Carr Demonstrates the Value of Hybrid Working as Nura Space Expands Across Australia’s Leading Architecture and Design Practices

Nura Space, the Australian workplace technology company, is highlighting its longstanding partnership with Carr, one of Australia's leading architecture and interior design practices, as an example of how smaller organisations can successfully embrace hybrid working while maintaining a strong and collaborative office culture.

An early adopter of flexible workplace practices, Carr implemented Nura Space in 2021 to replace its existing desk booking process, which relied on Microsoft Outlook.

Today, more than 75 employees share 60 desks across Carr's Melbourne and Brisbane studios, supported by a workplace management platform that makes it easier for employees to coordinate their office attendance, select workspaces and collaborate with colleagues.

The partnership demonstrates that sophisticated workplace technology is not exclusively the domain of large enterprises. Smaller organisations can also realise significant operational and strategic value through better workplace management.

Making hybrid working practical for a design-led business

For architecture and interior design practices, the physical workplace remains an important part of the creative process. Collaboration, mentoring, design reviews and spontaneous conversations all benefit from people spending time together.

The challenge is finding the right balance between flexibility and the face-to-face interaction that supports a successful design practice.

Carr recognised this opportunity early, adopting a more flexible approach to workplace attendance while retaining the importance of its studios as places for collaboration, creativity and connection.

Before implementing Nura Space, the practice managed desk reservations through Outlook, a process that created unnecessary administration and offered limited visibility into workspace availability.

“Before we engaged Nura Space, we were using Outlook to book desks which was clunky, inefficient, time wasting, and not transparent. Nura Space transformed this space. It means swapping desks is easy and seamless. The system is very flexible and provides great data to base decisions upon. The Nura Space team is also great to deal with and highly proactive in improving the system. Highly recommend it as a product.”

Fiona Bottcher, former Chief Financial Officer, Carr

By introducing a dedicated workplace platform, Carr simplified the everyday experience of finding and booking desks while gaining access to utilisation information that supports more informed decisions about its workspace.

Workplace technology that scales to the organisation

While Nura Space supports some of Australia's largest enterprise workplace portfolios, the company's partnership with Carr illustrates the value of applying the same principles to organisations operating at a more modest scale.

With more than 75 people sharing 60 desks, Carr can provide flexibility without requiring a permanently assigned workstation for every employee.

Importantly, the platform provides visibility into how workspaces are used, helping the practice understand demand and adapt its workplace arrangements as the business evolves.

Anton Schiavello, Co-Founder and CEO of Nura Space, said the Carr partnership demonstrates that the value of workplace technology is not determined by the size of an organisation.

“There's often an assumption that workplace management platforms are only relevant to organisations with thousands of employees and large property portfolios. Carr is a great example of why that isn't the case.”

“For a design practice, bringing people together is incredibly important. The objective isn't simply to reduce the number of desks, but to give employees the flexibility they need while preserving the collaboration and culture that make the business successful.”

“Carr was an early adopter of this approach, and it's particularly rewarding to see the platform continuing to deliver value five years after the initial implementation.”

Growing adoption among Australia's leading architecture and design practices

Carr is part of a growing number of Australia's leading architecture and design practices adopting Nura Space to support more flexible, efficient and intelligent workplaces.

Alongside Carr, Nura Space is used by Architectus, Hassell, Gray Puksand and COX Architecture, representing some of the country's most established and respected design practices.

The growing adoption within this sector is particularly significant. Architecture and design firms understand the importance of the physical workplace, with collaboration, creativity and the exchange of ideas central to how they operate.

For these organisations, workplace technology must support flexibility without diminishing the value of bringing people together.

Schiavello said the company's growing presence in the design sector reflects a broader shift in how professional services organisations are approaching their workplaces.

“There's something particularly rewarding about working with architecture and design practices. These are organisations that spend their days creating workplaces for others, so they understand better than most the importance of getting the balance between people, space and technology right.”

“Having firms such as Carr, Architectus, Hassell, Gray Puksand and COX using Nura Space is a strong endorsement of what we've built. It also demonstrates that sophisticated workplace technology can deliver value to organisations of very different sizes.”

The growing adoption across the sector reinforces Nura Space's focus on making workplace technology accessible to organisations of all sizes, from independent design studios through to large, geographically distributed enterprises.

A long-term approach to flexible workplaces

Since its initial implementation in 2021, Nura Space has remained part of Carr's approach to managing its workplace.

The ongoing partnership highlights how relatively straightforward improvements to everyday workplace processes can deliver lasting benefits.

For smaller organisations, replacing manual or fragmented booking arrangements with a dedicated workplace platform can reduce administration, improve the employee experience and provide access to reliable information about workplace utilisation.

Carr's experience also demonstrates that hybrid working need not come at the expense of workplace culture. With the right tools and a considered approach, flexibility and face-to-face collaboration can operate together.

As organisations of all sizes continue to reassess their workplace requirements, Nura Space is focused on making sophisticated workplace management capabilities accessible to businesses regardless of the size or complexity of their property portfolios.

About Nura Space

Nura Space is an Australian workplace technology company helping organisations create more intelligent, efficient and adaptable workplaces.

Founded in Melbourne in 2017, Nura Space provides an integrated enterprise platform combining desk, meeting room, locker and car park booking, visitor management, concierge and event management, real-time occupancy intelligence, block and stack, space utilisation analytics and strategic workplace planning.

Supported by proprietary IoT hardware and integrations with leading enterprise and building systems, Nura Space connects people, workplaces and property strategies through a unified technology platform.

Nura Space supports organisations across Australia, New Zealand and international markets. www.nuraspace.com

About Carr

Carr is an Australian architecture and interior design studio founded in 1971. With more than five decades of experience, the practice works across residential, commercial, hospitality and workplace projects, bringing an integrated approach to architecture and interiors.

Operating from studios in Melbourne and Brisbane, Carr is recognised for its considered, timeless approach to design and its focus on creating enduring spaces that elevate everyday experiences. www.carr.net.au