Set within the former David Jones menswear store at 121 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, Soul Patts’ new 1,200sqm workplace brings together more than a century of history with a contemporary vision for the future.
The building provided a rich architectural starting point. Heritage sandstone and travertine, riveted steel columns and robust waffle slabs speak to its past, while a dramatic central atrium and skylight form part of its transformation into a new mixed-use destination. Our approach was to work with these layers rather than compete with them, creating a workplace that feels equally established and young, structured and soft, classic and unexpected.
For Soul Patts, this balance was particularly important. With a history stretching back more than a century, the organisation wanted its workplace to reflect both the strength of its legacy and the evolution of its brand. Its extensive archive of artefacts became integral to the design, with curated moments embedded throughout the workplace rather than confined to a conventional display. Heritage is experienced as part of the everyday, creating a tangible connection between where the organisation has come from and where it is going.
Equally important was transforming the way people connect. Soul Patts’ previous workplace was divided across two wings, creating physical separation between teams and limiting incidental interaction. The new workplace brings everyone together within a single, connected environment, encouraging movement, visibility and collaboration.
The central atrium presented both an opportunity and an acoustic challenge. A series of meeting-room pavilions was introduced along its edge, providing an acoustic shield between the atrium and focused work areas while defining the workplace spatially. Beyond these pavilions, the breakout space becomes a moment of reveal. Natural light floods through the atrium and illuminates glass brick elements, creating a space that feels warm, generous and unexpected.
Glass brick also provides an important bridge between past and present. Referencing Soul Patts’ historic leadlight signage, its reinterpretation through a contemporary material language captures the evolution of the brand without resorting to literal nostalgia. A rich, warm material palette further softens the building’s robust structural character and creates an inviting, residential quality.
This sense of welcome extends to the arrival experience. Rather than a corporate reception, visitors are welcomed into an environment designed to feel familiar, comfortable and distinctly Soul Patts. Across the workplace, moments of heritage sit alongside contemporary interventions, creating an environment grounded in history but confident in its future.
The result is a workplace that does more than accommodate Soul Patts. It expresses the organisation’s character through contrast and balance: success with humility, heritage with evolution, structure with softness. Most importantly, it replaces separation with connection, creating a shared home for the next chapter of Soul Patts.
