Suncorp lures workers back to office with tech and design at new Brisbane headquarters

Mirvac project director Cris Johansen said changes were made throughout Suncorp’s fit-out to include individual and group breakout spaces.

Insurance giant Suncorp is hoping to lure more of its workers back to the office after moving into Mirvac’s $856m new office tower in the heart of the Brisbane CBD.

The project, called Heritage Lanes at 80 Ann St, was announced by the property developer ahead of the pandemic and evolved to meet the changing needs of businesses.

“Covid is big behaviourally, psychologically, economically and workwise,” said Suncorp chief executive Steve Johnston.

The company already had a flexible work policy in place stemming from the Brisbane floods in 2011. Suncorp will now condense from three city sites to one across 18 levels.

“We do see a need for people to come into the office. We require them to spend some time in the office, but that time will be more around collaboration, development planning, teamwork and innovation,” Mr Johnston said.

“If we expect people to come to the office, then they have to have the workspace to facilitate that. I really do see this as a huge catalyst for us in the new year to really reinvigorate.”

The green-rated building spans 35 levels and more than 60,000sq m of premium-grade office space, embracing leading technology, sustainability, and design. It was designed to be “quintessentially Queensland”, with natural hues of green, blue and terracotta complimented by a range of textures, including timber and cork.

Suncorp CEO Steve Johnston: ‘If we expect people to come to the office, then they have to have the workspace to facilitate that.

But to meet the growing needs of business to work in a health conscious and safe way, Mirvac project director Cris Johansen said changes were made throughout Suncorp’s fit-out to include individual and group breakout spaces, collaborative desk set-ups and high-quality technology and video conferencing integration as well as sensor-enabled tapware in the bathrooms.

In the future, it is hoped vaccinations and rapid antigen testing will be able to be completed on-site.

“Various forecasts said the CBD is dead and that everyone’s moving out to the countryside to work remotely,” Mr Johansen said. “We have no question in our mind that all the cities are not dead.”

Heritage Lanes, 80 Ann St.

Heritage is 95 per cent let, with one floor remaining. Auditors KPMG and gas company APA will also move in. Several deals have also been struck with retailers on the ground floor. It is set to be completed early 2022.

Mirvac also revitalised the urban precinct at Heritage Lanes with a unique retail offering, public spaces, and activation program.

Mr Johnston noted that part of the reason the company had moved in early was to play a role in the reinvigoration of the CBD post-Covid.