Iconic furniture and hybrid thinking at 120 Collins Street

22 January 2026

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In a full circle moment for Hassell, the tower was originally designed by Daryl Jackson Architects in conjunction with Hassell in the early 1990s, More Space meets Ingrid Bakker, principal and co-leader of Hassell’s commercial and workplace sector to chat about the reinvigorated 120 Collins Street in Melbourne. Exploring the studio’s ‘big picture’ approach to the hybrid office: flexible work areas, lush urban gardens, vibrant cafes, rooftop terraces and iconic furniture, it's a dynamic project that has redefined one of the city’s more distinguished office buildings.

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As Daniel Davis, head researcher at Hassell, writes, the desk is no longer the measure of the workplace. As we balance between home office, business lounge and co-working spaces, the composition of what goes into the office – and what people want – is shifting in lots of interesting ways.  

Catching up with Ingrid Bakker, principal and co-leader of Hassell’s commercial and workplace sector, our discussion turns to the ‘big picture’ thinking that has amplified Hassell’s approach. With projects as diverse as Medibank Place and the Australian Ballet headquarters, the studio’s hybrid thinking has most recently shaped 120 Collins Street in Melbourne’s CBD on Wurundjeri Country.

The Standard sofa by Edra is designed for relaxed conversation.

'Di Ritter led the furniture selection and the end-of-trip facility design. She was a very clever designer who was all about having the best quality furniture you could possibly afford to ensure that a project has both longevity and timelessness.’

Ingrid Bakker, Principal, Hassell

With all the energy of a hotel foyer, the revitalised interior has dynamic places to meet and quiet areas to relax, and an end-of-trip facility with superior functionality.

Part hospitality and part co-working space, the project is a fresh take on the foyer with flexible work areas and lush urban gardens, vibrant cafes, soaring mezzanines, places for social gatherings and casual business meetings, boardrooms and anti-spaces, a supremely kitted out end-of-trip facility, and rooftop terraces for lingering and relaxation and letting in natural light.

‘We opened the foyer up to the surrounding heritage buildings and reflected those buildings back into the space. The beautiful warmth of the bricks and the heritage details. In a way the previous foyer was introverted and not engaged with the city, so another part of the brief was inviting the city in. It is like a hotel lobby in some ways. The quality of the space and its detail, furniture and lighting is very much in line with the expectation of hospitality, and we had the opportunity to add a lot of beautiful furniture.’

The Jim armchair by Swedish designers Claesson Koivisto Rune for Arflex.

Large skylights from the sky deck bring natural light deep inside.

Creating connection and flexibility is key to the project. You can sit down for a coffee, head to a lounge or an armchair for casual catchups, book a boardroom or go out to the garden courtyard and its cool microclimate. Tactile furniture pieces in soft hues and extra texture add another layer. A collaboration with the Space Commercial team centred on iconic collections, with the Edra Standard and B&B Italia’s Tufty-Time sofas selected for casual meeting spaces and places to relax.

'The idea for the furniture was to bring in colour to lift the whole space, to make it feel inviting and comfortable and not too formal or corporate. Di Ritter led the furniture selection and the end-of-trip facility design. She was a very clever designer who was all about having the best quality furniture you could possibly afford to ensure that a project has both longevity and timelessness.’

It’s not just the tenants who are attracted to the space (its impressive 95% occupancy is a city standout), the building’s lobby is buzzing. Cafes are busy, people are using the space for meetings, catchups with colleagues, or a few emails between appointments. ‘I saw a friend there the other day who’s not a tenant but had time to drop in between meetings up the road. There are not a lot of new buildings going up at the moment, so we really need to look at our existing ones and make the most of them. Obviously that’s a great thing to do from an environmental perspective, the most sustainable buildings are the ones that are already built.'