future living

EDItIoN 8, 2010

CREAtIVE SPACESCan the workspace stimulate our imagination?

NeW FoR oLDthe art of construction

iN youR iNteRFaceWhat’s next for social media?

sPace maNSir Richard Branson on flying in the future

FutuRe LiviNg showcases global thinking on trends, community, identity and innovations that affect the way Australians live, work, retire and invest.

↖Burnkit advertising agency in Vancouver, Canada. In World War II the

building housed a munitions production line (Creative spaces, page 22).

Future Living | 01

EDITION 8, 2010

02 GLOBALVILLAGE Trends,technology,innovations

andnews

04 WHO’SINYOURSPACE? Socialnetworkingandthe

cyberworldleapsahead

08 NEWfOROLd Theartofrenewalforheritage

buildings

12 SNAPSHOT Winningphotographyfrom

aroundtheworld

14 URBANOUTfITTERSBreathingnewlifeintoderelictcityspaces–AustralialeadsthewaywithRenewNewcastle

20 fOLLOWTHELEAdER:JONATHANmARSHALL

mindbendingcomputerchaoswithanthropologistJonathanmarshall

22 OPINION:CREATIVESPACES CreativedirectorAndyWalshstepsintothe

brainpods,confessionalsandcrazyspacesofadvertisingagencies

26 HIGHENERGY Warminguptohotstocksinfueltechnology

29 TRAVELATTHETOP What’sinstoreforcorporatetravel? Plus:apeekintothehotelsof

thefuture

32 fUTUREOf...fLYING Eyeinthesky:SirRichardBranson

fliesintothefuture

“Peoplearethekeyingredient.Wegiveourteamsflexibility,responsibilityandautonomy,encouragingthemtokeeplisteningtoensurewherepossiblethat

workisseenasrewardingand,aboveall,fun,”saysSirRichardBransonwhenwecaughtupwithhimbetweenflightstoWorldCupmatchesinSouthAfrica.

Puttingpeoplefirstatworkseemstobeworkingforinternationaladvertisingagenciestoo(Creativespaces,page22).Wetakeatourofgamingrooms,brainpodsandstateoftheartreceptionstoexaminetheconnectivitybetweenwinningideasandcreativespaces.

HowandwherewewillworkandtravelforbusinessiscentraltothisissueofFuture Living.

Australiaisaworldleaderinbuildingforthefuture.Innovativeconstructiontechniquesblendmodernarchitecturewithheritage(Newforold,page8),whileNewcastle’sCBdistransformingitsderelictspacesintoavibrantartcommunity(Urbanoutfitters,page14).

We’lldiscoverthenextstepsforsocialmediawithaugmentedreality(Who’sinyourspace?page4)and,whencomputersfail,learnhowchaoscanbecomeapositiveagentforchange(Computerchaos,page20).

Ifpredictionsaboutthefutureofcorporatetravelarecorrect,breakfastmeetingsinLondonandbeinghomeintimeforbedtimestoriesinSydneymaynotbesofarfetchedafterall.Willtherichervirtualexperiencecompetewiththeactualtravelexperienceandeverreplacefacetofacemeetings?(Travelatthetop,page29)

Asadvancesinaviationlooklikelytoflyustothemoon(futureofflying,page32),SirRichardleavesuswiththisthought:

“Advancesintechnologyenrichthevirtualexperienceingames,moviesandbusinessmeetings.ButIstillfeelthattherewillalwaysbeaplaceforfacetofacemeetings,realexperiencesandtheneedtodiscovernewthingsintheflesh.”•

Katherine O'ReganGeneral Manager Corporate Communications FKPeditor

Is it the people, the place or the workspace that makes a business successful?

CONTENTS EDITORIAL

→ Investingincleantechnology(Highenergy,page26).

↑ArtisticregenerationinNewcastle,NSW(Urbanoutfitters,page14).

←← (frontcover)OfficesofadvertisingagencyOgilvy&matherinGuangzhou,China(Creativespaces,page22).

2 | Edition 8, 2010 | Future Living

Bottling out?Australia is leading the way in environmental battles

against disposable waste. Last year Bundanoon, in

NSW’s Southern Highlands, became the first town to

ban bottled water. No shop or citizen in this

community will be spotted with a disposable bottle.

Instead, bubblers and bottle refill stations around

town encourage more sustainable reusable bottles.

The move comes after increased coverage of the

damaging effects disposable water bottles are having

on the environment. The Department of Environment

and Climate Change (DECC) estimates that Australia

consumes around 450 million bottles of water a year,

most of which are made from polyethylene

terephthalate. National reported recycling rates

suggest roughly 45 per cent of these bottles are

recycled, with the rest sent to landfills.

KeepCups forever It’s not just your disposable water bottle that will

soon be obsolete – the KeepCup (right) is a popular

alternative to a throwaway coffee cup.

Conceived by siblings Abigail and Jamie Forsyth

from Victoria and developed by industrial design

company CobaltNiche, the KeepCup is the first barista

standard reusable coffee cup and a finalist in the

2010 Victorian Premier’s Design Awards.

Leaping in fountains beneath the

London Eye, the shimmering

reflections of old architecture in new

surroundings – do you ever take a

moment to observe life as it happens

in the urban landscape around you?

According to The Chartered

Institute of Building (CIOB) in the UK,

that’s exactly what twelve

photographers around the world

achieved for the Art of Building digital

photography competition.

The brief inspired photographers

and enthusiasts to capture the built

environment and shots of some of

the world’s most iconic buildings and

structures in a unique and

imaginative way.

One photograph taken in West

Bengal, India, captures children

running among homes built from

natural materials; another shows the

Hong Kong Mid-Levels office buildings.

The moody image of a construction

worker in a cherry picker ascending

into a stormy sky can be seen in full on

page 12 (Snapshot).

“One of the aims of the CIOB is to

celebrate the creativity of the

construction industry, the passion of

the people who work within it and the

impact it has on our daily lives,” says

Saul Townsend, CIOB press and

communications manager.

To see all the entries, visit Art of

Building at www.artofbuilding.org

Urban inspiration around the world

A Taste of Summer, London Eye

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Future Living | 3

GLoBAL ViLLAGE

The Seed Cathedral, Shanghai ExpoMore than 70 million people are expected to walk through the doors of

the Shanghai World Expo 2010, where a record breaking 192 countries

are represented in innovative projects based around this year’s ‘Better

City, Better Life’ theme.

Britain’s contribution is the Seed Cathedral, a multimillion dollar

structure designed by Thomas Heatherwick from Heatherwick Studio.

Standing over 18 metres high and dubbed The Hedgehog, the piece is

covered in 60,000 acrylic rods. Each 7.5 metre long rod contains seeds

gathered at the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens’ Millennium Seed Bank

Project. The work symbolises the incorporation of nature into everyday

life through parks and public spaces.

The structure looks set to challenge any lingering notions of Britain as

being old fashioned, Heatherwick believes. A celebration of UK

innovation, the Seed Cathedral sways in the breeze and glows in the dark

while visitors travel through the pavilion along integrated walkways.

In June, the cathedral showcased Human Animal, an installation

exploring human behaviour and the interrelation of humans and animals

inside and around a large transparent box.

The World Expo takes place in venues around Shanghai between

1 May and 31 October 2010. The ‘Better City, Better Life’ theme

represents humankind’s common wish for a better way of life in future

urban environments. Through different sub-themes, the event creates

blueprints for future cities and harmonious urban lifestyles, providing

an educational experience for visitors from around the globe.

For more information visit http://en.expo2010.cn

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Britain and Europe are hotly debating the ‘right’ time for their

populations to retire, following a new UK government

proposal to raise the bar on the retirement age. “The aim is to

meet some of the costs, restoring the link between pensions

and earnings, a move which will close the gap between

pensioners’ incomes and those of the rest of society,” said

John Hutton, who has been tasked by Prime Minister David

Cameron to undertake a review of public sector pensions.

Anyone aged under 47 in Britain now faces a longer

working life. Starting in 2024, the age at which the state

pension is paid will be increased in line with life expectancy

so that people continue to receive the state pension for the

same proportion of their life. The state retirement age, which

is set to be 65 for men and women from April 2020, will rise

to age 66 between 2024 and 2026, to 67 between 2034

and 2036, and to 68 between 2044 and 2046.

Meanwhile the French have recently raised their

retirement age from 60 to 62 over the next eight years

following sweeping reforms. Around the rest of the world,

the USA retirement age is now 65.5 and gradually increasing

(it will become 67 for people born after 1960).

For Russia the numbers are 60 for men and 55 for

women, but many retirees work beyond this to supplement

their pensions.

Back home, our population is set to increase to between

30.9 and 42.5 million by 2056, according to the Australian

Bureau of Statistics, although Australians have seen no

changes so far to the formal retirement age of 65.

Grey matters

More than 70 million people are expected to walk through the doors of the Shanghai World Expo.


Who’s in your sPACE?Tweets, micro blogs, Facebook updates, bumps, memes and augmented reality. How savvy social media marketing continues to infiltrate our working and private lives and encourages online self expression.Words by Lisa doust

Future Living | 5

When British evolutionary biologist

Richard Dawkins coined the term

‘meme’ in his landmark book The

Selfish Gene back in 1976, he could

not have envisaged how appropriate

it would be to the way we are now engaging in social

interaction. In short, a meme is “a unit of cultural

transmission, or a unit of imitation”, with the transference

from one mind to another taking place via writing, speech,

gestures, rituals or other imitable phenomena. Typical

examples include melodies, catchphrases and fashion.

