Warren and Mahoney has taken home its second consecutive Good Design Award for their design of one of Auckland’s oldest established law firms. Creating an open plan office for the law practice of Russell McVeagh earned the architecture firm a win in the Architectural Design: Interior Design category.

The law office takes up three and a half levels of the Vero Centre on Shortland Street and the client wanted to transition into a space that was more flexible to accommodate new lawyers entering the market. The Awards’ jury said of Warren and Mahoney’s design, “The workspace is agile, and of a discerning design quality intent on attracting and retaining the brightest legal minds in New Zealand. The space is anchored by a bold, curated social hub underpinning wellbeing at the heart of the project.”

The team who received the award was comprised of Nicholas Bandounas, Mikyla Hickey, Scott Compton and Lauren Hickling. The workspace challenges the conventional design of legal workplaces, according to project principal Scott Compton. With no defined workspaces and no hierarchy, all employees are granted 360-degree views of Auckland.

“This space is all about the aspiring lawyer. The world of law has moved on; status is foregone for a more democratic, open and agile operation where Douglas Fir and open vistas replace mahogany desks and the ‘partner’ office,” says Compton.

Australia’s Good Design Awards programme has been celebrating excellence and innovation in design across a variety of categories and countries since 1958. It is now one of the most noteworthy design awards in the world. Warren and Mahoney was awarded the “Best in Category for Architectural Design: Interior Design” in 2017 as well for its refurbishment of the Auckland TVNZ Television Network Centre.