeting
ity manager, says as co-owner and tenant rooms were provided with additional user
...carbon neutral target in operation for 2011... of the MLC building the refurbishment control.
presented an opportunity to demonstrate
By Lynne Blundell what could be achieved in part of an older “We wanted to be in the upper quartile
building. of performance and to demonstrate how
providing better airconditioning created
“We’re very pleased to be in such an effi- more productive space – we have to be
cient building to start with and while many able to make that positive connection,” says
things have changed in the building over its Precious.
33 years, Seidler was a very good designer
and architect. It has good orientation,
52 53
“Airconditioning is like a hygiene factor when they feel they have some element of
– when it doesn’t work well you notice it control over it. But typically buildings give
and it can significantly detract from your you zero control. This is also a Green Star
productivity. Good airconditioning does not requirement. We were confronted with how
motivate someone but bad airconditioning to provide control in the open workspace.
can certainly de-motivate them.”
“Our solution was provided by the activity
Arup used the survey information to pre- based work model – basically if you are
sent different options. These were ranked uncomfortable in a particular location you
in a matrix to see which one provided the pick up your laptop and move somewhere
greatest potential to achieve upper quartile else. Giving everyone control over the
performance against a range of factors. airconditioning is like the remote at home
– chaos. But with this work model you
The base building airconditioning is active can move to the sunny side of the floor or
chilled beam on the perimeter zones and wherever suits you,” says Precious.
variable air volume (VAV) in the centre
zones. GPT selected a supplementary GPT also installed a heat pump hot water working on screen-based tasks and we the 42 watts per square metre lighting
airconditioning system for meeting rooms system for its tenancy, which takes heat have good access to natural light. Our aim power density of that GPT found in one
and brought in additional fresh air from from other parts of the building that would was to achieve soft, comfortable lighting,” of its tenancies during a recent audit “The
the outside through louvres built in to the normally be dissipated through the cooling says Precious. energy use difference, particularly if that
façade so that it is 50 per cent higher than tower. The system is three to four times tenant leaves the lights on all the time, is
requirements. more efficient than a traditional hot water The choice to remove the ceilings meant massive,” says Precious.
system. recessed ceiling lighting was not an option.
Other improvements included a dedicated GPT chose to use suspended T5 lights Motion sensors in GPT’s new fitout mean
chiller for the meeting rooms to increase Lighting supplemented with LED downlights and that the lighting turns off when the office is
efficiency of the airconditioning. The Lighting has been selected for its impact LED desk lamps. This avoids the cave-like not occupied.
improved air and occupant control also on comfort levels for employees and effect of some energy efficient lighting and
means better acoustics in meeting rooms, energy efficiency. provides some user control. IT servers
says Precious. The IT servers have been relocated offsite
“We had the opportunity to rethink our The designed and installed lighting power to save energy and free up office space for
“One of the elements in the occupant lighting. We were happy to go for lower density in the new office space is 5.6 watts other purposes.
survey is that people have a greater pro- lighting levels than would be traditionally per square metre and actual in use density
pensity to put up with conditions in space provided because we are predominantly is less than five watts. This compares with
54 55
“We had very expensive prime real estate The lighting and services approach was to experience of the people who go to those • meeting areas fitted with motion
occupied by IT equipment that could be expose the services in places and conceal shopping centres,” says Precious. sensors that turn off lighting and
housed elsewhere and there’s also an in others, to increase the perception of mechanical equipment when not in
energy benefit in doing that. Those centres space and also to reveal the concrete “I often think that the components of use
are set up to be much more efficient and formwork. productivity are clarity, capability and • Specification of local, renewable,
that’s their specialty – we had clunky pack- motivation and there’s this extra essence recyclable and sustainable materials
age units that ran 24/7 and we probably GPT also uses 100 per cent green power. of inspiration. I think that this workplace throughout the project
cooled the room more than it needed to provides that inspiration.”
be. This is now our incubator room, which The impact The results
means we have a whole new meeting The effects of the refurbishment and The key changes • 90 per cent of employees feel more
room to use more productively. There’s a move to an activity based work model • offsite IT server rooms equipped to be productive in the new
whole raft of productivity benefits,” says will be carefully monitored by GPT over • chilled beam systems space according to a recent survey
Precious. the next 12 months, says Precious. But • improvement in air quality to 12.5 • 70 per cent cut in lighting energy use
measurement and the impact of the work litres per second (50 per cent • 50 per cent less power used
The other benefit GPT had not really fac- environment on productivity is not an exact higher than the required Australian • 50 per cent more fresh air than
tored in was the move to laptop computers science. standards) standards require
with activity-based working. This has cut • high frequency ballasts and a • 80 per cent materials recycled or
energy use through the laptops themselves “We have the opportunity to use our own computer based lighting control re-used
and also because all laptops are turned off space as a lab to explore those impacts system
at the end of the day and packed away in more deeply. But at the macro level motiva- • suspended T5 lighting, LED
a personal locker, something which did not tion and productivity can really only be downlights and LED task lighting
happen with desk computers. measured by the success of the company • a high efficiency heat pump draws .
and it will take decades to really see this. heat from other parts of the MLC
GPT has ensured that components from But hopefully we can look back and see the Centre providing hot water for
the existing fitout were recycled, recast level of innovation and creativity increase showers and some cooling to other
into the new or donated for re-use. This and it could be measured through the parts of the building (using a fraction
included recycled timber joinery, reclaimed success of future projects. of the electricity of the old electric hot
from the dark timber panelling used in the water system).
original building; reupholstered, re-gassed “This space must inspire the people who • low Volatile Organic Compounds
office chairs; reused access floor; and a are involved in the next big shopping cen- (VOC) preferences in construction,
stripped-back ceiling revealing the original, tre and office projects and it must inspire paints, carpets and adhesives
Seidler-designed, exposed concrete ribbing. their choice of materials and enhance the • lighting levels in meeting rooms have
been preset at 50 per cent
56 57
The refurbishment team
Project Manager ESD
The GPT Group Arup

Architects Landscaping Internal planting

Woods Bagot Frenchams

Builder BCA
Buildcorp Advanced Building

Engineering Cost Consultancy

Structural WT Partnership
GCA Consulting
Audio Visual
Lighting, Mechanical and Peace of Mind
Environmental Acoustics
Arup
59
w