BresicWhitney LNS: A Bold Contemporary Workplace Woven into A Century-old Civic Shell

Set within the historic Mosman ANZAC Memorial Hall, BresicWhitney Lower North Shore occupies a building that has served many lives over more than 100 years. Designed by Those Architects, the project approaches this heritage framework with both respect and conviction, retaining the building’s bones while introducing a distinctly contemporary interior language.

The first act was one of restraint. Original windows and the timber stair were carefully preserved, their presence anchoring the project in its past. Partition walls were removed to restore spatial generosity, allowing the hall to read once again as a continuous volume. Rather than rebuilding enclosure, the design relies on subtle architectural devices to define space, creating an open, flexible workplace that can shift between public and private modes with ease.

At the centre of the plan, a sculptural stainless-steel ribbon becomes the project’s organising element. Rising to 1500 millimetres and curving fluidly through the space, it delineates reception, meeting areas, workspaces, and amenities while maintaining visual continuity and shared access to light. The ribbon introduces rhythm and movement, reinforcing a sense of flow rather than separation.

Workstations follow the same logic. Steel desks are formed as continuous, sculptural elements rather than fixed, hierarchical stations, encouraging equality, adaptability, and collaboration. Meeting spaces are deliberately contrasted. One is formal, lit from above by a sculpted skylight. Another is softer and more intimate, designed to accommodate quieter conversations. Together, they support a range of interactions without disrupting the openness of the plan.

Behind the steel ribbon, the kitchen is partially concealed yet remains connected to the life of the office. Bathrooms introduce a shift in tone through warm stone and rich colour, while the reception area is marked by a substantial marble desk positioned at the top of the restored timber stair, a moment that bridges old and new with clarity.

Colour and materiality carry much of the project’s identity. A deep French Blue coats the mesh ceiling and selected joinery, visible from the street and acting as a beacon for passers-by. It is balanced by neutral, textured walls, natural oak flooring, stainless steel, and richly veined stone. The palette is limited but intentional, allowing overlap and contrast to create both openness and functional distinction.

Cultural expression is woven throughout. Art, objects, and spatial gestures reflect the brand’s connection to place, people, and narrative rather than overt corporate signalling. The workplace becomes an extension of BresicWhitney’s public-facing ethos, grounded, confident, and deeply local.

In an era where many offices lean toward either domestic softness or corporate anonymity, the BresicWhitney workplace occupies a more considered middle ground. It demonstrates how adaptive reuse can support contemporary work while retaining meaning, and how a workplace can feel both purposeful and generous.

The project stands as an example of how design can extend the life of a civic building, not by freezing it in time, but by allowing it to continue serving people in new and relevant ways.

Project Date: 2023-2024

Project Credits

Architecture & Interior Design: Those Architects

Builder: Forma Projects

Styling: Grant Stewart

Photography: Luc Rémond & Ben Hosking