The new headquarters is designed to be a high-tech, transparent building that will give pedestrians a view of the excitement and drama of news reporting.

Editorial staff will work on two large, open-plan floors designed to enhance movement and communication and further integrate new and old technology, including print, broadcast and online media. The news headquarters will accommodate more than 1400 Fairfax Media staff.

The announcement comes only a month after Fairfax Media Limited completed its acquisition of the former Southern Cross Broadcasting Limited’s radio business, including 3AW and Magic 1278 in Melbourne.

Fairfax Media's The Sydney Morning Herald has already moved into a “newsroom of the future,” equipped with the latest multimedia technology, where more than 450 Herald journalists and support staff are seated on one floor, close to TV, audio and photographic studios and editing suites.

The Herald's editor, Alan Oakley, said the newsroom, with its massive floor area and uninterrupted sight lines, enabled the best possible communication between the digital news-gathering operation and print/online production. At its core is an orbital nerve centre that brings the integrated newsroom to life, Oakley said.

Fairfax's group executive editor, Philip McLean talked about the newsroom of the future saying, "It enables the print and online staff to work in a very co-operative way, and this will enhance and enrich our journalism across whatever platform it may be."

Source : theage.com.au
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