The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is a government body that ensures the safety of aviation in Australia. CASA licenses pilots, registers aircraft, certifies aerodromes, oversees aviation safety and promotes safety awareness. It does this by setting standards and safety outcomes that cover maintenance, airspace, aerodromes, licensing and all types of flying operations. When they recently relocated their Canberra office, space optimisation and agile working areas were high on CASA’s list of priorities. Crucially, spaces had to be adaptive with flexible furnishings to support task-focused work modalities. Additionally, spaces had to be flexible to adapt to change without the need to alter the built layout.

Zenith RBA was engaged to address these objectives and provide furniture solutions that facilitate a happy, healthy and productive work environment. Zenith RBA is a Supply Nation certified business and provides furniture solutions to Government and Corporations who seek to engage Indigenous businesses to deliver outcomes for Indigenous communities. With a focus on Community, Employment and Awareness, Zenith RBA is committed to closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage through supporting organisations such as the Polly Farmer Foundation, Clontarf Foundation and Melbourne Indigenous Transition School (MITS).

A striking feature of CASA’s new Canberra office is the full height glazing, conferring natural light and panoramic views of the city. With the well-known health benefits of natural light, CASA arranged Zenith’s Orbis workstations and Vox tasks chairs around the perimeter of the floorplate to maximise this feature. Understanding that their people spend a great deal of time at their desks, CASA selected the Vox chair. A good ergonomic task chair not only provides comfort but can also improve productivity and reduce the potential for workplace injury. The Vox task chair offers the user postural comfort and versatility, with lumbar support and an auto weight adjust recline mechanism.

Embodying stability and robustness, the Estate range of worktables provide a consistent design language across individual and team centric work zones. At a time when the modern workplace is continually changing, Estate conveys a sense of permanence through dedicated areas for independent focus or coactive group tasks.

With an open office plan to promote collaboration, CASA also required innovative, enclosed spaces for quiet calls, focused work, or small meetings and chose Zenith’s Verse acoustic pods. Versatile Verse is a tech compatible acoustic pod that offers noise reduction, air ventilation and is sustainably constructed, making it 100% recyclable at end of life. Available in 3 unique sizes, from the smaller phone booth option, through to the larger 4-person meeting room, CASA used all 3 sizes in different areas in the office.

Zenith’s Precinct Pods were used in areas for focused, independent work. These screened modules are agile, insightful, and adaptive. Precinct Pod is an acoustic-paneled system that creates a variety of workspaces for countless work modalities, from a quiet catch-up with a colleague to an enclosed retreat for an online meeting.

The Alter Chair was chosen for use in collaboration areas. Thoughtfully designed and robustly manufactured, the Alter Chair challenges traditional notions of office seating with its timeless, minimal, and elegant design. ⁠ Infused with a sense of residential warmth, Alter is a lounging experience that transcends the conventional ideas of a workplace chair.

The Edo Teahouse by Schamburg + Alvisse for Zenith was used to provide spaces for meetings, huddles, socialising, and breakouts. Inspired by the juxtaposition of tradition and technology found in Tokyo streetscapes, the stylishly minimalist Edo Teahouse accommodates a multitude of uses and tasks.

CASA’s new Canberra office combined space optimisation with the integration of agile working areas. A key focus was placed on creating adaptable spaces with flexible furnishings to accommodate task-focused work. By engaging Zenith RBA to provide a comprehensive furniture solution, CASA not only achieved its goal to ‘future-proof’ its workplace, but also contributed to supporting organisations focused on providing education, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

“Thank you to CASA for entrusting Zenith RBA and our Canberra team with this project. The support, trust and investment in our business allows us to contribute meaningfully to support the next generation of Indigenous leaders through our various community partnerships”- Jeremy Abbott, Director and majority Indigenous owner of Zenith RBA

See more of this project and other stunning office transformations from Zenith RBA.