It’s fair to say that social media is the most contemporary

form of cultural transmission, with platforms such as

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and blog spots transforming the

way we interact with friends and family and indeed work

colleagues and new ideas crisscrossing cultural and

geographical divides every second of the day. What’s also

apparent is that social media has emerged as an exciting and

unprecedented way for savvy business operators to engage

directly with us, the equally savvy consumers.

The Internet and mobile phones have long been central

components of our everyday lives and this level of

connectedness presents amazing opportunities supported by

pioneering technologies designed to boost our access to

knowledge while conserving our time and energy.

“The big seismic shift that social media has brought about

is this ‘power shift’ from brands and marketers to people,”

says Nikki Stammers, Engagement Planner at Sydney digital

ad agency Whybin/TBWA Tequila, which specialises in viral >>

Social media has emerged as an exciting and unprecedented way for savvy business operators to engage directly with us, the equally savvy consumers.

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marketing, online advertising and integrated content

solutions (see www.wtbwa.com.au).

“Word of mouth used to be chatter between two people

over the garden fence; chatter that disappeared into the

ether as far as brands were concerned. Now, likeminded people

can connect around the world and chat and have conversations.

The results of these conversations and collective responses are

indelible marks, forever discoverable on the web. Suddenly, the

voice of the consumer is a force to be reckoned with like never

before.”

According to Stammers, the social web is helping consumers

to define what the word ‘brand’ means. “Savvy marketers will

treat their passionate consumers as partners rather than

passive recipients,” she explains. “This shift is something that

cannot be ignored by business.”

Reality shiftThe Commonwealth Bank is one Australian brand that has fully

embraced the concept of social networking as a means of

connecting with its clients on a deeper level. The bank is

getting close to launching its innovative iPhone application – or

app – which helps to significantly streamline the property

buying and selling experience.

Designed to revolutionise the property search process and

help consumers to make informed decisions, the app utilises

augmented reality technology – described by Wikipedia as “a

term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real world

environment whose elements are augmented by virtual

computer generated imagery”.

In the bank’s case, rich data – including past sales history on

more than 95 per cent of Australian properties, recent sales and

current property listings – will be mapped on to a real world

view through the camera phone.

Users can also switch to a list or a bird’s eye view to gain

insight into properties matching their search criteria. Properties

on their dream house list can then be tracked in the user’s

favourites and – thanks to the inclusion of detailed suburb

profiles – demographics, median price, property hotspots and

capital growth, trends can be accessed.

“The new iPhone application will be an industry first in

Australia. We are leveraging new technology and continually

innovating to deliver convenient, relevant and real time services

to make buying a home easier,” explains Mark Murray, General

Manager Consumer Marketing at the bank. “Homebuyers can

[via the app] easily access a host of customised information,

tools and insights on every home in Australia – for free.”

The idea is to think of the app as your own personal real

estate agent, property analyst and home lender – in a pocket

sized version that doesn’t cost you anything. It will not only

save you valuable time but will give you the ability to get

clued up on real estate in a flash.

To give it some extra clout, the technology is being

supported by two industry heavyweights – property portal

www.realestate.com.au, and data provider, RP Data.

Full speed aheadOn the subject of apps, another innovation influencing the

way we communicate is Bump™, from US based Bump

Technologies. Launched last year, this cool and clever app

The launch of a phone application that helps to significantly streamline the property buying and selling experience is getting closer.

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Future Living | 7

SOCIALLY ADEPTTo fully appreciate the power of social

networking platforms, poster boy Ashton

Kutcher may have made his name by being

actor Demi Moore’s significantly younger

other half, but the US actor has proved he is

so much more than a pretty face.

Indeed, having fully grasped the

commercial benefits of social networking,

Kutcher was named in the prestigious Time

magazine’s 2010 ranking of ‘100 Most

Influential People in the World’.

Last year Kutcher sent out a challenge to

Twitter users – his objective was to beat

broadcaster CNN in the race to acquire one

million followers. He won and has since

been acknowledged as the king of the micro

blogging site. Interestingly, Kutcher’s ability

to read the vast potential of social media

has seen Katalyst Media, the company he

originally co-founded as a film and

television production house, turn its

attention to developing messaging that

builds consumer networks for brands.

As Kutcher explained at the MIXX

Conference and Expo 2009 in the US, his

company operates as a studio for social

media to develop consumer networks for

individual brands. “It [social media] is an

unknown frontier… We want to lead the

movement into that space. You can’t use

traditional advertising models inside of the

[social media] spaces. What we are trying to

do is build bottom up strategies where we

can reach out to the consumers and get

their insights into how they want to work

with the brands.

“We take the insights of consumers and

marketers and bring them together in

content beds, which really allows people to

feel as though they own the brands… You

have the ability to deliver a piece of

messaging from your company and the

response will immediately tell you whether

consumers like it.”

If you have an interest in brand building and

direct reach, it’s worth monitoring Kutcher and

the direction his company is taking. For a start

you can follow him on Twitter – his user name

is C_AshtonKutcher and his current number of

followers stands at close to five million.

FACE THE FACTS

• 9 million Australians regularly use social networking sites.

• Almost 9 out of 10 Australian Internet users look to other users for opinions and advice about brands and products.

• 26 per cent of social networkers use mobiles to network.

• A new blog is created every second, says Technorati, the blog search engine and publisher of the annual State of the Blogosphere report.

• Most popular social media destinations: Facebook: 41 per cent MySpace: 24 per cent Gmail: 15 per cent Twitter: 8 per cent (Percentages of all traffic on a list of popular social

destinations at www.mashable.com, March 2010.)

• iPhones in South East Asia: iPhone OS is most dominant in Australia, Singapore and

Hong Kong, with a respective March 2010 market share of 88 per cent, 89 per cent and 78 per cent. The three countries are responsible for 82 per cent of the region’s iPhone traffic, according to a 2010 Mobile Metrics report on South East Asia from AdMob, which serves ads for mobile websites and applications.

• App download trends: iPod touch users download an average of 12 apps a

month, 37 per cent more than iPhone and Android users, with webOS users downloading fewer total apps per month, says a January 2010 AdMob Mobile Metrics survey of iPhone, iPod touch, Android and webOS device users.

makes transforming information from one mobile phone to

another as simple as choosing what you want to exchange,

holding your phones and gently bumping hands. You can

literally share photos, exchange contact details and become

Facebook friends in a matter of seconds!

By eliminating the need to manually input information,

Bump is destined to eventually render the business card

redundant. And while it only allows the transfer of contact

information at present, it will no doubt be developed further.

So, what’s next? Where is the social media phenomenon

leading us?

Stammers claims there are two big shifts already under

way within the world of social media. One is the advent of

location based social networking, with mobile phone services

such as Foursquare providing you and your friends with new

ways of exploring the place you live in.

“This is interesting because it moves social networking

away from being a purely online activity to something which

actually connects us in the real world to likeminded people

and our local community,” says Stammers. “This is a potential

opportunity hotspot for businesses who are smart enough to

captialise on the move.”

The second is the first real step toward Web 3.0 – the

predicted third generation of the World Wide Web, which is

widely purported to include the semantic tagging of content.

“Using Facebook’s ‘Like’ plug-in, this will allow people to

select content to engage with, based on the preference and

filter of their peer network. There are a few early adopter

brands that have implemented ‘Like’ to great effect, one being

[denim brand] Levis. We’ll start to see the ‘Like’ button take

over in the next few months,” Stammers predicts.

It may come as no surprise to learn that Dawkins regards

memes as having the properties necessary for evolution. He

has noted that as various ideas pass from one generation to

the next, they may either enhance or detract from the

survival of the people who obtain those ideas. When it comes

to modern day business, it might just be that a willingness to

reach out to us all via all available technological platforms

could mean the difference between survival and struggle. •


OldforNew

Future Living | 9

Heritage buildings add unique value and meaning to our cultural inheritance and history. Preservation, while incorporating contemporary conveniences, is all about adaptive reuse and innovative construction ideas.Words by tracey Hordern

Places of historical significance provide

character to our cities and give us an

important glimpse into our cultural past. Old

buildings can be adaptively reused for a wide

range of purposes, allowing the gap between

old and new to be gracefully bridged.

Renewal of heritage buildings, especially in innovating the

ways we rebuild, plays a major role in the sustainable

development of our communities. As a nation Australia is at

the forefront of reconstructive techniques.

However, as development pressures increase, it’s our

architects, designers and builders who are challenged to find

innovative construction solutions, while sticking to the

appropriate rules and regulations that exist to protect

historic significance. The answer is found in employing

construction innovations of the future and using them on

buildings from the past.

The Australia Charter for the Conservation of Places of

Cultural Significance (ICOMOS) sets the standard for industry

practice and keeps the bar high.

Their philosophy concentrates on the importance of

‘place’. Regardless of how skilfully a place may be captured

on film or how evocatively it is described, there’s no

substitute for the experience of the actual physical location.

It is, after all, the responsibility of all Australians to preserve

the essence of place.

On the waterfrontSydney’s Rocks district buildings are presided over by the

Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA). The vision for

the future management of this beautiful waterfront suburb

(and our country’s historic birthplace) blends history and the

local resident community, while still providing enjoyable

experiences for visitors.

Niall Macken, Heritage and Design Manager at the SHFA, is

quick to point out that while we call it ‘adaptive reuse’, most

conservation and reconstruction work in Australia centres

around the idea of old meets new.

“It is about understanding the place. This involves

documentary and physical research into history and

development, and why it is important,” he explains. “We have

to find viable uses which minimise impacts while providing or

← The Rocks Discovery Museum project sensitively fuses past and present.

↑ Development of the iconic Museum of Contemporary Art aims to re-energise Circular Quay, Sydney.

improving services such as disability led access and managing

the interface between old and new.”

