Beacon HQ

As an established Australian company, Beacon Lighting sought a new head office to accommodate an ever-growing team and better facilitate collaborative and remote work. Foolscap Studio was briefed to create a space which encourages team members to join together and collaborate more often while also fostering a more open and transparent atmosphere; “bringing down the walls” and allowing greater access to the executive team. The brief also sought to imbue a greater sense of pride in the workplace, the brand, and their products.

Foolscap Studio responded to the brief’s parameters by creating an open-plan and flexible set of spaces demarcated by colour and materiality. Two boardrooms feature operable walls, meaning these spaces can be quickly dissolved to enable open Town Hall meetings. Floating modular furniture provides moveable seating and encourages quick casual breakout sessions. A full-scale kitchen was included to foster healthy work/life balances; while high-quality acoustics cater to online teams. To imbue pride, Foolscap exclusively used lighting from Beacon’s catalogue and employed the client’s manufacturing arm to create custom workstation lighting which concealed power and data delivery from the ceiling.

Since moving into their new offices, Beacon has reported increased occupancy and a more enthusiastic team energy. Employees have noted they dress differently to match their elevated surroundings. The design has fostered increased team collaboration and led Beacon’s National Property Manager to describe the space as a ‘buzzing hive of people and activity’. By creating a highly flexible space with quality materials, the design is a sound commercial investment returning positive long-term commercial and environmental impacts. The specification of durable, healthy finishes and sturdy Australian-made furniture ensures this space holds lasting value and reduces the need for refitting.

A key feature of this project is the custom detailing created in collaboration with local manufacturers. Foolscap Studio worked with Beacon’s manufacturing arm Masson For Light to design a custom lighting system which conceals the delivery of power and data from the ceiling to the Australian-made Zenith workstations. The system includes moveable task lighting which can be angled to each team member’s screen. By delivering power and data from the ceiling rather than the floor, the underneath of workstations are completely free of cabling, powerboards, and floor boxes. This system was custom powder-coated in a rich terrain colour to match other accents of custom furniture made in Melbourne by SBW, Grazia & Co, Jardan, Dowel Jones, Zenith, Steelotto, and Cocoflip.