Fire and Emergency New Zealand
National Headquarters
the brief
Fire and Emergency New Zealand asked for our help to create a home, not only for Wellington staff but also for the whole organization, within an agile working philosophy. This is also a sustainable story about upcycling existing fitout elements and adding new features to transform a workspace.
A key element of the design was incorporating a Māori narrative, based on the origins of fire and its whakapapa with the story of Māui and Mahuika and the gift of fire
the concept
Our design built on FENZ’s new model of working post Covid, responding to the specific needs of each group to ensure the right mix of collaboration zones, desking and hybrid meeting spaces. A key element of the design was incorporating a Māori narrative, based on the origins of fire and its whakapapa with the story of Māui and Mahuika and the gift of fire.
what we did
We designed a large lounge for gatherings of FENZ staff from across New Zealand. New soft fitout elements and collab spaces provide staff with choices in how and where they work. We upcycled the existing fitout with new joinery, branding, theming and feature lighting. We collaborated with Toi Ake to design a meaningful Māori narrative for the space and incorporated the vision of ‘whakaratonga iwi or serving our people’ through welcoming spaces showcasing the past and the future of FENZ.
the results
We created a unique office environment that reflects FENZ’s organizational culture and an agile way of working. Clever blending of the existing fitout with new elements allowed FENZ to save costs and reduce fitout churn and wastage. The unique Māori narrative brings the whole design together and provides a strong cultural identity for FENZ.
