This week we sat down with Holger Arians, CEO of Banxa. This Australian-founded company has created a payment services platform for cryptocurrencies and is experiencing significant growth within an industry that is itself growing rapidly.

In searching for a new workplace to accommodate this growth, the company was clear in its intention to stay in Cremorne where like-minded businesses within the industry could be close by. BRM has been involved from the early stages of the project, from search and property strategy, to the design of the new premises, handover of the old premises and relocation. This end to end service was delivered within a tight timeframe, against the backdrop of lockdowns and COVID.

Our Q&A with Holger Arians offers a glimpse into the experience and what it was like to deliver a project of this nature against the backdrop of a global pandemic.

The commercial real estate industry has emerged from the past two years having learned some valuable lessons. One such lesson is the need for open and trusting relationships between landlords and tenants. Landlords were forced to listen to their tenants throughout lockdowns and this has continued into 2022, where tenants’ needs are shaping new trends in the commercial property market. 

BRM has helped our clients through some difficult dilemmas and tough decisions regarding their office space. From early on in the pandemic, right through to opening up and returning to work, we have observed, surveyed and listened to the needs of these tenants, what they expect from their buildings, their space and their landlords.

This is what they want from their offices in 2022:

They’re just snapshots for now, but we thought we’d share some progress updates of three exciting projects that we’ll be delivering this year.

Each project is at a different stage of delivery and each design brief has a different purpose. 

So how does the Design Team stay on top of all three?

With the support of our Property Team, BRM’s designers transition back and forth between jobs, lending their skills to multiple facets of each project, all the while ensuring that things are running smoothly, to budget and on time. 
The week is broken down into various elements of a project, from design and documentation, to site visits and liaising with suppliers and the client. 
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Here is a glimpse of how we work:

Last week BRM’s design team presented to three different clients on their upcoming projects in 2022:

1. An accounting firm creating a new home that personifies its brand and values and will welcome clients and staff back to the city.

2. A tech company in Cremorne looking to support substantial growth in a booming sector.

3. Assisting Yoo Rrook Justice Commission to create a base that reflects their community and creates a safe space for exploration of the past.
 
Despite the varying needs of each client, the BRM design process remains the same across all projects. As a team our priority is to help our clients realise their ideas through a collaborative journey.  We listen to our client and try to understand their strategic goals. We then consider the limitations, costs and opportunities within the existing building to allow us to create a space that articulates the needs of the business and reflects the changes it will go through.

​This month we’re featuring our latest Property and Design project for Optalert – a project like no other we’ve ever delivered!

Innovative medtech company Optalert has partnered with BRM Projects as its trusted property and design consultants for the past ten to fifteen years. Over the long course of Optalert’s rise from tech startup to globally recognised brand, BRM has delivered three search, fitout and relocation projects across multiple CEOs and Executive teams. Despite our thorough understanding of Optalert’s evolving workplace needs and the longevity of our relationship , we had never faced challenges like those of the past year. Still, BRM managed to overcome this tumultuous period and successfully deliver Optalert’s new workplace.

BRM was founded in Cremorne and has been providing property advice in the Cremorne area for almost two decades. This month BRM are proud to be delivering our latest project for one of the area’s most interesting commercial tenants.
 
Banxa is responsible for creating a ground-breaking payment services platform for cryptocurrencies. Within an industry that is experiencing its own hyper growth, Banxa is one of the fastest growing players. When the time came to relocate to an office that would accommodate this growth, Banxa engaged BRM to conduct an initial property search. With its previous headquarters based in Cremorne, Banxa chose to stay in the area so they could benefit from like-minded businesses and potentially move closer to those in the cryptocurrency industry.
 
BRM has been involved from the early stages of the project, from search and property strategy, to the design of the new premises, handover of the old premises and relocation. This end to end service is being delivered within a tight timeframe, against the backdrop of lockdowns. Despite the challenges of 2021, our Property and Design teams have fervently delivered each stage of the project to see the client move into its new home on Level 2 at 2-6 Gwynne St, Cremorne. This is an exciting time for the Cryptocurrency industry and this particular address which, with a growing number of tenants like Banxa, is repositioning itself as an industry-specific building.

​We haven’t yet seen the full impact of the pandemic on the CBD office market. Companies are still adjusting to the new working landscape and leases are measured in years, with 3-6 years plus options and fitout investment to consider. However findings due to be released by Infrastructure Australia in December will show a 10% reduction in CBD workspace demand. This reduction is largely a response to the pandemic and the changes it has triggered within the workplace. Such changes include the shift to Working From Home, a new attitude to office space and issues around health and safety.
 
The release of the IA’s findings will likely coincide with the middle and end of many commercial leases and more tenants will begin to question the CBD office model. As tenants start to reduce their footprint, there will be a cumulative effect resulting in far less office demand in the CBD.
 
But does this mean your company should leave? Before you pack up to relocate elsewhere, there’s a few things you may want to consider:

The last two years has seen an incredible shift in the way we work. In response to the pandemic, lockdowns and office closures forced companies to quickly adopt a Working From Home (WFH) model. 18 months into the pandemic, this model has not only proven to be effective, it has revealed some surprising benefits, and has become an entrenched behaviour in workplaces throughout the world. As a permanent and full time model however, WFH cannot be solely relied upon.
 
We have seen enough to give us an idea of what 2022 will look like for workplaces. As we approach our vaccination targets, we can hope for fewer lockdowns and a return to the office. But what will that office look like upon our return?

​An increase in flexible workspaces hasn’t led to the death of the CBD office as predicted.
However, offices that were traditionally used 5 days a week are now being re-considered as part time spaces that serve a different purpose.
 
As they return to the office, employees are no longer looking for just a desk and a boardroom. They need a space that will re-enforce the social connections pivotal to daily work. Furthermore, the office’s role in brand positioning is vital as many companies attempt to bounce back after a year at home. This fresh take on the office space, while exciting from a workplace point of view, will have significant implications for occupancy rates, as commercial tenants begin to re-assess their property strategies.

Renowned architects and urban designers Maud Cassaignau and Markus Jung likened Cremorne to the industrial areas of London and New York: “What struck us was the diversity of typologies…People seemingly didn’t know it so well. We felt that here was something really precious” 

This tiny inner pocket of Melbourne, sits quietly behind the Monash Freeway. Once a manufacturing precinct, it’s working class character still remains, with the original signs and factories a beautiful reminder of days gone by. Melburnians love the suburbs that pay homage to our past, but Cremorne has recently emerged as something more…
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