Forever Fitout

Forever Fitout, developed by Dexus in collaboration with Woods Bagot, presents a considered approach to workplace design, placing flexibility, longevity and circularity at the centre of the commercial interior. Designed to adapt across multiple tenancy cycles, the model moves beyond the traditional fixed fitout to create workplaces that can evolve with changing occupiers and ways of working.

From the outset, the intention of the project was to balance flexibility with permanence, enabling the workplace to evolve over time while maintaining a strong sense of quality and design integrity.

Woods Bagot Principal and Global Workplace Sector Leader Kirsti Simpson said the model responds to a need for workplaces that can remain relevant as organisations change.

The Forever Fitout has been explored across a number of pilot projects nationally, including workplaces at 1 Bligh Street and 25 Martin Place in Sydney, 80 Collins Street in Melbourne, and 1 Eagle Street in Brisbane. Each project responds to its specific context while working within the same underlying approach, demonstrating how the model can be applied across different buildings and tenant profiles.

Forever Fitout spaces can be reconfigured in weeks rather than months, with no strip-out or reconstruction required between tenancies.

Dexus Executive General Manager, Office Andy Collins said the initiative responds to tenant demand for speed, flexibility and reduced operational burden, while improving returns for investors over time.

“This model has the potential to reduce the capital intensity of owning office buildings. By investing in durable, reusable and reconfigurable components upfront, we avoid the waste associated with the repeated cycle of strip-out and reconstruction that consumes significant capital every time a tenancy changes hands.”

As organisations continue to adapt to evolving work models and business needs, flexibility is becoming increasingly important alongside aesthetics. Furniture has an important role to play, supporting workplaces that can respond to change without relying on fixed construction or significant refurbishment.

Rather than specifying highly customised solutions designed around a single occupier, Forever Fitout prioritises versatile pieces that can be reconfigured, relocated and reused. Furniture becomes part of the longer-term workplace strategy, supporting change while reducing the need for replacement and unnecessary intervention.

Working with Living Edge, the design team selected a considered collection from leading international brands including Herman Miller, Walter Knoll, Muuto, Framery, HOWE and Derlot. Each was chosen for its quality, longevity and ability to support a workplace that can evolve over time. More than 200 Herman Miller Cosm chairs feature throughout the Forever Fitout, combining long-term performance with considered material choices and a 12-year warranty, reinforcing the project’s focus on creating a workplace designed to last.

Structured around flexibility, spaces designed to respond to different work styles and changing organisational needs. The furniture follows the same principle, creating a range of settings for focused work, collaboration, meetings and informal connection.

"Furniture will play an increasingly important role in enabling sustainable workplace design. The workplace of the future will be less about creating a bespoke solution for a single moment in time and more about creating adaptable environments that can evolve without significant waste.”— Kirsti Simpson, Woods Bagot

Longevity is at the heart of the Forever Fitout’s circular approach. Selecting durable, high-quality pieces helps extend the life of products beyond a single tenancy cycle, with opportunities for refurbishment, reconfiguration and relocation as needs change. In this way, furniture can support a more flexible and resource-conscious approach to workplace design, retaining its value and relevance as needs evolve.

Living Edge Director Bryan Mahony said furniture selection is increasingly important in creating workplaces that can respond to change, with longevity, quality and adaptability becoming key considerations.

“Investing in well-made pieces creates greater value over time, particularly when furniture can be retained across different configurations and tenancy cycles. Rather than trying to predict exactly what the workplace will look like in five or ten years, the focus should be on creating environments that are capable of adapting without unnecessary waste or intervention.”

By considering quality, adaptability and product lifespan from the outset, furniture can become a long-term asset rather than a short-term fitout component.

“By selecting furniture for longevity, pieces can be retained, refurbished, reconfigured or relocated over time, reducing waste and embodied carbon while supporting workplaces that adapt to changing needs”— Kirsti Simpson, Woods Bagot.

The Forever Fitout demonstrates the value of designing with both the present and future in mind. When furniture is selected for quality and adaptability, workplaces can respond to change while maintaining the experience and design intent of the original environment.