“Not Nothing New”: A Sustainable Office Fitout by Envirotecture
Inside the Sydney studio where hempcrete, recycled timber and upcycled glazing glass came together on a tight brief.
When Sydney-based practice Envirotecture set out to fit out their new studio in a heritage warehouse in Ultimo, they gave themselves a deliberately unrealistic brief: use nothing new. The result, named “Not Nothing ‘New’,” is a sustainable office fitout by Envirotecture that leans heavily on off-form hempcrete, recycled timber and a long list of reclaimed materials, and it’s become an unplanned case study in what’s possible when a design studio fits out its own space.
An old warehouse, a new use
The studio occupies a 71m² space inside a former Grace Brothers department store building in Ultimo, one of several similar heritage warehouses scattered through inner Sydney. The bones are all timber: structural framing, flooring and columns, still visible throughout. Envirotecture kept the existing kitchen intact and built two new enclosed spaces within the shell, a main meeting room and a smaller “Zoom room”, to give staff a bit of acoustic privacy without losing the openness of the original warehouse floor.
Off-form hempcrete, left honest
The meeting rooms are built from off-form hempcrete, cast on site and left completely unrendered. Curved corners were formed in both plan and elevation using corrugated iron formwork, a technique the team hadn’t tried before. The hemp itself came through the Australian Hemp Masonry Company, sourced from growers near Dungog and mixed with a lime-based binder, local sand and water. No colour additives were used; the team opted to let the raw fibre speak for itself rather than compete with the timber, cork and denim insulation elsewhere in the room.
Builder Nick Sowden of Sowden Building Solutions carried out the hempcrete work, with prep support from the Red Seed Constructions crew, who handled the rest of the fitout.
Envirotecture.com.au
Recycled materials, put to real use
Reuse runs through almost every decision in the space:
- Timber framing was sourced from a house being demolished roughly 4km away.
- Windows were built on site using glass salvaged from the old aluminium-framed windows already in the building; the aluminium itself was recycled for scrap.
- Desks are the same units the team used in their previous office for close to 18 years, refreshed with painted edges and new lino tops.
- Skirting boards were cut from the offcuts of the hempcrete formwork, and the leftover skirting offcuts now sit under plant pots to protect the bamboo floor.
- Acoustic insulation in the upper wall gaps is recycled denim batting, left exposed rather than hidden behind plasterboard.
Healthy air, not just healthy materials
Beyond the material choices, the fitout includes a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery and integrated dehumidification, the same building science approach Envirotecture applies to its residential passive house projects. Fresh, filtered outdoor air is brought into the internal meeting rooms, addressing a common complaint in commercial fitouts: stuffy, windowless meeting spaces that people avoid after 40 minutes.
Lessons for future hempcrete fitouts
Envirotecture director Andy Marlow says the process reinforced a few practical lessons for future hempcrete work, chief among them integrating skirting boards into the hempcrete pour itself rather than fitting them afterwards, curved walls can shift slightly during construction, throwing off pre-cut skirting templates. He also notes that allowing more time between construction stages would smooth the sequencing on future projects, particularly at commercial scale.
Learn more about Envirotecture
The Envirotecture studio fitout shows that a sustainable office fitout doesn’t need to compromise on design quality or comfort — it can be the reason a space feels calm, tactile and genuinely different to work in. For more hempcrete projects, practitioners and upcoming events across Australia, take a deep dive into the Hemp Building Directory.
Watch the full video
Envirotecture Sustainable Office full Video (Talina chats with Andy) Hempcrete in Australia Season 4
FAQ
What is the sustainable office fitout by Envirotecture? It refers to Envirotecture’s own Sydney studio fitout, built using off-form hempcrete, recycled timber, reclaimed glass and other low-impact, largely secondhand materials.
What is off-form hempcrete? Off-form hempcrete is hempcrete that’s left exposed after casting, without a render or plaster finish over the top, showing the raw texture of the material.
Where did the hemp for this project come from? The hemp came through the Australian Hemp Masonry Company, sourced likely growers near Dungog in New South Wales.
Can hempcrete be used in commercial fitouts, not just homes? Yes, this project demonstrates hempcrete working effectively in a commercial office setting, including curved formed walls and acoustic separation between rooms.
Is hempcrete good for indoor air quality? Hempcrete is a breathable, natural material, and in this project it was paired with mechanical ventilation and heat recovery to further support fresh, healthy indoor air.
Disclaimer
HBD do not warrant the quality or experience of anyone listed on this directory.
We have relied on the information provided by the business and its representatives.
This site is not intended to provide and does not constitute building advice, or other professional advice.
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