East is Great

East is Great

A full-height colour-back glass panel to the right of the reception desk is backlit with blue neon lighting and features the Amgen signage in stainless steel.

'Blue is the corporate colour, hence its introductions,' says Orpen. 'The colour also adds to the clinical look and makes this features reminiscent of an operating theatre lamp.'

Walls that appear to be freestanding highlight the lifts at the opposite end of effect, the charcoal-painted walls incorporate stainless steel panels with integrated lift controls.

Charcoal is also the shade of the reception seating. Orpen says the earthly tones of the furniture and rug relate to the overall concept for the fitout.

'While we wanted a neutral, but well-defined interior, we add accents of colour through the art work and furniture to enliven the spaces,' she says. 'In the reception area it is art work that performs that functions.'

The clinical look of the office reception is softened for the rest of the Amgen interior, with neutral tones predominating. However, the addition of red feature walls and red chairs in the cafe and meeting rooms brightens these space.

In opposition to the current trend toward open-plan offices, the Amgen brief called for a large number of individual offices. These were designed with insulated, full-height partitions to provide a high level of acoustic privacy. They are positioned in the centre of the building, with workstations around the perimeter.

As the cafe and training rooms are often used for entertaining, they have their own discrete entry. This passage features the History Wall - a collection of pictures and articles highlighting the work of the company over the years.