Phil Celebrates 25 Years at Guymer Bailey

2020 marks a special year in the career of our Directors, Phil Jackson and Kavan Applegate - they both celebrate 25 years at Guymer Bailey Architects. After celebrating Kavan’s anniversary early this year, this week is Phil’s turn.

To mark this occasion and celebrate the incredible contribution Phil has made to Guymer Bailey Architects, we reached out to some of his friends, team and clients to hear what they had to say about him.

“25 years - congratulations! Are you sick of me yet?! I’m remembering long, long hours on uni assignments together (and you realising we needed to completely redesign a railway station 3 weeks before it was due) and loads of wonderful projects we’ve worked on over the years. I couldn’t be prouder to be your business partner, and dear, dear friend.”

— Kavan Applegate

“I clearly remember the day you started as a student architect with Tim and I at GBA, Phil. I watched you develop as you finished your degree and took up Project Architect roles often with me on my projects, plus many of your own over the years.

I recognised your design talents early and saw a great future for you. I really enjoyed working with you over the last 25 years. When GBA joint ventured with Architectus to go after the Brisbane Supreme Court, Phil you happily took up the project with me and we spent much time together out of the Architectus office in the city. You have won architectural awards for your own projects too.

When Tim and I decided to sell GBA to our staff, I was personally pleased to see you take up the challenge to be a part owner of GBA and to see you with Kavan Applegate and Paul Mathieson develop the company into what it is today.”

— Ralph Bailey

“Phil congratulations on a successful 25 years. It is rare to work with someone that sets an enviable standard – Phil is one such example. He listens, considers, and relentlessly works to get a high quality outcome and always has time for all team members. His professionalism and ease of interaction makes him a delight to work with and I always feel we will outperform when working together.”

— Dr Iain C. Jennings

“Congratulations Phil for all the years of work and leadership at GBA - and you still look so young! ...and are still able to laugh! How can you work so hard and long and still find humour and delight? Thank you for the tireless work you put in for the Catholic schools especially the LLS ERaMPs! Your dedication, inspiration and perspiration and the calibre of the team you applied to that big project were beyond anything any client should ever expect. Your ability to engage with, consult and sort out that herd of cats and the graciousness with which you did it was simply extraordinary. I am sure it was what you might consider your “ordinary” modus operandi and if that is so you have many happy clients I am sure. Cheers and all the very best.”

— Rick Dalmau

“Congratulations on 25 years Phil, it has been an absolute pleasure to work for a great company under your leadership. Over the last 12 years I’ve learnt so much from you and I am often overwhelmed by your dedication, passion, and knowledge. Your calm approach to any challenge is a real asset and your understanding and drive for sustainable outcomes admirable.”

— Suzanne Goodson

“I remember coming to my job interview where I briefly met you Phil yet walked away with a really good feel, mostly due to your nature. It’s crazy to think you have been here for 25 years - and that you’re younger than me!! GBA was your first and only right?! So, it must be time for you to make a change, get out and broaden your horizons 😉!

A few words that I think sum you up Phil (in no particular order):
Fair
Calm
Can laugh and take a joke
Extremely ethical
Reserved, unassuming and avoids the spotlight
Modest
Good guy and excellent leader
Great dad (not sure about husband…wink wink)
Trusting
Way too hard a worker!
… and without doubt an amazing designer

I wouldn’t want to work any where else. The effort that you and Kavan make to ensure GBA is a great place to work is second to none. From the space we work and collaborate, to the ‘social bits’, both in and out of the office. It’s been challenging but definitely enjoyable working with you. Congratulations on your accomplishments and where you have come in 25 years! It’s no mean feat!”

