Set within an integrated fitout at 60 Martin Place, Sydney, Banco Chambers consolidates the company’s two existing barristers’ offices into an elegant, combined workplace. Designers Bate Smart employed an iterative design process to resolve the planning, governed by Banco Chambers’ complex hierarchical structure, and developed a design narrative around the detail, order and procession of the barristers’ legal proceedings.

Spread across 2800m2, the design creates a strong sense of spatial sequencing to give legibility between the company’s work settings. In the reception, a magnificent collection of legal books is set within bespoke, full-height bookshelves and illuminated with integrated iGuzzini Laser Blade System 53 lighting. The frameless style of the lights’ recessed profile creates a seamless effect, highlighting Banco Chambers’ impressive legal library with gentle wash of light.

A curved staircase provides an organic counterbalance, connecting Banco Chambers’ two work floors and drawing movement into the heart of the workplace. Here, shared services, breakout areas, a library and event space nurture the working lives of the barristers and greater Banco Chambers team. The linear, gridded arrangement of books references the geometry of the base building, while a rich palette of olive, claret and tobacco tones connect with the surrounding Sydney landscape of Hyde Park and The Domain, and the legal library’s array of coloured book spines.

Reflecting the rigour and attention of Banco Chambers’ barristers, the workplace is thoughtfully overlaid with a series of tailored details. A stone-lined threshold to each chambers creates a formal sense of arrival inspired by the grand reveals and porticos of European architecture. Joinery elegantly combines classic white marble and warm timber veneer, while the stair is finished with a leather-wrapped handrail and stone stair nosings. Custom iGuzzini Laser 75mm can lights recede into the ceiling’s recessed channels delivering a highly considered general lighting solution that complements the interior.

Timeless, structured and rich in detail, Banco Chambers’ workplace represents the barristers’ ethos and professional sensibility. Bates Smart has carefully combined traditional, modernist and contemporary references to deliver an enduring workplace that reflects the legacy of Banco Chambers, while turning its head to the future.