The Rocks Discovery Museum project is a successful

example of fusing the past and present. “This project involved

the conservation, adaptation and interpretation of three

adjoining mid 19th century mercantile buildings – Samson’s

Cottage, Raphael’s and McKellar’s Stores – to display the

museum’s archaeology collections and interpret the maritime

history of The Rocks,” says Macken. “Our approach was to

retain the significance and fabric of the original structures

and insert a distinctive and reversible new layer of museum

infrastructure.”

Master strokesThe latest building in The Rocks to undergo comprehensive

renewal is the iconic Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA).

Construction began in June 2009, with completion

expected in early 2012. The goal of the design, by highly

regarded architect Sam Marshall in partnership with the

NSW Government Architect, is to complement the existing

heritage building and energise both The Rocks precinct and

Circular Quay.

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location in a new rooftop cafe and sculpture terrace with

spectacular views of the Opera House and harbour. Two new

function spaces and a covered terrace will be created on the

top level of the existing building – modern additions for a

beautiful old building.

It is Marshall’s belief that heritage buildings should never

be reconstructed as such. “If they are, they lie to the observer

that they are original,” he says. “If their value is so important,

their ruined remains should be stabilised and left untouched.

If it does not have significant value, the building should be

removed to make way for a contemporary building.”

The architect also believes heritage buildings can be easily

put to new use by introducing building works of a

contemporary nature whereby the contrast creates a dialogue

between the two that highlights the heritage value. “Quite

often the display and interpretation of remains enriches the

everyday use of the surrounding spaces,” he adds.

According to Marshall, it isn’t difficult to insert what is

needed for a contemporary lifestyle into heritage buildings

and to make them useful (which he claims assures their

retention) as well as being respectful of the heritage. “There

is a growing trend to respect buildings from the recent past,

for instance from the 1950s to 1970s,” he says. “We have

lost some great buildings from that period but there is no

doubt we have heritage and archaeological skills as good as

any country.”

It is, after all, the responsibility of all Australians to preserve the essence of place. Built to last

When it comes to refurbishing and reconstructing, specific

construction techniques and practical construction

considerations are crucial. As Macken highlights, some trades

are not in common use and are reserved for historic buildings.

“For example, solid dimension stonework, rather than stone

cladding, dressed lead work and ‘lath and plaster’ work are not

much used apart from restoration projects,” he reveals. “Many

of the other trades require a higher degree of skill or patience

for heritage buildings than for conventional new build, for

example carpentry or joinery repairs to historic timberwork.”

It’s one thing to maintain the heritage elements of a

building, but how does an architect or builder address the

contemporary needs of those who live in or use the building?

“The first step is to identify what is most important about

the place, and then develop an appropriate design concept for

the adaptation around retaining this significance,” Macken

advises. “One of the tools conservation architects use as an

all important reference is the Conservation Management Plan

(CMP), which is tailored to a particular place and sets out the

significant heritage aspects of that place and details the

appropriate policies and strategies to manage these aspects

so its values are retained.”

Macken nominates 100 George Street, Sydney, the former

Mariners’ Church, as a good example of the CMP in action. In

this instance, the SHFA worked to conserve the existing

fabric and reinstate lost architectural features, in particular

the sandstone elements, while incorporating a new lift, stairs

and services within the building. The church had been built in

↑ Award winning innovation at Baroque Bistro, The Rocks.

Future Living | 11

1859, with extensions added in 1909, 1927 and 1931. “The

completed works safeguard the fabric of the building and

provide a better opportunity to appreciate the church’s

original aesthetic worth and high level of craftsmanship, at

the same time allowing for its ongoing use as a contemporary

space,” Macken adds. “During conservation works, the

archaeological remains of the former Bethel Street, dating

from 1860 and built over in 1907, were discovered beneath

the building. The former street and wall were conserved and

interpreted through a viewing window as part of the project.”

Eco logicEnvironmental benefits combined with energy savings and

the social advantage of recycling a valued heritage place

make the adaptive reuse of historic buildings an essential

component of sustainable development. Adam Nykiel,

Design Manager for the Energex Building in Brisbane’s

Newstead Riverpark, outlines some of the latest

construction techniques that best translate to improved

sustainability measures.

The relationship between sustainable construction

techniques and the solution is linked by setting a desired

sustainability goal. “Parameters have been benchmarked by a

number of governing bodies without giving direct solutions

promoting industry research and development,” says Nykiel.

“These relate to construction management techniques, indoor

environment quality, energy saving systems, water

conservation, high recycle content and low embodied energy

materials, and reduction in emissions. The construction

solutions to each of these can be as many and varied as the

industry can support.”

The question here is how much input do the construction

team have in the design of a project?

Nykiel is adamant that, in a design and construct process,

the construction team is instrumental in the successful

delivery of a sustainable design. “Products and systems are

constantly changing to meet new and often cutting edge

concepts,” he elaborates. “This often requires the team to

implement a challenging product that was conceived on paper

or provide an alternative updated product. As part of this

process the construction team becomes highly involved with

the design solution and physical outcome.”

The need to achieve better sustainability has impacted on

construction, says Nykiel. “Apart from the products and

systems implemented during construction, a construction

team needs to use and handle materials in different ways

from traditional techniques,” he suggests. “If you take waste

management as an example, a construction team would now

follow a waste management plan that facilitates the

reduction of construction waste to landfill.”

Benchmarks have been set whereby a total of 80 per cent

of waste by weight is reused or recycled. Another area is

controlling the materials being used on the project requiring

management systems that are not normally in place.

“A good example of this would be the rating of a timber

product that means that it has a chain of custody certificate

guaranteeing its source is from a recycled product, and each

set of hands it has passed through to implementation is

recorded and can be proved,” Nykiel says. “This encourages

the specification of reused timber that has certified

environmentally responsible forest management practices.” •

Seeing greenThere are some specific design considerations that add a sustainable edge to the

reconstruction of heritage buildings. For instance:

• Blackwater harvesting

Where plants take sewerage from local systems and remove waste material to

provide water for non potable use in the building.

• Efficient air conditioning systems

State of the art designs and floor versus rooftop systems cut C02 emissions,

while increasing cool comfort for occupants.

• Optimised façades

High performance façades have low-e double glazing and external shading to

guard against solar heat and glare while keeping high internal daylight levels.

• Sustainable material selection

Steel-like material sourced from recycled products; cement replaced by

industrial waste products; reduced PVC use; low-VOC paints, carpets, glues and

adhesives; and old growth timber.

• Water saving devices

Rainwater is harvested for toilet flushing and landscape irrigation; air

conditioning condensation and fire system test water are collected and stored

for reuse.

Winning waysInnovative trends that unite good conservation

work and adaptive reuse with sustainable

design are yielding results that scoop awards.

Macken says there have been recent projects

in New South Wales whereby heritage

buildings have received 5 and 6 Star Green Star

ratings. “Number 88 George Street, in The

Rocks, was acknowledged by the Green

Building Council as the first State Heritage

Listed building to be awarded a 5 Star Green

Star office design rating,” he explains.

The former Bushell’s warehouse, on the

corner of George Street and Hickson Road in

the Sydney CBD, built in 1886 and extended in

1912, was adapted by the SHFA for commercial

offices, with a cafe, modern restaurant and bar,

aptly named Baroque and outdoor seating on

the ground floor.

“It represents a benchmark for the

ecologically sustainable upgrade of culturally

significant buildings and serves as an example

of SHFA’s commitment to meet targets to

reduce its carbon emissions,” Macken adds.

Although Australia has emerged as a

genuine global pioneer and is the custodian of

an ever growing list of projects that have

gained ‘World Leader’ certification, progress

towards sustainability continues to be

governed via a voluntary system. Sustainable

organisations in other countries are backed up

by government regulation in many instances,

and this is a direction we are headed in. And as

Nykiel says: “The level of innovation shown in

design and construction techniques in

Australia is paving the way for the future.”


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Future Living | 13

‘Elements’: Riverside Museum, Glasgow This atmospheric scene, captured by photographer Jim Dunn, is one of twelve finalist entries into the first international digital photography competition organised by The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB). This year’s theme was ‘The Art of Building’. Entrants from around the globe captured everything from a futuristic image of Hong Kong’s skyscrapers shot at mid level to classic European architecture.

See more at www.artofbuilding.org

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URBANHow a brilliant plan to breathe new life and art into derelict city spaces and empty shops puts Newcastle on the regeneration map.Words by Robyn Gower | Photography by Renate Ruge

OUTFITTERS

Citizen of the Year in the 2010 Australia Day awards, Marcus Westbury is the driving force behind the Newcastle urban fix up. In his words, “Renew Newcastle is a permanent solution for temporary things”.

Future Living | 15

Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus

popularised the concept of microfinance

when he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

His idea: give people with skills but no capital

access to cheap credit and they will get on

their feet and out of poverty.

A variation of the microfinance model may now be providing

a temporary solution to one of the most intractable issues

facing local governments in the first world. The urban

problem to be faced is of city centres becoming places of fear

and vandalism as buildings and stores are abandoned in

favour of suburban shopping malls.

The idea behind the Empty Shops movement is that, by

giving artists peppercorn rent, you generate activity and

creative capital that in turn creates new opportunities and

a greater sense of community.

For many of the creatives taking up the offer, the

movement also represents a way of fighting what they

perceive to be the suffocating homogeneity of suburban

mega malls, and the cheap imports that are decimating

traditional art and crafts.

One of the movement’s most influential figures, Marcus

Westbury, believes the Empty Shops movement is less about

microfinance and more about making cities work for people

with talent but little or no capital.

The Newcastle born writer, festival director and TV

presenter says the idea of using empty stores as galleries

first came to him in 1992 when, at the age of eighteen, he

and his peers were looking down the barrel of 40 per cent

youth unemployment in the city.

