Description:

At its essence, Silver Fern Farms came to us with a simple desire for ‘all staff to leave feeling more energised than when they arrived’.

The result is a global destination hub, a space that enhances the connection and collaboration of their people. The use of materials, detailing and finishes deepen the connection of the brand and its history to the space, integrating Silver Fern Farm’s DNA and values throughout.

Housed within a Category 2 heritage-listed building that was once Dunedin’s Central Post Office, the Silver Fern Farms hub needed to pay homage to the company's rural roots in a fresh and dynamic way while supporting flexible, project-based work.

Warmth is achieved within the heritage building through thoughtful layered materials giving new life to the base build architecture. Bringing the outside in through moss green walls with internal plantings filling the voids, a nod to their farmers, connecting the brand to the space.

Previously held off-site, the tasting and innovation kitchen provides a space for in-house product development, cooking demonstrations, and marketing, and is also where Silver Fern Farms' internal ‘MasterChef’ competition is live-streamed to its people across the globe.

The pandemic served as a catalyst to rethink Silver Fern Farms’ future of work. Their post-Covid workplace strategy is geared toward face-to-face collaboration. Working with a 0.7 desk sharing ratio, the new layout includes 'innovation' and 'discover' zones with dedicated long and short-term project rooms. Integration of technology into these zones enables the connection of the Dunedin hub with Silver Fern Farm sites nationally and globally.

“The space is transforming the way we work together, and this is reflected in our engagement scores. There’s chatter around the Dunedin community about this iconic building and how it's been repurposed in a way that is respectful of its heritage which is important to us.” Julie Cooper, Organisational Development Manager at Silver Fern Farms