If you've been driving through Robina lately on Queensland’s Gold Coast, you'll have likely noticed a new addition to the streetscape - Metricon Place, a purpose-built selections studio and workplace, supporting Metricon's Queensland customers and people.
Located at 209 Robina Town Centre Drive, Robina, Metricon Place is the first completed building in the newly designed Acuity Business Park.
"After spending 15 years in Robina in a tenancy we'd outgrown, the move to a new home, a stone's throw away from the old, has allowed us to stretch our wings and create environments that delight our customers and team members," says Jason Biasin, Metricon Director and pioneer of Metricon's Queensland operations.
Metricon Place comprises Studio M, Metricon's customer selections studio, on the ground floor, an area of approx. 1200m², a workplace of approx. 3,400m² spanning two levels and supporting some 400 people. Linking the two distinct zones is an exquisite internal spiral staircase – the hero of the fitout, that literally causes people to gasp when they see it.
On arrival at Metricon Place, visitors are welcomed at a beautiful timber-panelled reception desk in front of a sizeable and unique marbled wall featuring Metricon's iconic logo. They're then led into a warm and inviting customer café and lounge area before being greeted for their Studio M appointment or meeting in the workplace.
The studio, designed by Gensler Architects, houses a vast array of fixtures and finishes – all of which are options for customers building their Metricon home. Studio M has everything you could ever conceive and wish for in a new home - from lighting to flooring and state of the art appliances.
The showroom is a series of spaces linked by walkways and arches. Thoughtfully designed vignettes display products to their full potential, making each space a new discovery zone on your selection process. This includes kitchen displays with a variety of inclusions, bathroom, flooring, stairs, home automation, robes and fireplaces. There's even an outdoor area equipped with a Plungie pool, daybed, alfresco kitchen and outdoor shower!
"The Studio M experience has been designed to be immersive and memorable – giving customers a taste of what they can expect in their own homes," says Lisa Goodsall, National Display Home and Studio M Manager, who's been integral in shaping the direction of the studio fitout. "There are so many choices when building your new Metricon home. We felt it was important not to only display product, but to also build small-scale installations, so customers get to feel, see and touch products in a way that brings them to life," Lisa adds.
Jason proudly emphasises how unique the new studio is, saying, "There's nowhere else in Australia where you'll find this variety of product under one roof. Our product teams and supplier partners have worked so hard to bring the best contemporary and classical home inclusions to our customers in Studio M".
However, the wow factor at Metricon Place is not exclusively reserved for customers. The workplace, designed by Cunsolo Architects is just as impressive. It has been designed to engage Metricon's employees, meeting their unique needs and allowing them to be their best at work.
"Metricon is well known for its love where you live positioning," says Jason Biasin, "Equally important is our commitment to ensuring our people love where they work. We know how much a workplace contributes to people enjoying what they do and feeling part of a team."
The new workplace includes lots of collaboration zones and meeting rooms. It also caters for the different types of roles being performed by Metricon team members. For example, the Display Home Design and Interior Teams have a display home design and concept room for creating schemes for new homes. Pulling together a quick flat-lay or mood-board with product samples is now super easy in this library-like area with a huge work table. Similarly, Metricon's in-house graphic designers now have plenty of access to natural light and technology to bring their creative work to life. These agile environments cater to changing workplace needs.
There are flexi-desks and plenty of plug-in points for those team members who visit the office on an ad-hoc basis, such as sales and construction team members. And, an abundance of casual seating means that meetings can take place pretty much anywhere throughout the workplace.
A vast breakout area feels more like a café than a traditional lunchroom, and doors lead from the breakout space out onto a large deck meaning the area can open up further for team functions and parties. "We love our team get-togethers up here," says Jason, "they're the reason the Metricon team has such a strong work culture - we couldn't achieve such amazing results without them."
Technology has also been heavily factored into the equation. "Being a national business, we're communicating with team members all over the country," says Jason. "Our technology has been elevated to better support a business of our size and scale", he says.
All in all, it's fair to say that Metricon Place is a hit.
Jason says, "The feedback to this environment from customers and our people has been phenomenal, exceeding all of our expectations. I'm so incredibly proud of what we've achieved here at Metricon Place – which was no mean feat to deliver in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We're thrilled with our new home!" Jason concludes.
To book a tour of Studio M in Robina to see what all of the fuss is about, click here.
To enquire about job opportunities available at Metricon Place, click here.