Once home to Australia’s largest steelworks, Newcastle’s

monumental struggle to ‘face its own economic mortality’ has

been well documented and remains the source of pride and >>

↑ With historic buildings, piers, beaches and now a thriving CBD, Newcastle is becoming a destination.

Once a place of empty buildings and vandals, Newcastle’s Hunter Street in the CBD has been transformed into a busy economic hub and thriving artistic community that people come to visit.


sorrow to many, including Marcus, who used to look into

empty shop windows and imagine them filled with art.

Not wanting to be a statistic, he attempted to complete a

communications degree at Newcastle University, but dropped

out to get involved in the arts and the founding of This Is Not

Art festival which went on to become the city’s largest annual

tourism and arts event.

He then moved to Melbourne to take up the reins of artistic

director of Melbourne’s Next Wave Festival before becoming

a director of the Cultural Program of the Melbourne 2006

Commonwealth Games.

It was while Marcus was the presenter of the ABC TV

series, Not Quite Art, that the idea of utilising empty shops

for creative endeavours returned.

“The first series featured an extended look at Newcastle

in NSW and Glasgow in Scotland and made a comparison that

inspired the Renew Newcastle project,” Marcus explains to

Future Living.

By that time, around 150 buildings in the CBD and twenty

shops in Newcastle’s Hunter Street Mall were empty. Vandals

had moved in and the city centre had taken on a sad and

slightly frightening ambience.

“Most of the buildings in Newcastle are worth more as

deductions than as going concerns,” explains Marcus. “So,

despite much of the city being totally empty and falling into

disrepair, the rents are still much higher than anyone wanting

to start a business could pay for them.”

Marcus used his credit card and his natural gift of the gab

to launch Renew Newcastle, which he describes as a

“permanent structure for temporary things”, rather than

a renewal scheme. “We aimed for projects that did not require

council permission [they already matched what the

Development Approvals were for], as we knew that otherwise

things would grind to a halt.”

He approached a law firm, which provided pro bono support

in developing and negotiating thirty day agreements with

owners of neglected properties. Soon after, a property

company jumped on board, becoming the first major partner.

Renew Newcastle is not set up to manage long term uses,

own properties or permanently develop sites. Instead it aims

to generate activity in buildings until that future long term

activity happens.

From humble beginnings in 2008, Renew Newcastle has

initiated more than fifty projects in the former ‘dead zone’ of

Hunter Street including galleries, studios, art and crafts

↑ Newcastle’s historical buildings are now a source of pride.

↓ Once empty spaces, Newcastle’s regenerated buildings are a hub of artistic activity.

Future Living | 17

stores, fashion designers, a food co-op, graphic designers,

publishers and photographers. The project team has also

worked with the Newcastle based telecommunications carrier,

Ipera, to establish free wifi around key sites, further

galvanising the creative community.

For his efforts Marcus has won the hearts of Novocastrians

who named him Citizen of the Year in the 2010 Australia Day

awards. With state and council funding now flowing to the

project, Marcus is focused on building national and

international collaborations.

“We now have groups trying to apply our strategies to

projects that are up and running in Townsville and Adelaide

and in various stages of evolution in Lismore, Lithgow,

Geelong, Perth, The Sunshine Coast, Tasmania and probably

a dozen more places.

“I’m very interested to see if we can make the model

transferable to other locations and work on some of the legal

and regulatory reform issues that I think we need to pursue

while also making a living from my various day jobs.”

Cross country inspirationMarcus has been sharing skills and strategies with the founders

of the UK’s Empty Shops and Meanwhile Space movements.

Frustrated that overseas programs “are considerably better

resourced than Renew Newcastle”, he acknowledges that

necessity has been the mother of invention.

“Necessity has forced us to think much more laterally about

some of the problems that we have faced and those models

are of interest in the UK.”

While Newcastle faces its demons, the problems faced by

local government in the UK are overwhelming. It is estimated

that around 13 per cent of the UK’s shops sit empty and that

one in five empty shops may never be used again.

The Meanwhile Spaces and Empty Shops initiative plays a

major role in bringing life back to centres in the UK by

insisting that local governments remove red tape and hurdles

to development. It works with local communities and other

stakeholders to facilitate the interim or ‘meanwhile’ use of

abandoned places.

The Empty Shops network extends across dozens of towns

in England, Scotland and Wales. With government funding it

also provides participants with workbooks that explain how

they can negotiate contracts, strike up partnerships and

develop sustainable business models. Their philosophy: >>

THE PEOPLE AND THEIR PLACESNeon Zoo, graphic design business“Before we were given the Renew Newcastle opportunity to have our own space, we were running the business out of a sunroom in an apartment,” says the co-founder of Neon Zoo, Clare Gleeson.

Clare founded the graphic design and branding business with Abby Farmer. Both studied Visual Communications (Hons) at the University of Newcastle and built up a reasonable freelance client base while completing their studies.

Upon graduation they didn’t have enough money to rent commercial premises, so when the Renew Newcastle project came up they jumped at the opportunity. Clare and Abby now share an old ophthalmology building (“with its various nooks and crannies”) with five other diverse businesses, all of which collaborate and share resources, business support and, importantly, referrals.

Neon Zoo provides a wide range of branding and design services to clients, from hairdressers to solicitors.

“It is great to have your peers around you and to be able to share ideas and advice. This has been a really positive experience.” So positive, in fact, that the collective is now in a position to pay rent on the building.

Generating cultural capital in cities and regional towns, the ‘green shoots of recovery’ could be seen in Newcastle as the number of vacant buildings and shops decreased.

The Newcastle Herald

↑ Surfhouse Photography is one of five diverse businesses sharing an old ophthalmology building in Newcastle’s CBD.


Vox Cyclops, a music venue and record shop, is located in a building that was derelict for five years.

Vox Cyclops, live music venueWith a lack of venues in Newcastle for live music and especially underground bands, Vox Cyclops has come to play an important role in the lives of local and touring musicians, as well as emerging artists.

Co-founders Mark Leacy, Nick Senger, Kane Ewin and Jarrod Skene have been operating an independent record label, Spanish Magic, since 2000, publishing local acts and “bands we love” from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States.

“We have always made our own record covers, whether by means of folding, gluing, screen printing, stencilling or stamping,” Mark explains.

The opportunity to participate in the Renew Newcastle project came at the perfect time for the team who were able to

take the business up to the next level rather than running it from a cramped garage.

Their Hunter Street store not only provides the team with a workspace, but also has enabled them to extend the record label into its own independent record store, “something that was lacking in Newcastle at the time”.

After an extensive and hands on renovation to fix up a store, which had been derelict for five years, Vox Cyclops is now a bona fide record store that focuses on the sale of vinyl, cassettes, CDs and CD-Rs, as well as special edition reissues of classic bands and records. The team is aiming for a record collection.

“We are attempting to have the largest Australian underground music catalogue, as well as stocking music of all genres but

mainly experimental minimal synth, psychedelic, punk, pop and generally underground independent music from around the world.”

Local and touring bands can also put on shows inside the store, creating further buzz around the area.

“We have had an invaluable head start in setting up a record store for underground music which would be near on impossible in a town that has not seen a shop of this sort since 2003,” says Mark.

“All the money from sales goes directly back into the shop so we can continue to provide a wide range of music to our customers. One day we will actually pay ourselves a wage, but never at the expense of people being able to find new music at lower prices than the large chains.”

Renew Newcastle allowed us to move our underground music business from a cramped

garage to our Hunter Street store. Mark Leacy | Co founder of Vox Cyclops

Future Living | 19

‘empty shops make great laboratories for new ideas and

new businesses’.

In Ireland a similar movement is run by the Average Arts

Initiative, whose first exhibition was ironically entitled To

Let. While on the other side of the Atlantic, the Lower

Manhattan Cultural Council also offers Swing Space grants to

artists and performers. The movement is generating cultural

capital in cities and regional towns and supporting a new

wave of innovation.

Meanwhile, back in NewcastleIn August 2009, Newcastle’s business leaders launched the

Fix Our City! campaign which implores the State Government

to take action on the Hunter Development Corporation’s

Newcastle City Centre Renewal Report.

Supported by 93 per cent of Newcastle residents, the

urban renewal plan is based on increasing education facilities

in the CBD, the development of a new legal precinct and a

new transport system.

Two weeks prior to a Fix Our City! rally in June, one of

Newcastle’s most prominent symbols of decay, the state

heritage listed post office, was purchased by the State

Government from a property developer who planned to use

it as a pub or function centre.

Having lain idle for eight years, the building, which was

sold to the developer by the Federal Government for $2

million and repurchased for $4.25 million, will need significant

repairs. It is clear that the Renew Newcastle project has

played a significant role in bringing value back to these and

other developments.

The Newcastle Herald recently reported that the “green

shoots of recovery” could be seen in the city as the number

of vacant buildings and shops decreased. It cited the

“increased activity brought about through the Renew

Newcastle initiative” as the key reason.

While the Empty Shops movement appears to be a win win

situation, some argue that it is simply a short term solution to

an entrenched problem.

“My first response to those with a skeptical view is to look

at the results. We’ve brought back real commercial activity [to

Newcastle]. Not just for our own projects, but successfully

generated other activity around it.

“Renew Newcastle provides a platform for people to

experiment with things and work out what succeeds, rather

than simply expecting solutions to arrive fully formed, and I’d

argue that in the long term that’s a very solid base for

building a recovery,” says Marcus, who wants to work with the

custodians of other towns and cities to help them find ways

of activating spaces that bring both short term benefits (like

reduced costs and maintenance, for example) and long term

value by building activity.

