j. Micallef
Project Axway
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A professional workplace interiors project at SmithGroup, leading the design process from workplace strategy through to construction for a multinational technology client.
Axway’s workplace was my first opportunity to lead a project from concept through completion, balancing design vision with real business strategy. The process began with workplace strategy workshops and surveys that gathered employee perspectives across generations, highlighting what to keep, toss, and create in the new office. From these insights, I mapped organisational adjacencies and developed scenarios for how different departments could interact more effectively. These findings directly shaped the planning moves in the final floorplate, where adjacency, daylight access, and collaboration zones were carefully aligned with the client’s goals for flexibility, productivity, and culture. The result was a workplace that redefined “business as usual” — an agile, culture-driven environment blending social hubs, diverse collaboration spaces, and intuitive wayfinding, supported by flexible furniture and technology that ensures every seat is a place to work.
Re-use door system
Demo existing wall
Axway’s existing office was defined by enclosed rooms, private offices and cubicle-style workstations, limiting access to light and collaboration. A workplace strategy survey with 213 responses revealed key priorities such as transparency, flexibility, and spaces for teamwork — insights that became the foundation for the redesign.
survey results: space priorites
workplace strategy workshop department goals: current vs. future
The final floor plan
This project taught me how to translate strategy into spatial outcomes.
I analysed survey data, translated the findings into adjacency flows, and used them to inform the plan’s logic. Collaboration with multiple departments required balancing competing needs, while also ensuring the design reinforced key workplace drivers like wellness, flexibility, and technology. The experience strengthened my ability to synthesise qualitative data into quantitative planning decisions and to see how workflows, culture, and organisational structure become embedded in physical space. Equally important, it allowed me to bring those insights into the aspects of design I love most [developing plans, 3D visualisations, and technical drawings] and to carry the project from strategic briefing through to its full design delivery [see final photography below].
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Project Axway: Award of Merit 2022 IIDA SW Design Awards Commerical office space 20,000 - 75,000 SF
