End of trip facilities can be a lot of things. What they normally are not is a basketball court, complete with scoreboard, three-point line and bleachers. Allan Marshall of Studio Allan Marshall - or SAM - has created a one-of-a-kind space available to tenants and their guests in a luxury office building refurbishment in Sydney’s CBD.
201 Kent Street is a landmark 34-level office tower located in Barangaroo with immediate access to public transport, Sydney Harbour and an amazingly inventive end-of-trip and break room, dubbed The Cove.
The space features the aforementioned basketball court, with stadium style seating. Laminex Oiled Legno reaches skyward behind the clear backboard, its semi-circular shape and authentic veneer finish a fitting ode to the vintage courts and old-school gymnasiums it takes its inspiration from. Vinyl flooring has been employed to create the key, free-throw line and three-point line areas, its tiled application the perfect solution to the aesthetic and pragmatic needs of the room.
“It had the ceiling height, and the client asked, ‘could we fit a basketball court? What else could we put in here?’ And we came up with the court and the golf simulator. So, with those two bits of information, the concept was built around that.”
The court runs straight into the bleachers where Laminex Oiled Legno is teamed with Laminex Brushed Brass and elegant French washed walls and facing panels in soft grey. There’s no escaping the palette, it’s repeated to great effect in the bar—this time on a pressed steel ceiling and box patterned tiles. The green paint was custom made for the project and applied in a polyurethane paint for durability. Ready for hosting and entertaining, the bar adds a chess board and further seating.
To the left of the court, the golf simulator—already commanding a booking a month in advance—is a prime feature, but the billiard table, dartboard, and NBA Jam arcade game original also find their audience, and round out the space.
“I would call it an end of trip rec-room,” says Marshall of the multi-purpose level, “we were very lucky to have a forward-thinking client that let us run with it all.”
Like a scene out of movie, The Cove is fun, unexpected and very, very appealing; it’s hard not to imagine yourself enjoying some element of the room. Behind SAM’s crafty handiwork though, it’s hardwearing and tough; the perfect embodiment of—and match to—the Laminex ethos.
“To be fair, I use Laminex on most of my projects," says Marshall. “I use it for multiple reasons, but mainly I find the quality is great versus the competitors, the colour palette is much more forward-thinking, and there’s a bigger range. And now, there are things like the new Australian Natives Collection. So, for me, I can always find what I’m looking for.”
“Unique spaces for bold humans,” is how Marshall puts it. “We do spatial design and creative consultancy,” he says of the personality filled projects, but all this fun is nothing if it doesn’t translate to leases, contracts and use. Completed at the end of October last year, occupancy rates have soared at 201 Kent—just try getting a spot on the simulator!
“It’s really good to do something like this, but when it actually works for purpose as well—people are using it as was intended—that’s the sign of true success.”
With larger businesses and companies looking to encourage employees back to the office, and investors needing their buildings filled, it will take more out of the box thinking like Marshall’s to get the engagement they desire. Success stories like The Cove are a validation of that kind of thinking—and so long as we have to go into the office—hopefully this is a taste of what’s in store.
Learn more about the project and explore SAM’s portfolio on their website.
Credits:
Design: Studio Allan Marshall
Client: Investa – 201 Kent St Sydney
Build: Shape Australia
Joinery: Oska Group
Photography: Robert Nilsson
Banner image features The Cove’s central hub, featuring Laminex Oiled Legno in the arched basketball hoop back wall, as well as throughout the bar area, which also features subtle accents of Laminex Brushed Brass.
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