Custom-designed premises give accounting firm new room to grow

Poole Group left cramped, old offices for spacious, custom-designed premises.

The Poole Group is one of the Sunshine Coast’s most successful accounting and investment firms. Combined, the company’s seven partners possess more than a century of accumulated experience.

However, their offices were small, outdated and inadequate. Finally, after years of growth and ‘making do’, the firm decided to investigate new premises.

Their hope was to design a purpose-built space that would optimise space and facilities for staff and clients, take care of future needs and offer greater workplace efficiencies.

Rapid company expansion meant the partners had little spare time. They needed a developer that could quickly grasp and translate their design requirements.

They chose PWI.

DESIGN WORKSHOPS REVEAL VITAL POINTS

PWI organised a series of design workshops with the architect, Bligh Voller Nield, to analyse the problems Poole’s current premises were causing and explore different concepts that could solve these problems.

Several crucial elements emerged in the Development Brief for Innovation House.

SINGLE FLOOR REQUIRED FOR EFFICIENCY

Poole needed a functional design and particularly wanted the efficiency benefits of having all staff on one floor. They also demanded that the building project a professional image with a relaxed atmosphere.

Additionally, they required a design that would maximise the long-term value of the premises.

MAXIMISING FUTURE FLEXIBILITY AND SPACE

Rigorous testing of these options, followed by a process of progressive design refinement gave the partners confidence that their new office was unlikely to require major modifications as they added staff.

BUILDING MILESTONES MINIMISE HASSLES

A series of milestones for building approvals and construction were established while ‘peak debt and timing requirements’ ensured there would be no cashflow surprises.

Poole Group director Greg Tuckwell says the milestones meant they enjoyed a hassle-free construction period that meant minimal disruption to their day-to-day operations.

“We [also] appreciated the PWI discipline and process that delivered monthly Project Board meetings, regular communications, and detailed project documentation for investors to monitor all financial aspects,” he says.

“PWI project management skills, and close attention to detail, ensured we had no surprises, and a large and complex project was delivered on time and on budget.”