LMS Energy Headquarters

Level one of LMS Energy Headquarters arrives at a communal space with modular lounges in sand and pale pink. Sandy coloured tiles lead through a breakout kitchen in pale green, matt black fittings and fixtures, and white benches. A couple of staff gather in the kitchen chatting. Another staff member walks through from the offices at the rear with a box. Two staff meet in a meeting room off to the side that has concertina doors that open to the lounge for larger groups to gather. The warm timber joinery softens the black steel framing that separates the exposed services in the ceiling space.

LMS Energy Headquarters has relocated to Adelaide’s city fringe, merging conventional and separate offices into a hybrid workspace that reflects its innovative spirit and embraces the idea of a ‘workplace as a home.’ 

LMS Energy is Australia’s leading landfill biogas company and one of the most significant emissions reducers in Australia, offering a dependable source of sustainable power while reducing over 4 million tons of greenhouse gases from being released into the atmosphere each year. Its existing Adelaide-based head office was outdated and segregated, and split between two separate buildings it didn’t encourage interaction and teamwork between staff. Due to the limitations of the current workplace, and the company’s growth, LMS Energy acquired a base building to reimagine a flagship head office that reflects its vision and values. DesignInc consulted with staff across all levels of the business in an extensive process to provide LMS Energy with a detailed brief and workplace strategy that could be adopted nationally, starting with Adelaide as the pilot project.

The new workplace needed to be flexible and adaptable to accommodate LMS Energy’s rapid expansion and provide open-plan workstations zoned for specific functions within the business. The office would also need quiet and private areas for staff to take breaks from their desks and ease the transition to an open plan model. A spacious kitchen and breakout area would provide a retreat for staff and act as a social space for interaction across departments or large gatherings with industry partners and interstate colleagues. The goal was to create a workplace that fosters collaboration, increases employee satisfaction and supports the growth of LMS Energy.   

Location
Kaurna Country
Unley, South Australia
Client
LMS Energy
Value
$3.2M
Scale
880m²
Year
2023
Project Contact
Freya Kuchel
Photography
Sam Noonan
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One of the open plan workspaces. Staff sit at standing and sitting desks working in front of screen. You can peek into a quiet room adjoining the workspace through its glazed door and sidelight. A corridor leads to the other end of the floor with a peak into work booths along its length. Planter boxes with oxygen purifying plants top each work bank.
Workstations are zoned for specific functions within the business with adjacent quiet rooms and booths to ease the transition to an open-plan model

A hybrid workplace that prioritises employee satisfaction  

LMS Energy Headquarters provides working accommodation for 50+ staff spanning two levels and connected by a central feature stairway and communal zones. The open plan offices support a variety of work settings, such as quiet rooms, booth seating, formal meeting and informal collaboration spaces designed with careful attention to detail to provide an enhanced user experience. The contemporary working environment promotes teamwork and, aided by technology, this model offers support for both on-site and remote employees with the flexibility to move between the two work styles. A large kitchen and breakout space on the lower level provides a multi-functional space for food preparation and dining, ‘cafe-style’ meetings, recreational activities like table tennis and gaming, and gathering people together from interstate or industry.  

A central feature stairway becomes the gathering point for recreation and for staff to move about the office and interact with each other. Polished floors, black steel and exposed services are softened by plants, custom joinery in warm wood and soft furnishings in pale pink. A floating platform provides seating space together with cafe-style furniture and beanbags. A large kitchen and dining area is in the background with sheer curtains letting in light from the full height windows to the rear of the space. A large kitchen and breakout space on the lower level provides a multi-functional space for staff to interact and industry partners to gather together. Two staff play table tennis on the table in the breakout space. Another couple of staff hold an informal 'cafe style' meeting on a round black table in the space. A bank of lockers create the backbone of the kitchen and separate the space from amenities and are located near the car park for ease of access.
A large social space on the lower level provides a place for staff and industry partners to gather
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A tea point on the upper level provides a central kitchen for food preparation featuring matt black tapware and white tile splashback. The appliances and waste disposal systems are all hidden away behind pale green joinery. A planter box and glazed screen separate the space from the amenities.
Customised signage blends seamlessly with the design

The new office is a home away from home for our employees and has brought many staff back to office after the pandemic.

John Falzon
Chairman, LMS Energy

Combining industrial style with biophilic design 

The open floor plan incorporates rounded modern timber elements and an abundance of greenery within the brutalist aesthetic of the repurposed building. The exposed services, black metal elements and polished concrete floors pay homage to LMS Energy’s industrial enterprise and honour the building’s original central stairway and large windows facing the city parklands. The design leans into the inclusion of soft colours that provide a feeling of safety, calm and comfort to inspire office workers to return to the office post-pandemic.  

The biophilic design aims to connect humans with nature by using elements like plants and natural lighting sources that reduce stress levels in the office and promote wellbeing, creativity, and productivity. The fitout includes customised signage and modular office furniture that blend seamlessly with the design, and the spatial planning accommodates tech equipment without compromising the overall aesthetic. 

A central feature stairway connects the lower and upper floors and provides a focal point of the communal zones. Level one of LMS Energy Headquarters arrives at a communal space with modular lounges in sand and pale pink. Sandy coloured tiles lead through a breakout kitchen in pale green with matt black fittings and fixtures, and white benches. A staff member walks past the stairway and two staff meet in a meeting room in the background. A bank of lockers run the length of back of joinery that holds a tea point and appliances. The warm timber joinery softens the black steel framing that separates the exposed services in the ceiling space.
Open plan offices span two levels connected by a central feature stairway and communal zones

We could never have anticipated that the final product was even better than what we imagined. Our new office is a beautiful, practical and contemporary workspace that has everything we could ever want or need.

John Falzon
Chairman, LMS Energy

LMS Energy will attract top talent and optimise resources in its new adaptive and agile hybrid workplace. Combining the best of modern technology and physical comfort the new headquarters boosts employee productivity and overall quality of life in the work environment.

Jasmine Booth

Senior Architect, Adelaide