First Building – Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (AMRF)
Project: First Building – Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (AMRF)
Practice: Hassell Architects
Location: Bradfield City Centre, Sydney
Planex products: Linea Dual Access Sliding Door Cabinet and Flox Planter Box
Designed by Hassell Architects, the First Building at Bradfield City Centre is the inaugural project within Australia’s newest city and the first completed stage of the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (AMRF). The project sets a benchmark for sustainable, adaptable design, supporting innovation, collaboration and advanced manufacturing.
The building integrates a glass-walled manufacturing hall, flexible office spaces, event areas and a rooftop viewing deck, creating transparency between making, learning and working. Its environmental strategy incorporates low-carbon mass timber construction, rammed earth elements and rooftop solar generation, targeting high Green Star ratings and demonstrating a strong commitment to circular economy principles.
Adaptability is central to the project’s design. A modular “kit-of-parts” approach allows spaces and components to be reconfigured over time, extending the building’s lifespan and reducing future material waste. This thinking extends to the interior specification, including the selection of Planex Linea dual access sliding door storage cabinets throughout the open office areas.
A total of 38 Planex Linea cabinets with integrated Flox planter boxes are dispersed across the workplace, supporting flexible layouts as organisational needs evolve. Manufactured in Australia from steel containing 24.2% recycled content, Linea storage aligns with the building’s sustainability objectives. The units also provide acoustic absorption, contributing to improved comfort in open-plan environments, while their modular, movable design reduces the need for replacement over time.
Together, Hassell’s architectural vision and Planex’s sustainably designed storage demonstrate how considered specification can enhance performance, adaptability and long-term environmental value.
Photography by Mark Syke