— Scott Schindel

“Phil Jackson congratulations on your 25 year anniversary. We love your work, your problem solving skills are always on point and delivered with a smile. It’s a pleasure to work with a consummate professional who I would never hesitate to recommend”

— Allan Satterthwaite

“Thank you Phil for the opportunity to work together on Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve. You’re a gifted designer and exceptional manager with a great team. Congratulations on 25 years with GBA - you’re a star! ”

— Norman Richards

Phil’s impressive career has included designing many award-winning projects including the Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve Rainforest Discovery Centre, Brisbane Supreme and District Courts, Maroochy Arts and Ecology Centre and the Caloundra Courthouse and Watchhouse. We’ve included some of our favourite projects that Phil has worked on below.

Phil, thank you for your leadership, design nous and passion that is seen through all that you do. Here’s to the next 25 years!

How COVID-19 has impacted commercial design

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in significant changes to the way we all work and operate. To explore these changes in more detail and look at how they will impact commercial design moving forward, we sat down with Senior Interior Designer, Gohta Shiraishi, to get his take on design in a post-COVID world.

How do you think the COVID-19 pandemic has changed commercial design?

Pre-COVID, the recent trend has been for many corporate organisations to consolidate their property portfolios and centralise their operations. Where previously they may have had several offices scattered around the metro area, many corporations have closed their scattered offices and moved their operations to large buildings in the CBD. They have been able to save real estate costs and operational costs with this consolidation with the added benefit of the prestige that CBD addresses bring.

But with the COVID-19 pandemic I think there will be a reversal of this mentality. Scattered offices in the outer urban areas provide a lot of potential benefits to their employees, mostly around commuting. In a post COVID world there will be more reluctance to use mass public transport and many workers will probably prefer closer workplaces that they can drive or better yet cycle to.

The ‘hub and spoke’ model will greatly facilitate this arrangement and help reduce the movement of people. This will be beneficial not only for future pandemics but also in easing the strain on our public transport system and road networks.

I believe the greatest change in commercial design will be driven by the collective workforce’s desire to have flexible working arrangements. We are likely to see fewer workstations on-site and more collaborative working spaces to support new working arrangements. There will be more digital connectivity to allow people to work from anywhere and potentially smaller office footprints with more sub-lease arrangements to streamline corporate property assets. 

How do you think the corporate world will respond to the new flexible model of working?

I believe that mixed working (home and in the office) is here to stay. The technology to be able to perform professional services work remotely has been around for quite some time; however, there has been a widespread reluctance to adopt it at such a broad scale. The COVID-19 paradigm has forced professional industries to adapt to a ‘working from home’ model and the last few months has proven that it can work just fine.

According to recent surveys conducted by WKspace based in the UK, most workers would prefer a mixed week of days in the office and days working from home in the post COVID world. Almost 50% of their respondents reported a preference for 2-3 days in the office.

From the same studies, 70% of respondents prefer to perform concentrated working from home, and a similar percentage at 65% prefer to perform collaborative work in the office. Interestingly there was only a slight majority at 54% that would prefer to conduct meetings in the office, and 68% prefer to socialise with colleagues in the office as well.

Based on these findings it’s easy to see a future where office spaces are geared up to be more like collaboration hubs for teams to come together, meet, discuss, delegate and then return home to complete their allotted tasks if suitable.

An interesting outcome of this co blend working environment of some people being at home and in the office is how video conferencing (VC) is being treated. Pre-COVID it was very typical to hold larger meetings in conference rooms with VC feeds to other conference rooms in other offices.

But with a potential mix of people being onsite or working from home, this presents some interesting challenges to that VC working arrangement. There is a fear of exclusion that comes about if there are only a few participants that are on VC with the rest of the participants being in person.

Therefore, it has become almost policy in some organisations where if one person is dialling in individually then everyone must dial in individually from their own PC/laptops, even if they are onsite. This creates a more level meeting environment and is a great equaliser.

Looking at our own organisation, Guymer Bailey, as an example, when we have VC meetings with our Brisbane and Melbourne colleagues we often dial in individually on our own devices, this way it is easier for an individual to be heard no matter where their location is.