“I’m also always up for speaking to property owners at

conferences and events about the lessons we’ve learnt from

this experience.” •

www.marcuswestbury.net

www.renewnewcastle.org

meanwhilespace.ning.com/photo

↑ The urban renewal plan is supported by 93 per cent of residents.

↓ Newcastle was once home to Australia’s largest steelworks.


Computer chaos

Technologyallows us toreceive too muchinformation tooquickly to process... Rectifying mistakes made while on ‘auto pilot’ leaves less time to attend to... the present. Dr Jonathan Marshall

When technology fails us, it is easy to blame it on the hardware or the software, just not on ourselves. Anthropologist Dr Jonathan Marshall looks at both sides of the disordering effects in his research. Words by Peter Salhani | Photography by Hamish ta-mé

FoLLoW tHE LEAdER

Future Living | 21

“In the computer driven society, it’s a

fundamental fact of life that we will be

constantly disrupted by malfunctions,” says Dr

Jonathan Marshall. “Software works a hell of a

lot of the time, but always with the possibility that it won’t

work, or it won’t do what we want it to. We basically live

our whole lives in a state of semi chaos and disorder

because of it.”

It is our insatiable appetite for more information and at

high speed that contributes to the chaos that Dr Marshall’s

research group at the University of Technology, Sydney

(UTS) is working on. The study (in its second year) is called

‘Chaos, Information Technology, Global Administration and

Daily Life’ and is funded by the Australian Research Council.

The research looks at software crashes from the

perspective of chaos as being an important part of order,

and not something to be sidelined as aberrant. In our haste

to get ahead and make advances in the technology we use,

we forget to acknowledge how slow things used to be and

how that frustration further impacts on technology failing.

“If malfunctions happen all the time, and they do, you have

to think that they’re not accidents, but part of the way we

interact,” says Dr Marshall.

Having studied reports into the infamous 2005 crash of

Australian Customs software ICS (integrated cargo system)

that brought the docks to a standstill just before Christmas

that year, Dr Marshall concluded that research in the area

was biased towards finding blame, not solutions.

“When software doesn’t work, you can’t just blame

managers for poor implementation, you have to assume

they’re reasonably competent and understand the tricks.

And you can’t just blame the end users either. If the users

constantly get it wrong, then you have to accept there’s

something wrong with the software itself, or with all the

interactions that have led to its creation.”

Information overload“There is no reason why anyone would want to have a

computer in their home,” said Ken Olson, president, chairman

and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, in 1977.

Olson’s now famous quote is often cited for its colossal

irony, but in the context of our computer dominated lives

and the range of headaches they cause, from viruses to

crashes, it takes on an almost prophetic meaning.

One key problem, outside of the technology itself but

which is symptomatic of our times, is information overload.

“Technology simply allows us to receive too much

information too quickly for anyone to process. This means

response times get slower, or if they stay fast, the

responses become less considered, less relevant. Then, of

course, people will spend time trying to rectify bad decisions

made in haste, on ‘auto pilot’, leaving them less time to

attend to what is actually happening in the present.”

On our current course, this is likely to worsen, as Marshall

points out that “in the information society, the temptation is

to collect more, not less”.

And the rate of software change does not help.

“To keep up to date with market changes in software and

hardware, upgrades need to be done every couple of years,

meaning constant disruption.”

But chaos can have positive effects too, such as sparking

innovation and adaptation. “People respond differently to

disruption. Some are good at developing workarounds.

Those who aren’t will seek help from colleagues who are,

which can build new alliances in the workplace based solely

on technical ability and confidence.”

On a more technical level, Dr Marshall says that addressing

inherent problems within software itself will help establish a

more harmonious relationship between technology and the

people using it. “There’s not one really big disordering effect

which you could guard against [such as email SPAM filtering],

but many minor things that don’t quite work, or

spontaneously do bizarre, unexpected things. Or the

categories required by software do not match the real world

circumstances they’re designed for, or have unexpected

consequences,” as in banking, retail and online customer

service environments, for instance.

This design incompatibility may be incidental or deliberate.

“Technology is often not geared to the work people have to do

because requirements engineers don’t really understand the

work people do, or software has been introduced to

deliberately change what people do. This can generate

resentment in the workplace and get in the way of the

informal systems essential to an organisation’s healthy

functioning.”

One obvious problem is software malfunction. “Software

is about order and controlling people’s behaviour, so when it

fails, it throws things into chaos.” For the individual this

causes stress, and lost productivity for the workplace and

the economy.

Chaos is a part of our cultureLikely future remedies include better, more socially focused

needs analysis and the inclusion of more users in software

design. “If people feel involved and listened to, they’re more

likely to help with the process of change. It’s best not to try

and do too much at once, but get the main systems working

first, and allow for flexibility in the design and rollout

processes. Employees then get to learn about it, and the

software engineers get to know what they are aiming for.

This means tolerating a lesser degree of chaos.”

On future disordering effects, not apparent at the

moment, Marshall points to a paradox. “For information to be

useful and to allow innovation, it has to have free

movement, and yet for people to make money from it, it has

to be restricted. Patent checks and multiple ownerships of

patents will likely cause innovation in the economy to falter.

Also the risk of employees leaking important data,

deliberately or otherwise, will probably send security costs

up, and interfere with people’s work [as companies crack

down] and possibly interfere with their freedom outside of

work as well.”

To zero in on the latter, Marshall’s team wants to study

the life cycle of a large scale software upgrade, from

planning through to implementation. “We’re asking

companies to contact us and let us study their upgrade from

the start. We don’t want to identify individuals or

organisations in our findings and we’re not looking to lay

blame if software goes wrong; and if things go right, that’s

important as well.”

Their findings should equip engineers of the future with a

better understanding of the complex human responses to

software through better user profiling or social analysis.

“Requirements are usually seen as technical problems but I

would say the disordering caused by malfunctions is

fundamentally a social problem,” adds Dr Marshall. •


opinion

creative SP ACESA ‘Carnival of Ideas’ theme inspires the design of the Ogilvy & Mather offices in Guangzhou.

Future Living | 23

In my twenty years in advertising, I’ve sat in meeting

rooms called ‘brain pods’ and ‘confessionals’, taken a ride

on a playground slide to collect a package from

reception, swung in hammocks while mulling over new

ideas, played pinball machines, belted punch bags, and even

trotted into a new business pitch meeting astride a pony! In my

game, agencies will try anything to appear creative. Sometimes

it’s all a little too try hard, but get the balance of atmosphere

and environment right and a workplace will literally percolate

with creativity. And there’s no better feeling than that.

But what makes a truly creative space? Certainly it’s not

dumping Gen Ys into a playpen and hoping for the best. To be

successful, any agency needs to tear down the invisible walls

of authority, politics, hidden agendas, tradition and history.

This soft rebellion encourages communication, collaboration

and the cross pollination of ideas.

As Dan Wieden, CEO of Wieden+Kennedy once said: “I want

spaces that help my staff lead surprising, audacious lives. This

will infect everything else we do.”

Think outside the polyhedronDylan Taylor, Creative Director of BMF, doesn’t think an agency

needs a special place for creative work. “You can have a great idea

How much success in the advertising business can be attributed to a great working environment? Creative director Andy Walsh gains security access to the ‘idea centres’ of Australian advertising agencies to find out.Words by Andrew Walsh

creative SP ACES

anywhere. However, it’s certainly more interesting turning up

every day to a stimulating environment.

“Our design principles were simple. No offices. No walls. And

very, very, high ceilings. The open plan encourages a greater flow

of ideas by people simply getting up and talking.”

The BMF workspace is vast, with a repurposed, industrial feel. It

buzzes with energy but is incredibly intimate and quiet all at once.

Every corner has been designed to benefit the comfort of

employees – and they clearly feel appreciated. “If you work in a

beautiful environment it certainly lifts you up,” says Taylor. “Every

person sits on an Aeron chair, simply because they are the most

comfortable and best designed for that task.”

For more than ten years, BMF has enjoyed a steady stream of

business success, culminating in being voted ‘Agency of the

Decade’ at the 2009 B&T awards. Does Taylor put this success

down to their working environment though? “It would be difficult

to attribute a specific business win to it, but I would say it

certainly counts overall and creates a great impression on

prospective employees and clients.”

Stephen Pearson, CEO of Lowe, points out that it is as much to

do with the cultural heritage of the company and an atmosphere

of open communication that enables creative thinking. And just as

important is the building that houses the agency.

“It has to be designed well; have integrity with the culture of

the place; enable great communication and reduce silo mentality.

But it doesn’t have to be a design icon in itself. The Opera House,

and Tate Modern and Guggenheim [museums] are very creative

places, but they’d be terrible to actually work in,” says Pearson.

Step inside Lowe’s Sydney operation and you see what

Pearson means. The office is a rustic, old loft style wool store

peppered with sophisticated technology, making the visitor

feel instantly warm and welcome.

Based on what the big bosses say, well designed creative

spaces increase motivation, improve communication, expand

creative thinking beyond the creative department, and

showcase an agency’s commitment to generating new ideas

for its clients.

“Creative spaces should make you want to be there,” adds

Pearson. “They help you enjoy being at work. They should at

least be interesting and admired rather than be dull and

debilitating. Clients like coming [to Lowe] simply because our

space is pretty cool.”

The future office is virtualSo if brain pods, ideas boards, bars and gaming rooms provide

the entertaining additions of creative workplaces now, what’s

in store for advertising offices of the future? Says Pearson:

“Dedicated desks will be less ‘normal’. Workplaces will become

more for meetings than just a battery of desks. This requires

absolute trust. I think it’s entirely possible and potentially

productive for our business.” >>

Idea generation needs to take place in a risk free zone. And that can happen anywhere. You can be brilliant in a tent.

