Fairmont Homes - SA

AO-Gami™ ceiling is almost 'an art installation' in Adelaide office fit-out

For more than a year, the Fairmont Group searched for new premises to house its growing staff base and enhance the business offering. Located in Kent Town, Adelaide, the new Fairmont Group office fit-out of an existing building is testament to classic yet contemporary design. Completed in March 2020, this fit-out features a showroom on the ground floor with office space on the second floor.

​Designed by Maria Gianquitto of MGiD Interior Design, the space delivers convenience and functionality, combined with a stunning modern aesthetic. To achieve this outcome, Gianquitto needed a product that would help decorate the interior space and modernise the retro aesthetic of the existing building. The specifications of the design called for Knauf  decorative ceiling product AO-Gami™ and acoustic ceiling tiles ASONA Triton.

The AO-Gami™ ceiling application revitalised the old-fashioned large skylight atrium in the existing building. 

“These skylight atriums were typical of the era and are not often seen nowadays in commercial buildings. Initially, the client planned to leave the atrium untouched as it was too expensive to remove. I saw this as an opportunity to spend time and effort to turn this into a contemporary space,” commented Gianquitto.

​​​​​​

​​​Using AO-Gami™ the atrium transformed from an ugly interior aspect into a striking and eye-catching feature. It distracted the eye from the old architectural form above by introducing an interesting and playful pattern of light diffused circular shapes on the floor below.

“I can’t think of any other product like this. It’s more of an art installation than a ceiling application,” continued Gianquitto.

The goal of the fit-out was to make it contemporary but not trendy, embracing classic design elements with a modern twist. Circular shapes were celebrated using the AO-Gami™ application, which reflected the elements of the building such as the shape of the external structure and the windows.

“The design has a long shelf-life. Ceilings are normally ignored, but these ceilings were an important way to cement these design concepts,” noted Gianquitto.

The AO-Gami™ application became the hero-piece in the fit-out. It dissipates the natural light from the skylight and distracts the eye with a beautiful shadow play as the sun moves overhead.

The rest of the building featured a gridded ceiling throughout, which called for use of a premium acoustic tile. The staff breakout area showcases acoustic ceiling tiles from the ASONA Triton™ range along with ASONA Polyfon Mesh open-celled panels. MGiD was the first interior design firm in Australia to use the new ASONA Triton™ colour maple.

“We experimented with ASONA Polyfon Mesh panels and a combination of white, black and maple toned ASONA Triton™ tiles. It looked very effective in this area. The ceiling tiles transformed this casual space and inspired a sense of vogue and playfulness,” said Gianquitto.
 

During the design phase, Knauf  provided Gianquitto with samples of various products as well as examples of applications. 

“Knauf  suggested numerous potential products that met the project brief and providing samples. This was very helpful when I began developing design concepts with the client. Many of these products fit the criteria and conceptual direction. Knauf  assisted with product and design for over a year before decisions were finalised,” praised Gianquitto. 

For more information about Knauf  visit www.knaufapac.com

For media queries, please contact:

Roberta Marcroft and Simone Esamie, Write Away Communication

+61 2 9978 1400, roberta@writeaway.com.au, simone@writeaway.com.au

​​​