Lendlease initially engaged Blaklash to prepare a cultural site primer for the wider Brisbane Showgrounds and King Street precinct in Bowen Hills. As that work progressed, it prompted a reassessment of their own workplace design. Bates Smart had already completed an early interior concept, but Lendlease paused the project after recognising that the space needed a deeper cultural narrative; one that wasn’t yet reflected in the initial scheme.

The site primer provided a clearer understanding of the stories held in the land and how these narratives could meaningfully inform the workplace. Rather than retrofitting cultural elements later, Lendlease chose to restart the design conversation with Country at the centre, creating the conditions for a more authentic and integrated outcome.

Understanding the stories of Country🔗

The cultural research for the site primer revealed deep layers of history beneath what is now the RNA Showgrounds. Long before the precinct took its current form, this was a place of meeting, gathering and ceremony for community.

“The way the precinct has evolved still echoes those earlier patterns of connection,” says Blaklash Associate Director Erin McDonald. “There’s something beautiful about seeing those gatherings, that movement and that sense of coming together continue in the place as we know it today.”

Working closely with Turrbal Elder Aunty Kathy, Blaklash traced the former creek line, the spring waters that once pooled in the basin, and the paperbarks and clay that marked its edge. These details helped build a deeper understanding of how people interacted with the place throughout time.

“Our conversations with Aunty Kathy were open and organic, and she generously shared the stories held in the site,” Erin says. “Then it’s our job to reflect on that knowledge and determine how it can inform the design in a genuine and respectful way.”

The sightlines from the staff breakout area looked outward to Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and Mulgumpin (Moreton Island), visible from the upper levels of the building, and drew on the meeting of saltwater and freshwater as another cultural reference. These threads formed the framework that would guide every stage of the design.

Translating cultural knowledge into practice🔗

With the cultural foundations established, Blaklash joined Lendlease and Bates Smart for a series of co-design workshops focused on how Country would inform the spatial experience. “Bates Smart had their initial concepts and we brought the cultural framework to it,” Erin says. “The aim was to form a single, unified design.”

Rather than relying on decorative motifs or symbolic gestures, the workshops centred on how cultural knowledge could shape the fundamental atmosphere, flow and materiality of the workplace.

Ceremony and gathering inspired the front-of-house kitchen hub, a natural point of coming together for staff. Clay, traditionally used as ceremonial paint, also became a defining reference. The clay-toned paver flooring draws on the distinctive colour of the ochre found on site, grounding the workplace in the stories carried by the landscape.

The shorelines of Minjerribah and Mulgumpin influenced the soft, organic curves introduced in the foyer through floor details, custom furniture, custom rugs and a curved timber screen behind the reception desk. These gestures reflect the meeting of waters and the gentle movement of tidal edges.

Crafting connection through materials🔗

Crafted objects sit at the heart of the workplace. The reception desk, the first touchpoint as visitors arrive, was created with Blackwood Collective and Five Mile Radius. Although made from waste concrete and blackwood timber, it was formed using a rammed-earth–inspired technique that mimics the layered, compacted quality of the clay creek beds that once shaped the site. The result grounds the entry experience in a material expression of the landscape’s earlier form.Blackwood timber carries strong cultural significance across the continent as a traditional toolmaking material, and that logic underpins its use throughout the workplace. Blaklash designed custom blackwood tables for the foyer, while the blackwood timber screen behind the reception desk extends this connection.

Interior planting was also shaped by Country. Blaklash developed the planting strategy for the workplace, selecting native species where possible and positioning them using detailed sun-path and daylight analysis to ensure healthy growth within the building’s timber structure. “You can see the care in how it’s been put together,” Erin says, “and as a result, the plants are thriving.”

The building itself formed part of the design narrative. 25 King St is Queensland’s first engineered timber office building, a 10-level structure made from Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and glass, completed in 2018. With its striking use of sustainably sourced CLT, the building reduces environmental impact and offers a warmth and tactility that complements the cultural logic of the interior.

Experiencing the outcome🔗

The completed workplace feels calm and welcoming; a space shaped by natural materials and soft forms that offer a sense of ease uncommon in corporate interiors. Erin McDonald notes that the space “has a warm, inviting feel; not like you’re stepping into a workplace, but into something more considered and inviting, which helps everyone feel a sense of connection and belonging.”

The cultural narrative is intentionally subtle. “You wouldn’t walk into that space and think it’s a First Nations design until you start to talk about it,” Erin says. “That’s the beauty of contemporary First Nations design. It honours traditional stories in ways that feel authentic today.”

This subtlety is possible because cultural knowledge informed the design from the outset, rather than being added as a symbolic layer. The spatial character, material palette and crafted interventions all draw directly from the cultural framework established during early research and engagement, which ensures the stories sit within the logic of the space.

The result shows the value of approaching workplace design through a Country-centred lens. Every gesture connects back to place and purpose, creating a cohesive, culturally grounded environment.

Ultimately, Lendlease’s workplace stands as a clear benchmark for how contemporary workplaces can be shaped by story in a way that is intentional and enduring.