↖↑↗ Neogama BBH’s reception in São Paulo, Brazil; sliding into reception at the Google offices in Switzerland; getting comfortable in a lounge space at Lowe in Sydney.

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Dylan Taylor envisions a more pragmatic direction. “The fashion

seems to be for old, established buildings to be stripped out,

renovated and repurposed. The fusion of old world solidity and

new world technology seems to be where it’s going.”

This future direction starts at the top, says Pearson. “We are

entirely open plan so management is observed all the time. In turn,

I think our team feels relaxed in their space.”

The consensus is that gimmicks and showiness in a space are

pointless unless people feel empowered to innovate. The most

stimulating space, no matter how well designed and appointed, is

a joke within a creatively stifling business. Agencies should

literally make room for creativity. A creative space is not a solution

to business success in itself, more a step in the right direction.

Elastic spaces and ant farmsThere’s much talk of tearing down the walls to keep ideas

circulating and promote interactivity in the workplace. Do open

spaces really contribute to creativity though? Sputnik Creative

Director Ed Carveth thinks so. “Your surroundings have a direct

influence on the way you think and work. We have one desk that

travels the entire office, linking every department, and each one

with another. At the centre is the ‘grassy knoll’ – the agency’s hub

for meetings, relaxation, or just for chats at the end of a busy day.

“It’s everyone’s job, no matter what their role, to be part of

creating the most innovative work possible. And the working

environment needs to facilitate just that.”

Similarly, when you walk into an agency like Digital Eskimo it’s

obvious: this place was made for play. David Gravina, Creative

Director says: “The walls are covered in pin boards made from

recycled echo panelling. We literally work on them to map out and

synthesise our ideas into cohesive design strategies. You simply

can’t beat it for team collaboration and we make the most of it!

“It’s the right thing to do. You have to walk the talk. Our space is

an extension of our ethos. We have followed through on what we

believe. A lot of this can look messy – and that’s ok – because a

truly creative process is messy.”

Gravina sees the future taking an even more radical step.

“Augmented reality within the space will be huge. I see project

status updates and other data in the physical space, either

through projection or headsets or other technologies, or playing

with the open source white boarding technology, using a

Nintendo Wii controller. One day we even hope to create the first

Get Smart-style ‘Cone of Silence’!”

For Carveth, the future’s about “getting different minds,

personalities and skill sets together to crack problems. You need

elastic spaces that stretch to fit the project, places a person or

Is your office the most creative environment

you have ever worked in?

Definitely. As I often say to people, if you were

shooting a movie about advertising, this would

be a place to shoot it. It’s very cool to look at,

but very functional to work in.

Open door, closed door policy?

We’ve embraced the idea of open plan, but made

sure there’s still enough privacy within the

overall space. Creative people need to make

noise. We need to play music. Tell jokes. Watch

YouTube. Laugh loudly. You can’t do all that if

you’re worried about interrupting the people

around you. That’s why it’s open plan-ish.

If the look of an agency is creative does it

mean its output will be more creative too?

There’s definitely an element of theatrics that is

important in advertising. When clients come into

the space, it feels how they think it should feel:

exciting, creative and unconventional, especially

compared to more corporate environments. Many

of our clients even have security keys so they can

just make their own way around the office. But

from a team perspective, the space feels like it

gives you permission to be creative. I’ve worked in

offices that don’t provide this kind of architectural

inspiration, and it makes a huge difference.

Do you provide greater freedom for

employees to work their own way?

The simple answer is, yes. Our office was

designed with a huge amount of common areas

and breakout spaces. Generally, you’ll find 50 per

cent of the creative department working

somewhere other than their office. There’s an

outdoor balcony, which is a brilliant place to work

INSIDE AN AGENCYwith Matt Eastwood, Vice Chairman and National Creative Director, DDB

↙↓↘ Bringing the outside in at the Ippolito Fleitz Group, Germany; cool space for better business at Sputnik in Melbourne; a quick game of Foosball between meetings at DDB.

Future Living | 25

when the sun in shining, a gaming room, decked

out with games consuls, which is very popular.

But we also have smaller, quieter rooms, which

can be exactly what your mind needs when

you’re writing some hardcore copy.

It’s funny, in some ways the space feels like a

big house, built around a central kitchen. Bev,

who runs the kitchen, is very much like our

mother. She makes sure we’re eating well,

especially during those big pitches where you

tend to work late nights and eat badly. Bev

makes sure we’re not just filling up on pizza.

Does the space help employees to feel less

observed or judged?

We have a very open door policy. I guess due to

the fact that there are very few doors. But

seriously, we encourage everyone to mingle and

to share ideas, often and freely.

How do you encourage greater employee

and client social interaction?

Building a cafe into the space means there is a

natural place for people to meet over coffee or

meals. We also have the obligatory Foosball and

ping-pong tables – a favourite place to brainstorm.

Does a better business space help the

creative process?

You only enjoy spending time at the office if it’s

an enjoyable place to spend time. That’s what

we were aiming for. We also have a lot of events

staged within the space in order to make sure

creativity is always taking a front seat. We use

the common areas to host temporary

photography or art exhibitions. We recently had

an employee photography exhibition around the

idea of passion – anyone could submit a photo, as

long as it reflected the theme of passion.

Will future workspaces be more integrated

with online solutions like working from

home – what are your predictions?

I’m a huge advocate of new technology. It will

provide the foundation for workspaces of the

future. Of course, all offices will be wifi enabled,

so you’re no longer bound to your desk. But

advances like online video calls mean that you

can stay in virtual contact, no matter where you

are in the world.

People should feel empowered to work from

wherever they feel most comfortable. Even if

that just means another room within the

building. Some people like the idea of sitting in a

building and thinking. I like the idea of being at a

desk. Personally, I like to feel like I’m at work,

when I’m working. Creative workspaces of the

future will allow for both. And all the variations

in between.

has no place in the modern world. As a worker, your only value

was the function you performed until the gold watch ceremony

twenty five years later.

Brave Creative Director Mark Lees says their office is

anything but typical. “Ideas are pinned on walls. Dozens are

added, thrown away and tossed out. It’s noisy, chaotic and fun.”

Idea generation needs to take place in a risk free zone, and

that can happen anywhere. According to Mercer Bell Creative

Director, David Bell, it’s not all about the space. “You can be

brilliant in a tent. Back in the day, I worked in a large room

where the creatives pretty well sat on top of each other,” he

says. “It smelled bad, but we did some great work. Not a long

term solution though. It’s all down to the people in the room

and everyone getting along, which is rare.”

Wake up the brain of your business

It would be foolish to argue that quirky, cool spaces inhibit

creativity. But to get the best from creative people, they need

a place to escape the everyday. Like all creative tools and

techniques, it’s clear from my conversations that a stimulating

workspace can help improve creative work. I am sure that this

principle of making people feel comfortable and motivated

and involved at work and in their office space would apply to

any industry.

A space is still no substitute for a team of highly motivated

passionate people taking part in defining their own culture.

Let the users of the space define the space that nurtures

their creativity. Let it attract and keep the thinkers of

tomorrow. As they say in the movie Field of Dreams: “If you

build it, they will come.” •

Andy Walsh has more than twenty years’ creative experience in Australia and London working with the world’s leading brands. He has won awards or had his work recognised at AdMA Australia, the Caples, Cannes Lions and Mobius in America. images on this page, page 24 (far left), page 22 (main and top left) and covers provided by the agency interiors website www.thisaintnodisco.com. Where We Work: Creative Office Spaces (www.thisaintnodisco.com/book), published by HarperCollins, investigates agency interiors around the world.

team can think, scrum and ‘do’. Walls to scribble on, pods to hide in

and quiet space bubbles (aka the cone of silence) where

meetings take place with co workers in a plastic bubble. And an

ant farm wall instead of the ‘80s fish tank!”

A place to talk, share and have funIt’s essential that teams have places to exchange and share

ideas, says Taylor. “The collaborative nature of what we do,

with many people touching a piece of work, would simply not

be possible if we were shut away in cubicles. The free nature

of communication is a great benefit of being open plan.”

The Furnace’s Paul Fenton believes in making a workplace an

environment you want to stay in. “People spend a lot of time in

their working environments. Making it fun and a little different

were priorities. It’s also like a massive business card. It tells

people who we are and what we do as soon as they walk into

reception. When I was thinking about the space, I didn’t really

think about it like an office, it was more about making

something that would make you smile and feel good.”

All agreed, employees should be free to move around and

talk, using walls or whatever surface necessary to help stretch

and share their ideas.

A place that values ideasThe typical late 20th century office with its worker cubicles,

traffic corridors, executive bathrooms and coveted corner office

↑Creativity in cardboard at Nothing in Amsterdam.

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HighEnErgy

Clean technology, smart grids, low carbon, wind and wave tech, solar and renewable fuel sources are the hot stocks for future investments around the globe.Words by Giles Parkinson | illustration by Ron Monnier

It has been a recurring theme of the US Government

since President Barack Obama came to power in early

2009: those countries that best make the transition to

clean and green technologies will be the ones to

dominate the 21st century economy.

Investors are now making the same connection: those who

can identify the technologies and the business models of the

future will surely deliver the best returns over the long term.

And the short term too, in many cases. One of the hottest

stocks on the world equity markets in the past two years has

been the Chinese rechargeable battery maker and car

manufacturer BYD. The company, also known as Build Your

Dream, is leading the push into the electric vehicle market in

China. Not only that, it has also entered the home building

market in the US, where it will supply rechargeable batteries

that will be installed in garages to store energy from sun and

wind. Eventually, it expects, the car will be the battery, storing

energy from renewable sources and creating another power

source to the home.

