Ashurst Opens a New Chapter for Legal Workplaces in Sydney

Law firms have long been associated with quiet corridors, private offices and rows of closed doors. Ashurst’s new Sydney workplace offers a different perspective on what a legal office can be today.

Designed by Architectus, the firm’s new headquarters spans eight levels within the landmark commercial tower at 39 Martin Place. Covering around 10,000 square metres, the project brings Ashurst’s Sydney team together in a workplace shaped around collaboration, flexibility and everyday wellbeing.

For the global law firm, the move marks a significant moment. As Ashurst’s second largest office worldwide, the Sydney workplace sets a new benchmark for how the firm imagines its offices in the years ahead.

The design reflects a broader shift across professional services workplaces, where hybrid work and evolving client expectations continue to reshape how offices function. For Ashurst, the focus centred on creating an environment that supports multiple ways of working throughout the day. Lawyers and support teams move between focused work areas, meeting suites, project spaces and collaborative zones depending on the task at hand.

Across the five main work floors, sit-stand workstations sit alongside breakout areas, quiet focus rooms and technology-enabled meeting spaces. Large windows bring natural light deep into the floorplate, helping create a bright and comfortable working environment.

Additional meeting rooms are distributed across the workplace, acknowledging how the nature of legal work continues to evolve. Conversations with clients, internal strategy sessions and project-based work now happen in a wider variety of settings.

One of the most distinctive features of the project sits on Level 04. This entire floor has been designed as a collaborative workspace. The environment supports team workshops, project-based work and cross-practice problem solving. Reconfigurable zones allow spaces to expand or contract depending on team size and project requirements.

According to Architectus principal Patricia Bondin, introducing a dedicated collaboration floor challenged long-held assumptions about how legal work is perceived. “In a legal context, collaboration is not a term commonly embraced by lawyers. They rarely see their work as collaborative in a spatial sense,” Bondin explains.

The new floor offers a flexible environment where teams can gather for brainstorming sessions, strategy discussions and workshop-style collaboration. Within a profession traditionally associated with individual work, the space opens new possibilities for collective thinking.

During the consultation process, one insight became particularly clear. The Sydney team did not have a space where everyone could gather together.

The design response appears on Level 09, where a full hospitality floor introduces a café, event spaces and a terrace overlooking Martin Place.This floor operates as a social hub for the office. It supports internal events, client gatherings, training sessions and informal connection between teams. The terrace extends the workplace outdoors, offering views across the city and bringing fresh air into everyday office life.The hospitality setting creates a moment of pause within the workplace. Staff move here for coffee, informal conversations or larger events that bring the entire office together.

Sustainability forms a key part of the project’s design approach. The building itself operates entirely on renewable energy and has achieved a 6 Star Green Star rating along with a 5.5 Star NABERS Energy rating. The interior fitout continues this commitment through careful material selection, limited over-cladding and strategies that maximise natural light and indoor air quality.Water efficiency measures and sustainable material sourcing contribute to the overall environmental performance of the workplace.

These initiatives align with Ashurst’s broader commitment to responsible business practices while also improving the everyday experience for staff working within the space.

For the firm, the new headquarters reflects a forward-looking view of how legal workplaces will continue to evolve. The design supports focus, collaboration, client engagement and everyday wellbeing within a single, integrated environment.

For Ashurst’s Sydney team, the workplace offers something simple yet significant. A place designed to support people doing their best work together.

Sustainability: 6 Star Green Star, 5.5 Star NABERS Energy

Energy Source: 100% renewable energy powered building

Status: Completed 2025

Project Credits

Architecture & Interior Design: Architectus

Builder: MPA

Photography: Nicole England