SEEKA - Designing for Connection + Cross-pollination

When this major NZ kiwifruit operation purchased the old Kiwi 360 site in Te Puke, they had a clear vision: to create a new head office that supported the business culture they wanted to create.

In 2016, Seeka purchased the iconic Kiwi 360 site in Te Puke to transform it into their new head office. The circular timber building — once a tourism destination — offered a unique architectural form, rich with character and local identity.

A local architect had been engaged to lead the base build and refurbishment, and construction was already underway when Bubble Interiors was brought in by referral. Our initial scope focused on interior finishes, but as the project progressed, it became clear that something more fundamental needed addressing.

Despite the new building, the proposed layout risked repeating a familiar issue from Seeka’s previous office: team silos and limited cross-department connection.

Seeka’s leadership team had a clear aspiration for how they wanted their business to operate.

They described a culture that was collaborative, open, and grounded… but the spatial planning told a different story. Separate pods for individual teams, enclosed zones, and limited shared spaces meant that natural interaction between departments would still be the exception, not the norm.

The challenge wasn’t aesthetic.
It was behavioural.

And because the building structure was largely locked in, the solution couldn’t rely on major architectural change.

Rather than fighting the building, we focused on how people would move through it.

Our strategy centred on two key interventions:

1. Reimagining the Central Core
Instead of treating the centre of the octagonal building as passive circulation space, we transformed it into a shared collaboration hub, creating very intentional “bump” space.

Soft, informal furniture settings - rounded booths, bar leaners, and relaxed meeting spots - were carefully positioned to encourage people to pause, gather, and connect as they moved between zones.

2. Designing a Staff Café with Staying Power
Given the site’s out-of-town location, it was important that staff had a reason to stay onsite.

We redesigned the staff café as a true social anchor… bold, warm, and expressive. Black joinery, solid oak tabletops, and hand-painted murals by local artists created a space that reflected Seeka’s identity and invited people to linger.

These moves didn’t force interaction, they just made it easy.

The shift in how the space was used was immediate and organic.

Shortly after the move, our main project contact shared:

Cross-team communication had increased naturally.
The café became a magnet.
The central hub became a connector.

The space began doing exactly what it was designed to do… quietly supporting the collaborative culture Seeka had wanted to build.

You don’t always need a new building to create change.

Sometimes the most powerful shifts come from designing movement, proximity, and shared moments… especially when the structure itself can’t change.

This is where strategy, and knowing your why, makes all the difference.