In the past twelve months, BYD stock jumped 138 per cent, a

fourfold increase over the Wall Street S&P Index over the same

period, and is a favourite of investors specialising in the clean

tech sector. These include the world’s best known investor

Warren Buffett, who has generated a tenfold return already

from the $US200 million investment he made in the company

just four years ago.

For many, BYD is something of a poster child for the 21st

century economy, one that will be marked by rapid changes in

technology driven by the need to create a ‘carbon-lite’

economic infrastructure and address challenges such as energy,

food and water security, as well as waste management.

Making the link between the technologies that will change

the way we live – from the way we drive our cars and use our

home appliances, to growing our food and sourcing our water

– and our patterns of investment, is becoming increasingly

important for investors of all types. Clean tech deals involving a

range of technology start ups now dominate the venture

capital market. The first quarter of 2010 saw a record amount

of clean tech investment deals in the US, in number and in size,

and this is flowing through to the listed market. The clean tech

sector now has an estimated market worth of more than $500

billion on the US Nasdaq market alone.

BYD has been a favourite of the only two Australian funds

that specialise in low carbon and clean tech investments, Arkx

and Change Investment Management. Both Arkx and Change IM

emphasise that they do not invest in start up companies with

high technology risk, but even those with proven technologies

can deliver high reward.

Arkx Managing Director and portfolio manager Tim

Buckley says two of his fund’s most successful

investments in the past year have been the power

storage group Chloride and the US smart meter group Itron. But

he is also looking at established companies with a new focus on

clean tech, such as the componentry group Schneider Electrical,

and the German based conglomerate Siemens, which has been

using its massive balance sheet to buy into new technologies

and now sources one quarter of its $US120 billion in annual

revenues from the clean tech sector. Its global rivals, Samsung

and General Electric, among others, are also directing massive

amounts of money towards the low carbon economy.

Lisa Wade and Nicki Ashton, the co-founders and portfolio

Both the US and Chinese Governments are investing more than $US7 billion each into smart grids in 2010, and the Chinese spend on smart grids is expected to be at least $US100 billion by 2020.

Future Living | 27


managers of Change IM, say many of their

investments are focused on the development

of smart grids, which they predict will

revolutionise the energy industry

worldwide, moving away from centralised

utilities to distributed energy that will use

sophisticated software to incorporate wind,

solar and wave energy, and control demand

and supply. Indeed, many experts and observers

talk of an energy ‘internet’.

Already, both the US and Chinese Governments

are investing more than $US7 billion each into

smart grids in 2010, and the Chinese spend on

smart grids is expected to be at least $US100 billion by 2020.

For this reason, Wade and Ashton are interested in established

companies that are focusing on the front end of the smart grid,

software specialists.

Wade and Ashton like American Superconductor. Only 3-4 per

cent of its revenues came from the smart grid in the last

financial year, but they expect it to soar to around 20 per cent

in 2010. They also like the French waste and water

management specialist Veolia Environment, because they

expect its services will be in great demand now that more

people live in cities rather than rural areas and the number

of agglomerations with more than 10 million people will

proliferate in coming years.

According to the international banking group HSBC,

investments in what it broadly describes as climate change,

have outperformed global equities by 42 per cent since 2004.

The best performing sectors have been based around energy

efficiency and energy management technologies, and the best

performing region for these investments was Asia, where

climate change investments have outstripped HSBC’s global

climate change benchmark index by more than 58 per cent.

“It’s increasingly clear that governments and investors alike

are convinced that climate change is both real and a viable

business opportunity,” says Joaquim de Lima, the

New York based head of equities quant

research at HSBC.

Australians can, of course, invest in

their own clean tech market, which is

estimated at more than $10 billion.

But it has been a chronic

underperformer in recent years, a

factor widely blamed on the lack

of clear government policy. And,

neither Arkx nor Change IM has

any investments in Australia

because of this. Indeed, after

stellar years in 2006 and 2007, when the Australian clean tech

index peaked in value at more than $16 billion, the index has

lagged the overall Australian benchmark. Even this fiscal year,

when the benchmark indices gained 24 per cent from 1 July

2009 to the end of April, the clean tech index lost 13 per cent

over the same period.

“Clean tech is doing well around the world but it hasn’t really

taken off here,” says John O’Brien, the CEO of Australian

CleanTech. He notes that in the absence of clear government

policy support, those businesses that have innovative

technologies that have the potential to make an impact in the

global market are likely to perform best. Two such companies are

the Adelaide based Dyesol, which has developed a solar dye

suitable for roofs, and Bluglass, which is developing technologies

to lift the efficiency levels of solar cells and LED lighting.

Other Australian clean tech stock that have performed

well in the past twelve months are lithium miners

Galaxy Resources and Orocobre. The lithium market

is expected to surge in the coming years in line with

demand for electric car batteries and energy

storage. Galaxy owns one of the few hard

rock lithium mines in the world, in

Western Australia, while Orocobre

owns a vast resource in the salt

lake districts high in the Andes,

where much of the world’s lithium

is sourced.

O’Brien says waste management

and water management stocks are

also less reliant on government

regulatory measures and more likely to

be driven by broader issues such as

commodity prices and demand and supply.

Nathan Fabian, the CEO of the Investor Group on

Climate Change, an organisation that represents

groups with more than $500 billion under

management, says the take up of the clean tech industry and

climate change themes by mainstream investment funds in

Australia has been slow. Most allocation has been a tiny portion

of one or two percentage points to the sector as part of the

alternative investments, which include venture capital, private

equity and the like. But, he says, broader issues such as the long

term sustainability of certain industries and the issue of climate

adaptation are being brought into focus, particularly for large

scale infrastructure investments.

That leaves Australians with few options to invest in the

global clean tech sector, unless they are able to make direct

investments through international exchanges. Arkx, however, is

about to open its funds to retail investors and this will test the

Australian market appetite.

Interestingly, neither Arkx nor Change IM describe

themselves as ‘green’ investors. They just believe the case for

technological change, driven by factors such as climate change,

energy security, food, water and sustainability. “This is the next

major new wave of technology and the transformations to the

global economy are going to be staggering,” says Buckley. •

For more information about the clean tech index visit www.auscleantech.com.au or www.cleantech.com

Future Living | 29

Travel at the top

Every cloud has a silver lining, so the

saying goes. At first glance it would

be hard to find any bright side to the

disruption caused in April 2010 by

the eruption of the Icelandic volcano

Eyjafjallajökull.

The minor mountain caused the biggest aerial

shutdown in Europe since World War II, affecting

more than 100,000 flights and eight million

passengers over a week.

Yet not only did the shutdown that lasted a

week put carbon emissions into perspective, it also

forced business travellers to arrange alternative

ways of getting to and holding meetings. Both

these factors now look like shaping the next

decade in business travel.

One company that had a good ash cloud week

was Californian technology house Cisco Systems.

Only weeks earlier the company had showcased

its latest high definition video conferencing

suites to major businesses around the world. The

Tele Presence suites go far beyond what most

people would associate with video telephone

calls. A full sized boardroom table is sliced in half

by three massive 37 inch high definition screens

angled so that they complete the table.

Life sized screens are complemented by

directional 7.1 surround sound and the results

are startlingly realistic. In meetings, colleagues

look around the table to whoever is speaking

and act exactly as if their counterparts were in

the same room. Interestingly, research shows

that executives who chat via video conference

are unsure how to greet each other when they

meet in the flesh as their brain believes they have

already met, suggesting that a teleconference

etiquette is yet to be formally established.

High definition video conferencing relies on the

Metcalfe effect of scale. In other words, you need

a critical mass of locations from where to place

your video call or else it will be written off by

users as a novelty, the company says. In early >>

Flat beds on planes, private air taxis, supersonic jets, speed trains and hotels with zero gravity beds – versus video conferencing and virtual meetings. Where’s the future in travelling for business? Words by Justin Wastnage

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2010, Cisco completed a vast investment,

building Tele Presence suites in all major cities,

including two in Sydney. There are now 3500

facilities in forty five countries, including some

700 in Cisco offices. Banks, mining companies

and other major corporations have also adopted

private systems and a network of public suites is

opening up.

Unsurprisingly when the airspace was closed

in Europe, video conferencing suppliers saw

demand more than double and Cisco says the

service has now replaced some monthly

meetings among the many companies actively

using it. The need for real life meetings is not

eliminated, however, as screen fatigue (where

those in video conference meetings begin to

tire, mentally), is believed to set in after around

two hours.

So is there a happy balance between real life

meetings and virtual ones? Steve Frost, Marketing

Manager Unified Communications at Cisco, says: “I

don’t think video conferencing will supplant

business travel, but I do think there will be a balance

in the future of video conferencing and travel. There

will always be the need to meet in person when

trying to build a team or close a deal.”

The jet set If video conferencing is one brave new frontier of

business travel, then the executive jet is another.

While it is less environmentally friendly, it is clear

that travel for business still keeps on flying high.

In the boom times of the mid 2000s, a new

generation of ultra lightweight six seater jets

entered the market. Dubbed ‘Barbie jets’ by some

of the elder statesmen of aviation, the planes had

the potential to revolutionise business travel,

especially in the US and Europe, where business

is done in multiple locations in one day. The new

jets, spearheaded by start up company Eclipse

Aviation, could be used as air taxis, flying

executives from White Plains, New York, to

Wichita, Kansas and back via Toledo, Ohio,

bypassing major airports.

More than 3000 very light jets have been

ordered, despite Eclipse falling to the cash flow

crunch demon and declaring bankruptcy at the

height of the global financial crisis. The concept

lives on through more established aircraft

manufacturers such as Cessna and Embraer. Ten

countries have substantial air taxi operations

today, ferrying business travellers from point to

point and others look set to follow.

Will downsizing planes to super jets mean a

win for the environment, too? It’s an issue which

will have to be addressed as the world becomes

increasingly environmentally conscious.