I anticipate that there will be more demand for individual VC solutions, webcams, and headsets. There will also be a need for improved internet connectivity to facilitate such arrangements. When it comes to network infrastructure, I believe there will be an even greater transition to cloud-based networking solutions to mitigate the bottlenecking of office VPN connections and the like.

What about hot desks, are they a thing of the past now or here to stay?

It is likely that hot desks will become even more common. Sharing spaces may seem counterintuitive at first, but if you think about it, it is much easier to enforce a clean desk policy with a hot desk than it is with a dedicated workstation per person. Hot desks force people to be more mindful of what items they need to get their work done and avoid the build-up of the clutter.

This will make it possible for more thorough cleaning to be performed overnight and will be more hygienic, so long as a thorough and regular cleaning regime is in place. Also, dedicated workstations take up more real estate and it is likely that it will only be used half the time. So, I believe hot desks are more likely to become the norm, but with careful cleaning and sanitisation protocols. 

Are you finding projects are applying new design principles in response to COVID-19?

There have been several projects that are applying new design principles in response to COVID-19. Interestingly, most has been focused on immediate risk mitigation in the short and medium-term. So simple things like rearranging seating layouts to ensure social distancing and meeting the 4sqm per person density quotient.

Interestingly there is a collective expectation that there will be a return to normality, so long-term design planning has not been overly affected yet. In fact, some of our projects where we are performing COVID distancing modifications have funding contingencies to revert works back to a pre-COVID setting.

However, what we have seen is a greater priority put towards upgrading and future proofing ICT infrastructure to support remote working. Also, as the white-collar workforce transitions back to the office, we are already seeing staggered days of staff working onsite or from home to comply with distancing guidelines. As the world begins the road to recovery and as economic confidence returns, I believe it is likely that we will see the next revolution in office design come. I for one am very optimistic and excited about the future of commercial design.

About Gohta Shiraishi

Gohta Shiraishi has over 10 years’ experience in the retail and commercial interior design sectors. Having a background in Industrial Design, Gohta is highly focused on the human interface with the built environment and is passionate about creating well thought out design solutions that are as functional as they are aesthetically pleasing.

Designing the Guymer Bailey Melbourne Studio

The Guymer Bailey Melbourne team have been in their home at the “top of the hill” in Camberwell for just over two years now. In some ways, we are still settling in, with work continuing. Recently, we changed some of the fixed windows to operable louvres to allow for fresh air through the office and our “booths”, secluded seating pods that resemble phone booths are currently under construction.

Starting with an empty floor, many of the team have had hands on involvement in the development of the studio, including the design, building and constructing our own furniture.

To find out more about the aspirations for the Melbourne Studio we sat down for a Q&A session with Senior Architect, David Ash, who played the lead role in the design and construction of the office fitout.

Using three words how would you describe the concept for the Melbourne studio design?

Collaboration, transparency, democracy.

Where did the inspiration come from?

Our inspiration and design ideas came from the aspirations we have for the practice. This was one of the first “collaboration” projects amongst the senior staff in the office and we got to think about and decide what our office needed to be, and what we wanted it to be like, in terms of the culture and the direction.

What was the most challenging aspect of having our own studio as a project?

The short timeframe and budget. As we were moving out of our old office space and into a new one, we had to factor in the decision making of where we were moving to first.

There was no set budget to begin with, but after we did the initial design and got it tendered, that gave us the benchmark/reality of what we were aiming to achieve. We also had to consider the cost of relocating the entire office, and other related overheads so we had to be realistic with what we could and couldn’t do.

Having said that, constructing to a budget does assist in the design and evaluation process and in our case assisted us in filtering through our priorities – with extremely positive outcomes.

What’s the most rewarding aspect?

I’d have to say the collaboration and the way everything came together. There were a few hiccups along the way, but through open discussions and a shared vision there was a strong design consensus.

