Light Horse Logistics Hub | Office Design

Industry-first office design cements Light Horse Logistics Hub as market leader

Western Sydney’s momentous growth over the past decade has seen it emerge as a region of economic promise. The area’s population is predicted to reach 3 million by 2036 requiring significant property and infrastructure development.

We are investing in the region’s sought-after infrastructure through Light Horse Logistics Hub, a flagship development within our Charter Hall Prime Industrial Fund. Strategically located at the crossroads of the M4 and M7 motorways, the estate spans an impressive 170,000 square metres of Gross Lettable Area, catering to large-scale warehouse and distribution facilities.

Its prime location inspired us to develop a market leading estate committed to industry-leading, forward-thinking design, prioritising the development’s office spaces. Harnessing our cross-sector expertise in premium CBD-style office design, we aimed to attract high-quality national and international brands as tenant customers, creating meaningful employment options to attract and retain local talent.

Charter Hall Senior Development Manager, David Ruston, said: “In collaborating with our long-time architectural partners nettleontribe, we aimed to reimagine the traditional warehouse office design and put our tenant customers and their employees at the forefront of all design considerations across the development. The approach aligns with the importance that we place on wellbeing at our estates – we want workers to be proud of their environments.”

Challenging the norms through innovative design

Working together with our architects, we challenged ourselves to think outside the box to reconsider the traditional industrial office design.

Nettletontribe proposed a pavilion-style structure incorporating timber as the primary material. This approach was a first for Charter Hall, and the Industrial and Logistics property sector nation-wide.

Nettletontribe Director, Donal Challoner, said: “We wanted to create a building that respects its use yet challenges the norm and sets itself apart from others. We envisaged a two-story structure for the office with highlight features including a pronounced entry, expressed eaves and timber screening sunshades.”

The landscaping was also an integral part of the office design and pivotal for creating spaces where people could dwell, interact and relax.

“It was important that the outdoor areas for each tenancy were meaningfully incorporated in the office design, achieved through opening up the external façade to engage with the beautifully landscaped courtyard, with seating areas and planting exposed to natural light – all while being surrounded by the natural timber element. The result creates a fusion of light, landscape and natural built form,” said Donal.

Creative construction solutions

With forward-thinking design comes new construction considerations, challenging the project’s building contractors Richard Crookes Constructions to conceive innovative solutions. For example, timber can lead to acoustic issues and is not as durable as more traditional industrial materials such as steel.

Richard Crookes Constructions General Manager Industrial, Claude Concha, said: “The solution to managing the acoustics was laying polished concrete topping slabs on the internal floors across the first level. Not only did the flooring help to mitigate potential noise issues, it also brought a pleasing aesthetic to the space.

“We also conceived an impressive glass ceiling, helping to meet the project’s durability needs by protecting the timber from water exposure to avoid swelling, while maintaining the architectural intent through its high-end look and feel.”

Timber construction is relatively recent in the industry and unique in the industrial design space, requiring specialist expertise.

Richard Crookes Constructions Project Manager, Mitchell Kay, said: “We collaborated with timber experts and leaders in mass timber construction and carpentry, Savcon, whose advice was invaluable from design concept to completion.”

Engineering a leader in sustainability

At Charter Hall, sustainability considerations are at the forefront of our development approach. We engaged engineering consulting firm Northrop to advise on how best to incorporate locally sourced timber and achieve ambitious sustainability targets set for Light Horse Logistics Hub.

We sourced local Victorian Ash, radiata pine and Tasmanian Oak for the office structure, which reduced embodied carbon by 80%.

Northrop Principal Structural Engineer, Aaron Hughes, said: “It’s exciting to work with Australian-owned and made timber manufacturers to support local industry and design more sustainable buildings moving forwards.”

Northrop’s expertise also helped to reduce operational energy of the building by over 60% and potable water consumption by almost 75%.

Northrop Principal Sustainability Consultant, Ian Van Eerden, said: “Looking at the site holistically, rather than by individual building, helped us to unlock a more practical approach to sustainability. This contributed to the project increasing its target from a 5-Star to 6-Star Green Star Design & As Built rating.”

Powered by partnership

The project’s success is testament to the strong partnerships between Charter Hall, nettletontribe, Richard Crookes Construction and Northrop, with each bringing unique expertise to elevate the outcome.

With the industry-leading design principles integrated throughout Light Horse Logistics Hub, we are proud to see the first office structure taking shape. We look forward to continuing to deliver these office spaces throughout the rest of the estate.