Corporate travel: Fast FaCts For the FutureIs travel still in the budget for big business?

The GFC shelved business travel in a lot of

industries but new studies show this might

be set to change. The Toga Hospitality

Group recently interviewed 400 Australian

business travellers and the results reveal

that face to face meetings and personal

interaction is still favoured for successful

business dealings. Their key findings:

76 per Cent believe the key to successful

business lies in face to face meetings.

86 per Cent have been away on business

in the past six months.

49 per Cent conduct meetings in hotels.

11 per Cent choose video conferencing

over meetings in person.

8 per Cent conduct effective meetings

over the phone.

↓ Are light jets still flying high?

Future Living | 31

ConCept roomsIf the hotel room of the future is going to feel different, it could also look very different, thanks to

technology. Zero gravity beds, finger and face recognition programs to replace door keys, plus iPods

fitted into every room, are just some of the hotel upgrades of the future. Already the new Armani

Hotel at Burj Khalifa in Dubai has dispensed with traditional check in, in favour of a more virtual

version. A personal butler keys details into a laptop as you are ushered through reception and to your

suite in seconds.

Back home, the new Chateau Élan executive retreat and conference centre in Australia’s Hunter

Valley has spent millions on beds with remotes for the mattress. Weary business travellers can simply

press a button and the mattress shifts to comfortable sleeping positions for them.

Global accommodation giant Accor has been experimenting with several concept rooms across its

range of business traveller brands, such as Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure and Pullman. Regular guests have

been invited to try out the new rooms and provide feedback, said Camille Devaux, Director of Rooms at

the Pullman hotel in the Paris suburb of Bercy. Research shows that male travellers, who account for

80 per cent of Pullman’s guests, prefer open plan convenience to interior design. Hence the most

radical concept room has the shower cubicle in the centre of the room, with only inert gas to make the

windowpanes opaque for privacy. The toilet is the only part of the traditional bathroom to be hidden,

with the washbasin also within the room itself.

The study also showed that male travellers prefer single switch lighting systems and brighter rooms

than traditional hotel rooms, with the survey revealing that more than 50 per cent of men cited the

switching off of standard lamps dotted around rooms as “an annoyance”.

Women travellers, by contrast, tend to prefer many multiple rooms or compartments. Women are

also more likely to choose a business hotel if it has a female only floor and good in room dining

options, Devaux said. Accor is rolling out several of the concept room’s findings across its brands.

Stansted via Kuala Lumpur by the end of the year.

There is one other fall out from the Icelandic

volcano eruption that passengers booking

business class returns should also consider.

Many European countries have started taxing

premium passengers higher departure fees than

those travelling economy. The justification is the

additional damage done to the environment by

meeting the needs of high end travellers with

extra space and luggage having environmental

and financial impacts.

Indeed, the 650 passengers crammed into an

Airbus A380 emit less CO2 per kilometre than

most family sedans, but those up the front are

responsible for four times as much as their coach

class cousins.

The volcano put the environmental message

into starker contrast. Eyjafjallajökull is estimated

to have spewed out over 250,000 tonnes of CO2

during its latest eruption, a figure that equals

the annual emissions of Australia. But European

aviation contributes some 350,000 tonnes per

day, meaning the planet actually had somewhat

of a breather during the week long grounding.

European businesses are full of stories of epic

journeys during the ash cloud of 2010. Many

business travellers took to the continent’s

network of high speed trains once flights were

grounded and liked what they saw.

At the time of writing, French TGV ridership

was still up by 17 per cent in the aftermath. If

the silver lining is an increased business use of

more environmentally sustainable modes of

transport, the ash cloud may have done more to

shift business traveller thinking than the

travellers themselves. •

Future of business travelBusiness travel is back on the rise, although

bookings for the front ends of planes saw a

serious slump last year, as travel budgets

tightened. Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce

admitted to being 20 per cent down in premium

class travel, in passenger terms. Revenue was

likely to be even lower as prices tumbled. But a

whole range of new cabin products, from

Emirates at the top end to AirAsia X at the lower

end, has reinvigorated the long haul business

class experience.

AirAsia X in particular has vowed to bring

flat-bed business class to Europe within more

people’s grasps with sub $2000 fares. The Asian

low-cost carrier has equipped its Airbus A330s

with twelve lie flat seats and plans to deploy on

services out of the Gold Coast and into London

supersoniC travelSince the demise of the Anglo French supersonic aircraft Concorde, the

world has been missing faster than sound travel. Air France and British

Airways never saw Concorde passenger figures return to breakeven after

returning the iconic plane to service following lengthy safety overhauls in

the wake of the July 2000 fatal crash outside Paris.

Yet it was the post 9/11 downturn that finished the aircraft. Arriving in

New York before you left Europe was always a hard boast to beat and

supersonic flight still holds an allure. But the drive to produce a successor

to Concorde is now largely in private hands, with half a dozen supersonic

private jet projects underway.

NASA itself still has more egalitarian goals than the private jet

manufacturers. Since the late 1990s the agency has been funding

research into bringing faster than sound travel to the masses. Its High

Speed Civil Transport program foresaw 300 passenger aircraft whizzing

between continents. The latest project, the X-43A, aims to use scramjet

technology to propel an aircraft faster than the rotation of the earth,

making flights from London to Sydney in less than three hours

theoretically possible.

The X-43A stalled due to budgetary constraints but looks set to fly

again this year. However, it could still be some time before Australian

business travellers can look forward to downing a pint in London on a

Friday after work and being home in Australia in time to spend the

weekend with the kids.

↓ Technology is revolutionising conference calls.

How will mobility change in the future?Technology will make travelling long distances both quicker

and easier. We firmly believe space travel will enable

people to fly from London to Sydney in just a few hours. In

time we hope to travel way beyond our own planet at an

affordable price.

How will most of us get around? We are pushing the boundaries of space and soon I hope

underwater exploration but these are the early stages for

the pioneers. The majority of people will continue to travel

by car and bus, so we need to spend more time researching

cleaner fuels and power for the world’s expanding fleet. Air

travel has grown dramatically in the last 25 years since we

started Virgin Atlantic and I see this showing no signs of

slowing down.

Low cost carriers in Europe, Asia and South America bring

travel to more people and are shrinking our world. This

growth comes at a cost. As an industry we need to spend

time, money and resources on developing the clean fuels of

the future.

Are there any bounds to travel? Will progress mean we will travel through time?I think Virgin Galactic shows there should be no boundaries.

Time travel would be fantastic. I have always wondered what

the Roman Empire was like... Where would you want

to go? You have got me thinking!

What environmental challenges lie ahead for the aviation industry?

Developing sustainable aviation

biofuel for the future is one of the

most important tasks facing us.

Several airlines have tested

various blends of fuels to prove

it can be used at altitude.

Now we need to work

together with aircraft

manufacturers, engine

makers and the oil companies

on how one would scale the

development of these fuels

and also put in place the

distribution to get the

new fuels to the airports

and aircraft.

Airlines are looking at waste,

sourcing and fuel efficiency – but

the development of the future’s fuel

is by far the biggest challenge.

How would you advise an organisation to foster a positive culture and inspire people?I have always been a great supporter of the theory that small

is beautiful. It allows you to keep close to your staff, your

customer and try to keep the right culture thriving. I

encourage our management teams (including me) to spend a

lot of time on the road and in the air meeting our staff and

hearing what they think. Challenging your people to come up

with new ideas and acting on them is key to fostering a

positive culture. Mix in an inquisitive and spirited founder and

you are halfway there!

What about aircraft – will we travel in large airbuses or smaller taxi style aeroplanes?Aircraft need to be designed for their particular markets. In some

cases it will make sense to have a big plane like the Airbus 380

to move 400 people or more at a time. For others you may need

smaller planes to reach remote parts of say, the African bush.

You have just tweeted that space travel is not far away. How far do you have to go?The mother ship flew in the air and we are planning to drop and

glide the actual space ship soon. We are carrying out tests for

the next year or two and then I will be in a better position to give

an exact date.

Premium economy, business, first – what’s in store for business travel?We are planning even more comfortable beds in our upper

class suites – some airplanes have bedrooms already, but I

think we will focus on more comfort, fun bars and even better

entertainment.

What are your onboard creature comforts? My notebook to scribble thoughts in, and some chocolate.

Is there a ceiling to success? If so, have you hit yours?I don’t think you should set limits to people’s ambitions or

potential success. You should always keep trying to better

yourself and your community. I feel a great drive to keep

going and I’m spending a lot of time on my foundation Virgin

Unite – helping the team set up philanthropic ventures to

tackle climate change, conflict resolution, health issues in

South Africa and the revival of Zimbabwe. These are big

challenges and ones where I hope I can help.

Do you think Virgin Atlantic will invent a cure for jet lag?We already have an app to help you deal with it. I’m sure some

clever scientist will and we will make sure to try to distribute it. •

Interview by Renate Ruge


FUtURE oF...

How fast and high will we fly in the next few years? Intergalactic, underwater, time travel – just how far will we go?

Flyingwith SIR RICHARD BRANSON

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Editorial

BRougHt to you ByFKP Limited

ABN 28 010 729 950

editor Katherine O'Regan

editorial coordinator Michelle Daniel

PublisherMahlab Media

executive editorRenate Ruge

managing editor Amy Holgate

teXt contributorsLisa Doust

Tracey Hordern

Andy Walsh

Robyn Gower

Peter Salhani

Giles Parkinson

Justin Wastnage

Lisa Perkovic

aRtart directorSimon Wan

imagesPhotographersHamish Ta-mé

Renate Ruge

illustrator Ron Monnier

Inside cover: photograph by Josh Dunford, Burnkit. Contacts

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