Melbourne’s game-changing hub for hospitality, Worksmith, has teamed up with The GPT Group to bring its highly successful co-working blueprint to Melbourne Central with the launch of Worksmith at ELLA – where Elizabeth meets La Trobe. Worksmith will move into the west wing of the new concept hospitality precinct, in April 2019.
Born from the idea of giving back to the industry, Worksmith caters to the 800,000 people that work in Australia’s food and beverage industry, where the vast majority work in non-traditional office settings due to the specific demands of their job.
The ELLA address will house a new layout with the addition of four semi-enclosed private offices as well as a casual area with couches, bar, media room, and communal desks catering for up to 70.
The exciting first-to-market collaboration between GPT Group and Worksmith will see the arrival of a score of new and progressive food and beverage outlets within ELLA, such as Colours Kitchen by South Yarra’s Atlas Dining.
Co-founders Michael Bascetta, one of Australia’s leading food and beverage curators (Bar Liberty, Capitano, Grow Assembly) and property developer Roscoe Power, are excited to open Melbourne’s second Worksmith outpost since launching in February, with further Sydney expansion on the cards for 2019.
Power says: “Worksmith has an incredible opportunity to work with developers to ensure that they have access to incredible new, homegrown food and beverage opportunities that will be the next big bar or restaurant opening.”
Worksmith at ELLA will be more drinks-focused than its Collingwood sibling, with an on-premise lab for drinks professionals and liquor companies to experiment and prepare for events. High-tech features include centrifuges, water baths and dehydrators, fully contained and soundproof to respect other guests.
“I love our space in Collingwood, but the one in the city is going to be 2.0. We’re introducing elements like the lab which will be the first of its kind in Australia for communal use.” says Bascetta
Located on Level One of the development, the new location will also feature an adjoining retail space for Worksmith events and pop-ups, offering a highly-visible means to connect with city workers and commuters.
“We’re giving our members a new way to promote and trial their products on the fringe of one of Australia’s most iconic and highly visited shopping precincts,” says Bascetta. “We’re closing the circle between our members and the public.”
Worksmith’s bevy of regular events will continue across both locations, with Worksmith ELLA offering more tapered drinks-focused content, open to both members and non-members.
Bascetta has played an active role in the curation of the new hospitality precinct – a force that Stuart MacLeod-Smith, the Development Manager for the project, describes as pivotal in delivering a world-class neighbourhood precinct of the future.
“ELLA will be a place for curious and fun-seeking Melburnians to connect, share and discover new food, social, music, art and cultural experiences. Melbourne is Australia’s cultural capital, so the opportunity to collaborate with hospitality industry innovators like Worksmith to bring something new and unique to Melbourne CBD is one we are very excited about,” said MacLeod-Smith.
Worksmith’s ELLA fit-out has been designed by award-winning architect Chris James (Worksmith Collingwood, Capitano, Above Board) to incorporate a palette of natural timber and slate – “think Australiana meets desert with ochre and deep reds,” Bascetta says.
Co-working spaces are an emerging trend in Australia, growing by 297% between 2013 and 2017. In Australia, co-working currently occupies 0.7% of the total office market with Melbourne boasting the highest concentration of co-working spaces at 49% of the market and over 152 spaces.
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