Australian Lifestyle!

Fact is Australians love Australia. They will clean up after themselves and take care of their surroundings. Not only because it is one of the most beautiful countries, but because Australians love everything about it. From being outside to going shopping on a rainy day, they could never be unsatisfied.  Australians are to be the friendliest and helpful people around, with a great sense of humor! But do not go against them in any sports or completions, since Australians are known for being very competitive! Whether is it a surfing contest or having a match in polo or field hockey, Australian will put up a fight!

Majority of Australians live in the coastal areas since the interior of the country is known for the “The Outback”, most of the area is unlivable.  The Outback can be very arid with many of the deserts out there and the lack of water, as well. Another reason why many Australian’s live in the coastal areas are because of their huge passion for fishing.  Fishing for many Australians is their favorite activity, with the wide variety of fish catch and plenty of water to sail along. Since Australia has such great climate and sunshine almost all year round, they are able to fish every season. But with Australia having the highest rate for skin cancer, it is highly advised to ALWAYS wear sunscreen and to not lie out in the sun for too long.

So when Australians are not fishing they are most likely shopping! They are actually in the biggest credit debt in the world! But that doesn’t stop them from enjoying their lives. Typically all Australian Shopping Centers have; a bakery, Pharmacy, Medical Center, small supermarket, dentist, Fish and Chips Shop, and Pizza Shop. It is quite funny how they have everything they need in their Shopping Centers, with an occasion of other stores.  But wherever you’ll go you’ll find great offers!

Australia is said to be just like: California, Rio De Janeiro, and the Mediterranean for their love of beaches! Australians even design their homes around the beaches, by using the beach complement the home.  They also incorporate their way of living by the need to extend the backyard enough to be able to play and entertain guests. Their way of design is an excellent alternative way to create a “Zen of relaxation” all year round. 

Australian lifestyle is the way to be. Even with fashion they are very laidback and have casual wear. When it comes to the professional wear, they don’t even wear ties but just a nice shirt and pants. The typical outfit in Australia is a bathing suit and flip-flops. Gee, to have their lifestyle!

In the end, the wellness of Australia is to live carefree, but still being competitive enough to reach your goals.   What a nice philosophy! 

Herman Miller

Last Wednesday during our Interior systems, materials and codes class, we had a representative from Herman Miller to teach us more about their company.  Everything the rep had told us was very informational by providing us with facts about how they approached to be more sustainable.  I was very interested in the designs they had for each office space from a 4’6’’ -6’4’’ space and still accommodating the client’s needs. The process Herman Miller went through to create a setting where the human experience is not only a working area but also a learning environment.

Herman Miller moved into the “cradle to cradle” method by creating their furniture to be more sustainable. The one chair that I was most interested in was the Embody chair that helps restore the balance of human/ computer relationship. In other words it helps out people that spend most of their day at the computer. The pixilated support automatically conforms to every movement and distributes ones weight evenly. The Embody chair is even one size fits all! (Pretty cool!)

Even with the issue of ergonomics Herman Miller was able to adapt to the size, shape, posture, and spinal curves of different people.The Embody chair does not only help improve posture and mind flow, but is also LEED silver certificate with 95% of it recyclable! The Embody chair is the future and would be a great add-in for all cooperate offices.

After the representative talked the Herman Miller chairs, she began to talk about the “Resolve system”. This system was mainly focused on the “.com” organizations, that was created in 2000.  The system is a human centered base on a 120-degree system that it open and welcoming to all the employees. “And Resolve creates friendly work spaces; its shapes and openness encourage people to connect, interact, and collaborate” (HermanMiller.com). The benefit of having the Resolve system over another is that the work spaces are not confined; workers can work freely and enjoy their working environment.                                                           

For my designing of the Landor office, I would love to incorporate the Resolve system into my planning. By this I will be able to have open areas for the designers to consult and interact with one another. 

North Sydney, Australia

Site/ Place Analysis

“Australia ranks highly in many international comparisons of national performance such as human development, quality of life, health care, life expectancy, public education, economic freedom and the protection of civil liberties and political rights (WorldAudit).” One of Australia’s “life expectancy” is from Landor’s international graphic design group sited in North Sydney, Australia. Landor is located in one of the most beautiful parts of Australia. The office is a short distance from the capital of Australia, Sydney. Landor’s group in North Sydney has been partner with some of the country’s greatest brands, including Nestle, Procter and Gamble, Foster’s Group, News Limited, Westfield, Telstra, The Smith’s Snackfood Company, General Mills, George Weston Foods, Dairy Farmers and Heart Foundation (which help create the life expectancy of Australia.)

            The area around Landor is most known for its modern urban skyline of skyscrapers. Although North Sydney does not have any of Sydney’s major shopping centers, North Sydney is known for specialty stores and cafes. North Sydney is right next to the Sydney Central Business District (CBD) by road and rail across the Sydney Harbor Bridge, which is perfect for the Landor group to easily commute to work. North Sydney railway station is apart of the North Shore Line and the Northern Line of the City Rail network and the Sydney Ferries network.  With these transportations available to the community and businesses around North Sydney it will help reduce the amount of cars on the road, making it more sustainable.  

            The environment and lifestyle of Australia is very cheerful and very laid back and tend to look on the bright side of life.  Australia is very proud of the country and enjoys showing loyalty to it, especially for international sporting events.  Everyone is accepted in Australia, making it a very enjoyable atmosphere for tourists and the communities to come together and to appreciate the beauty of Australia.  The site of Landor’s office is in the most inspiring city in Australia, and will ignite the creativity flow for the employees. 

sources: 

"Australia: World Audit Democracy Profile". WorldAudit.org. Retrieved 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Sydney,_New_South_Wales