Google (FDC Construction)
Client & Scope
- Client: FDC Construction & Google
- Project Manager: Tammy Roos & Tyler Golding
- Location: Melbourne VIC
FDC Construction is one of Australia’s leading commercial constructions and fit-out companies, known for delivering complex, high-specification projects across corporate, retail, hospitality, and industrial sectors. When they brought Google’s new Melbourne CBD headquarters to tender, the brief was clear: the finished environment needed to meet global brand standards, hold up to exacting scrutiny, and reflect the creative intelligence that Google is known for worldwide.
Formul8 was awarded the package to supply and install comprehensive glazing & wall films, acoustic wall panels and signage elements spanning across three levels of the office fit-out — managing every application across the full scope under one partner. The scope was technically layered and deadline-driven. It required deep coordination across multiple elements which included digital printing, substrate engineering, acoustic integration, 3D fabrication, wayfinding design and tactile compliance. All executed with the colour consistency, quality control and expert installation that a project of this scale requires.
Central to our delivery was structured project management and consistent, proactive communication with the FDC and Google teams throughout every stage. From initial sampling through to final installation, we maintained clear lines of accountability to ensure every milestone was met and every decision was made with confidence.
Our Approach
Window Film: Privacy, Atmosphere and Brand Expression
The window film scope was far from a single product application. Each film type was selected and specified for a distinct functional or visual purpose, and together they had to read consistently across a multi-level environment. This application included:
- Custom digitally printed glazing films incorporated brand-aligned graphic elements across key glazed surfaces.
- 900mm frost bands were installed to meet privacy requirements
The standout decorative application was the dichroic window film installed in the Tech Talk room, specified in colour blaze finish. Dichroic film shifts colour with light and viewing angle, creating a dynamic, high-impact visual that anchors the room as a signature space within the fit-out. For a company built on creativity and self-expression, it was a natural fit. It is a material that responds to its environment, changes with perspective, and adds a layer of visual energy that static finishes simply cannot replicate. It speaks the same language as the people who use the space.
Signage: A Full Wayfinding and Brand Ecosystem
The signage package was a complete wayfinding and brand ecosystem spanning multiple levels, covering everything from branding installation through to operational and compliance signage. Every element was designed and delivered to work as a cohesive system.
The signage package was a complete wayfinding and brand ecosystem spanning multiple levels, covering everything from branding installation through to operational and compliance signage. Every element was designed and delivered to work as a cohesive system.
Achieving this required a thorough colour matching and sampling process. Print values were carefully adjusted between substrates to compensate for how each material receives ink differently.
The result is a wall treatment that achieves both acoustic performance and visual continuity in equal measure. It appears effortless yet is only made possible through a disciplined and highly technical process.
Reception Brand Sign:
Google’s signature brand produced in chrome-plated fabricated face illuminated aluminium lettering, acrylic tubing and RGB Led lighting with Formul8 managing the full process from design engineering through to fabrication, assembly and installation.
Super G Sign:
Google’s iconic G brandmark was produced as a standalone, movable feature with varying illumination, incorporating 3D imaging elements that take viewers on a journey through Indigenous astronomy, natural elements,and the connection to Traditional Custodians.
Directional Signage:
A three-layer construction with level identification numbers in 15mm moulded acrylic and precision-cut lettering for directional details, creating a system that is legible at distance and refined up close.
Suspended Wayfinding Signage:
Suspended signage with a three-layer visual effect and vinyl lettering and numbering, elevating navigation from functional to architectural.
Café and Operational Signage:
A complete suite of signage ensuring every zone of the fit-out is clearly and functionally identified.
Braille and Tactile Signage:
Custom Braille and tactile signage for room and service cupboard identification
Meeting Room Wall Graphics: Acoustic panels and Wallpaper Integration
One of the most technically demanding elements of the project was the meeting rooms wall graphic treatment. Each room featured a split-surface solution where three-quarters of the wall comprised acoustic panels to assist with sound control, and the remaining quarter was wallpaper. The design intent required both substrates, despite their fundamentally different textures and material compositions, to appear as one seamless uninterrupted surface.
Achieving this required a thorough colour matching and sampling process. Print values were carefully adjusted between substrates to compensate for how each material receives ink differently.
The result is a wall treatment that achieves both acoustic performance and visual continuity in equal measure. It appears effortless yet is only made possible through a disciplined and highly technical process.
Staircase Balustrade Wall Graphic: Celebrating Indigenous Art
The staircase balustrade featured a large-format wall graphic using artwork supplied by an Indigenous artist, Aroha Groves. This was not simply an installation task; it required a deep respect for the integrity of the artwork, precision in how it was scaled and produced, and care in how it was applied across the full dimensions of the space. The result is a piece that adds cultural richness and visual warmth to one of the most trafficked areas of the fit-out.
Sampling, Colour Correction and Project Management
A scope of this complexity does not succeed without a thorough process behind it.
Sampling Process:
Formul8 ran multiple sampling rounds across all print applications, with every substrate and finish reviewed and approved before full production commenced.
Colour Accuracy:
Colour correction was applied effectively throughout, with sign-off secured at each milestone to keep the program moving without compromising quality.
Project Management:
Coordination with FDC Construction and Google’s project managers was structured and proactive from day one. FDC and Google had a single point of accountability across every workstream — no gaps in communication, no ambiguity about responsibility. Decisions were made quickly, milestones were tracked clearly, and issues were resolved before they became delays. In a live construction environment with multiple concurrent disciplines running across three levels, that kind of coordination directly protects the program and the quality of the outcome.
Our Reflection
For FDC Construction, this project is a demonstration of what a fully integrated specialist partner can deliver across a complex, high-profile fitout. Every discipline — glazing films, wall graphics, acoustic integration, wayfinding, compliance signage, bespoke fabrication — was executed to the same standard and held to the same program, without FDC having to manage multiple suppliers or chase multiple threads. For Google, the result is a headquarters that holds up to the scrutiny their brand demands: spaces that are visually resolved, functionally precise, and built to last.
Working at this level, for a globally recognised brand through one of Australia’s most experienced commercial builders, is not something we take lightly. It confirmed that the standard we apply to every project — consistent process, clear communication, and accountability at every stage — is exactly what clients like FDC and end clients like Google need from a specialist partner. The spaces we help create are experienced by real people every day. Getting it right is the only option, and it is what we are built to deliver.