Having been out of the main studio and on site for almost five years (including one year at a project office) it was good to get back into the design headspace. There were so many design ideas piled up! I had a lot of aspirations about materials, for example timber, and many of those personal design ideas were incorporated into the final build, so this is rewarding too.

Which element are you the most excited about?

The collaboration space in the middle of the office. It reinforces all the ideas of creating a collaborative design studio and process, and it’s a significant space in the office.

How do you know which ideas to keep and which ones to let go?

When you have a solid concept it’s easy to tell which ideas can be let go. For example, I wanted to design curved timber walls, but instead we did plasterboard, which was more economical. We kept the form, but it wasn’t imperative to keep the timber.

What is your favourite thing about our Camberwell studio?

The culture created by the office fitout. We are on our way to a more collaborative approach to design. While the mindset of the industry now is focused on tight project timeframes and the speed at which multiple projects can be completed, through the studio fitout, particularly the collaboration table, we aim to put more emphasis and importance on the design process.

Designing California Lane

California Lane is an exciting new laneway precinct that has opened behind popular Brunswick Street in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. The laneway, which is an extension of the Bakery Lane and Winn Lane developments, aptly incorporates retro elements from the nostalgic years of California.

With plans for California Lane started in 2013 by Guymer Bailey Architects, to celebrate the completion of this great new Brisbane addition we thought we would chat with Arthur Apostolos, from the family behind the Lanes, and talk about their vision and the design journey of California Lane.

The inspiration

What was the inspiration behind the design of California Lane?

“With California Lane, we wanted to add to our existing laneways that include Bakery Lane and Winn Lane and create a laneway with its own point of difference that would blend the heritage of the existing buildings with the context and history of the laneway.

In this case, the context was that our father owned the California Café, once located at Carroll’s Corner in Brunswick Street. He took it over in 1961 and had it for 45 years. This became the inspiration behind the design and the name of the laneway.”

The vision

What is your vision for the laneways?

“The laneways have been designed to represent the greater context of Brisbane, in that it’s a place where you can be yourself. The Valley has always been a place for everyone, rich or poor, successful or not successful, creative or not creative, the Valley has never distinguished between a type of person, and the laneways are the same.

We’re not targeting a specific demographic; anyone can go there who enjoys what’s on offer and what’s on offer is something Brisbane hasn’t had until now, a place where small independent retailers that are Brisbane unique can do business in a distinctively Queensland heritage setting.”

The design

California Lane had quite the design evolution from where it started, how has it changed?

“California Lane was originally scheduled for construction at the same time as Bakery Lane; however, it was pushed back as Bakery Lane became quite a large project. As a result, the design naturally evolved over this time.

We moved away from the initial civic culvert and shipping container concept and settled on a traditional structure in the shape of a container to be in line with the 1960s theme. The Valley was in its heyday during the 1950’s, and 1960’s, so we wanted to borrow aspects that captured that era in colours, materials, features and finishes as well as in the tenancies that run down the lane.

The civic culverts that originally featured on one side of the laneway were stripped back to create an alfresco area for tenants, allowing customers to linger and enjoy the nostalgic atmosphere of California Lane with its palm trees, pastel walls and neon signs.”

What is your favourite part of the design?

“My favourite part of the design besides the colours and fresh feel is the fact that California Lane is so narrow. Bakery Lane has a courtyard, Winn Lane is hippy and eclectic, and California Lane is a narrow laneway that connects all the way through to Ann Street, having the potential to be a thoroughfare like a traditional laneway.”

The result

Designed to achieve the delicate balance of business and pleasure and provide a haven for pedestrian traffic, the highly anticipated laneway showcases emerging brands and trendy boutiques among exquisite cafes, bars and eateries, to create an ideal spot for dining in style.

As we’re sure you can appreciate, reading about California Lane is one thing, but experiencing it for yourself is quite another. If you live in Brisbane or are due to visit, we encourage you to take a stroll back in time and enjoy the vintage West Coast vibes and fantastic food that California Lane is soon to be known for.