Jo Lee Magazine - Luxury Edition 2020

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Australia
Medibank
By Susan Berger
New York / San Francisco / Hong Kong / London / Tokyo /
Rome / Toronto
Providing health insurance throughout Australia, Medibank designed its
Melbourne Head Office to reflect its emphasis on the wellbeing of its
employees, defining health as physical, mental and social. The result was a
23-story building that encouraged physical movement throughout the day
and was called “the healthiest building in the world”.
Employees were free to choose where and how they work. Outfitted with
laptops and cellphones, they were able to select from more than 26 types of
work settings, from indoor quiet spaces to collaborative hubs and balconies.
There were no dedicated desks or offices, and everyone was free to move
around the building, allowing employees to break down hierarchies and to
take ownership of the way they work. People were encouraged to move
between various settings during the day for different activities, emphasizing
the belief that the more you move, the healthier the work experience.
The building is filled with color, from blues to yellows, and is fitted with
mood lighting that changes in intensity depending on the time of day. It
contained an edible garden growing herbs, fruit and vegetables as well as a
sports court where employees played basketball, soccer or tennis. A
demonstration kitchen was available to staff, students and other businesses,
offering cooking classes and promoting healthy eating.
The low carbon building is filled with thousands of plants and two external
walls are covered by native Australian greenery, providing relief from the
surrounding concrete. A bike ramp to the building leads to internal bike
storage, which resulted in a 60% increase in staff cycling to work.
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