Creative agency ZOO Group's new Kingston office offers range of work environments

One of Canberra’s leading creative agencies has quietly moved into its funky new workspace in old Kingston, above the bustling Brooklyn bar.

Independent creative network ZOO Group has opened what it believes is a game-changing new office that will encourage staff to work where and when they want with the aim of improving overall productivity and quality of work.

The new space is a radical departure from the traditional corporate office, to a more informal work environment that incorporates various spaces that encourage collaboration including outdoor work benches, lounge and bar areas and quiet work stations.

ZOO Group founder Pawl Cubbin says the space has a unique feel.

“It’s a cross between the foyer of a boutique hotel and a Qantas business class lounge – it has a completely different feel to most creative agencies I’ve been in,” he says.

“Before opening our Singapore agency, we spent 12 months researching global work practices in different industries and how they could work for a creative agency.”

Cubbin says he believes people produce their best where and when they work effectively and the new office was designed to accommodate that mode of thinking.

“We have five different spaces – both indoor and outdoor – that our staff can utilise depending on how they like to work and what they are doing,” Cubbin says.

The space once housed a restaurant, First Floor, above an earlier bar, the Holy Grail, both designed by architect Terry Ring.

“We’ve kept some of the restaurant’s characteristics and that connection gives it a unique personality and creative air – it has soul,” he says.

“Being located in Green Square means our team has even more options in where to work with an abundance of nearby cafes. There’s even the pub downstairs – perfect for informal meetings or just to have a change of scenery.”

ZOO Group Canberra moved into its new offices in September after a long residency on Wentworth Avenue and offices that had already charted a new standard in Canberra.

Initial feedback on the new space has been positive.

The group founder says the team is finding it easier to “get into the zone” and collaborate with each other.

“We’re starting to see that reflected in the work. We’ve also had feedback from our clients that it feels much more like us than our previous space,” Cubbin says.