Havas, one of the largest marketing communications groups in the world, has signed a lease with a Phill Wolanski associated company Harrington Street Investments, to move its Sydney business units in to the heritage-listed Bushell’s Building at 121 Harrington Street, The Rocks. Comprising 6,128sqm over 6 levels, Havas has secured a 10-year lease in a deal brokered by Cadigal.
The move, scheduled to occur in January 2019, will bring together 450 staff from Host/Havas, Red Agency, Havas Media, One Green Bean, Havas Sports & Entertainment, Blvd, BD Network & Co-maker, under one roof.
The lease to Havas will create a new chapter for the Bushell’s Building, widely recognised as one of the City’s most admired heritage warehouses. Developed by Bushell’s Tea Limited in 1925 in a locale formerly known as Frog Hollow, the building was used for tea blending and packaging until Bushell’s moved to Concord in 1975. The building then lay vacant until 1999 when Charter Hall acquired a leasehold from the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority and redeveloped the building to provide high quality A grade office accommodation. Denwol’s associated company, Harrington Street Investments, purchased the building, tenanted in 2013 and it only became vacant in June this year. A creative base building enhancement including the installation of End of Trip facilities and an upgrade to services is part of the building’s renewal.
Phillip Wolanski said: “We are proud to be custodians of this historical building and to be able to deliver a new quality and detailed design enhancement without affecting its original fabric.”
Havas’ tenancy fitout is being designed by Hammond Studio and will be configured around collaboration and co-creation, whilst celebrating the unique heritage assets within the space including industrial relics from its former life including tea hoppers, former elevator enclosures and a spiral tea chute over multiple levels. The surviving equipment and signs have a sculptural quality but also continue to imbue the building with the character of a former working factory.
Anthony Freedman, Havas Group ANZ Chairman said: “Over the past two years, our Sydney Village has continued to evolve, and we have built strong momentum through the consistent delivery of outstanding, award-winning work for our clients”
“The move enables the next phase of our global ‘Better Together’ strategy, facilitating greater collaboration and co-creation between our best-in-class agencies across the Group. We believe that the Havas Sydney Village is the most integrated in the industry and look forward to continuing to innovate around our ideology in Harrington Street.”
The lease to Havas is also a major success story for Harrington Street Investments who acquired the leasehold in 2013 and are now undertaking a major refurbishment of the building. Spectrum Partners have co-ordinated the leasing process and are project managing the refurbishment works which are being undertaken by Built.
Mark Tindale, Director at Cadigal said: “Havas wanted a workplace far removed from a typical office space. After a thorough search, the Bushell’s Building became the ideal fit with its strong street presence and whole building scale, large regular floorplates and the character offered through the high ceilings, extensive timberwork and the various tea-making features.”
“The prime location of the building behind Grosvenor Place is between Circular Quay and Wynyard, where several next-generation premium grade towers are well underway alongside the CBD light rail. Havas will benefit from the character and amenity of The Rocks, whilst being immediately connected to the pulse of the core CBD”.
