Yaffa Media is an independent, family-owned, media company operating for almost 70 years. Consisting of 27 individual print and digital brands, the company has a diversified team that allow them to provide quality products, spanning across a broad range of topics and industries.

Morphos were engaged by Yaffa Media to carry out an extensive strip-out and refurbishment of their 5-storey headquarters in the heart of Surry Hills. The wellbeing of staff was the central theme to the project. Our aim was to achieve this through improvements to collaborative areas, workstations and the addition of design elements to provide a comfortable workflow for staff.

In order to deliver a solution that would reflect their culture of forward thinking and creativity, our designers had to work closely with Yaffa’s team to understand their established values and what their staff required from their work environment. Being a refurbishment of the entire building, our team also had to take into consideration logistical implications, to allow Yaffa’s staff to remain in the space while works were carried out.

Occupying a multi-level office, Yaffa’s directors were very conscious of all staff receiving equal access to workplace amenities. To accomplish this, our team designed individual kitchenette areas on each floor to accommodate staff throughout the building. The accessibility of amenities was key in allowing a smooth function within each department, without the need for constant movement between floors. While the kitchenette area on each floor was designed to be generous in space and functionality, Level 3 also featured an extended breakout area, to accommodate everything from one-on-one interactions, to large ‘town-hall’ meetings. The abundant collaborative areas were all designed to encourage staff interaction and move people away from the traditional work areas.

Being a large scale media company, there was a specific importance on maintaining workflow for staff in the newly refurbed space, to ensure the smooth function of projects as well as supporting staff interaction. Large utility areas were integrated throughout the office, with equipment to suit different departments. Shelved storage options were also integrated into the design to maximise the space and compensate for the slightly smaller desk space. Even small details such as placement of bins were thought-out, to encourage staff to move around and ultimately interact with work mates along the way. To add to the promotion of staff wellbeing, sit-to-stand desks were introduced; a growing trend and necessity in healthy office spaces.

The transformation of Yaffa was significant and well received by staff. The refurbishment is a stunning example of evolving trends in design, with the open plan work area, exposed ceilings and increased emphasis on collaboration being successfully integrated into Yaffa’s new office space.