Brefni

Brefni is a medium-sized professional Civil Engineering and Plant Hire Company focusing on infrastructure and urban growth. In this modern commercial design project Brefni required better staff collaboration and connectivity across three floor levels. They also wanted to strongly reflect the Brefni brand.





Evoke Projects could see how there was a need to shift from their very traditional ways of working to support cultural changes and the future direction of the business. Collaboration makes the most of the knowledge, experience and skills in a workplace and this was the end-game.





Various staff amenities, meeting rooms, breakout areas and focus zones were implemented across all floors to provide spaces where staff can be productive during their day. The accessibility and availability of these spaces across all floors encourages collaboration between departments.





Design features that represent Brefni’s history were incorporated to reflect the brand and provide a natural talking point for anyone who visits the building.





The building comprises three levels connected with a stairwell and voided section across all floors. The sleek, industrial, monochromatic design makes use of the structural elements of the building, exposing the concrete slab throughout. Exposed services complement the industrial nature of the business along with metal design details and features.





The use of black and white creates a striking contrast against the concrete surfaces with bold blackened-out ceilings, matte black joinery and stairwell balustrades. An abundance of plant life was introduced into the design to incorporate an element of nature throughout, in particular a green wall that has been installed expanding over two floors and is a real feature upon entry.





The historical elements that pay tribute to the Brefni brand make this a true stand-out. The features include the reception counter constructed from recycled timber, originally from the timber railway bridge at Bomaderry. The bridge was constructed in 1893 with the intention of extending the Illawarra Line south of the Shoalhaven River. Another historic piece is the coffee table in the reception area, which was constructed from a 1950s winder wheel salvaged from the Oakdale Colliery mining site.