In 2011 we were approached by a client we had built a house for to design the new office for his company. In his opinion the house we had designed for him is still “the best house in the world” and he expected nothing less for his new office fit out. Indeed the only design brief other than the number of workstations to be accommodated was that it had to be “funky”.
The brief: To create an Australian version of an English garden room at the rear of an existing Federation style brick house.
Planning strategy The challenge of this design was to create a room with lots of glass that was still suited to the hot climate of Australia. We achieved this by reducing the glass in the roof to a reflective glass triangular skylight and the careful placement of external glass in relation to the direction of the sun.
Construction will soon commence on the Gosford Quarries project by Tony Owen Partners. This project consists of 23 town houses on the Harbourfront of Sydney’s historic inner west. This area is traditionally a working port and the origin of Sydney’s tough working class neighborhoods. The site is formerly the Gosford Quarries sandstone facility which built much of Sydney’s historic houses and is a remnant of the working port. The linear site adjoins the light rail lines with spectacular harbour views.
Grant Associates, the UK landscape architects behind Singapore’s iconic Gardens by the Bay, has been appointed by the Royal Botanics and Domain Trust in Sydney to help develop a new sustainable masterplan for the historic Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney and adjacent public Domain.
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust (c) Simone Cottrell
Working alongside Cox Richardson Architects and Planners, Grant Associates will be responsible for developing the landscape strategy and public realm elements of the new masterplan.
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust (c) Simone Cottrell
With a combined area of 64 hectares, on a spectacular location bordering the iconic Sydney Harbour waterfront, the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney and public Domain is the largest single site in the Sydney Central Business District. Ongoing management of the space is crucial for the future development and direction of Sydney as a cultural and tourist destination. Due to celebrate its bicentenary in 2016, and as Australia’s oldest research and scientific institution, the Garden holds a unique place in the nation’s intellectual life and as a popular recreation and visitor destination.
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust (c) Simone Cottrell
The new integrated masterplan is due to be unveiled in November 2013. It will address the heritage of the Garden and its role, structure and future form; identify the means by which research and education can flourish; address the physical environment, facilities and character; and seek to establish a framework for a resilient and sustainable financial future for the Garden.
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust (c) Simone Cottrell
Keith French, director, Grant Associates said: “We’re delighted to be involved in this fascinating project. As the primary role of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust is for scientific research, we have to ensure a sustainable financial future and funding for this work, is balanced against the needs of heritage, education, recreation and as a tourist destination. It’s a real privilege to have the opportunity to play a small part in the future role of this amazing historic site.”
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust (c) Simone Cottrell
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust (c) Simone Cottrell
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust (c) Simone Cottrell
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust (c) Simone Cottrell
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust (c) Simone Cottrell
Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust (c) Simone Cottrell
The Alpha by Tony Owen Partners is due to start construction in July. Located in Lewisham on the fringe of the Sydney city centre, the Alpha will form the cornerstone of the new McGill master plan prepared by Tony Owen Partners. Alpha’s distinctive design and style which sets it apart from other developments. Its hexagonal pod-like façade creates an environmental screen which controls light and frames the views, allowing maximum exposure as well as privacy. The seven storey building encompasses a selection of one bedroom and two bedroom apartments and retail/commercial spaces. The top levels contain two and three bedroom two storey ‘skyhomes’ with hexagonal metal pods leading onto expansive roof terraces with panoramic views towards the city and surrounding parklands.
This project is located in Mosman on a north facing slope looking across Sydney’s Middle Harbour to the Spit Bridge and Clontarf. The site falls away dramatically from a broad and densely landscaped verge on the street frontage, with a high sandstone cliff forming the southern boundary. The house is nestled into this cliff, shielding it from the street, where it appears as a single storey, focusing attention on the magnificent view to the north. Entry is from the side street across a small bridge to a front door that opens to a grand stair descending the full height of the house and dividing it into two clearly differentiated volumes. The southern volume contains the service spaces, bathrooms, laundry, dressing room and a small study, while the northern volume contains the living areas and bedrooms. The glass roofed stair between these volumes has an ambiguous reading, neither inside nor out. It is only when one passes through a series of Oak framed portals that you are officially inside. The lowest level contains children’s bedrooms and a games/TV room that opens to the swimming pool terrace. An undercroft below this level contains the pool equipment and plant room. The middle level contains the main living areas, garage and a large north facing outdoor room opening off the kitchen and dining room. The upper level is given over to the main bedroom suite, home office, study and main entry. The simplicity of the external cement rendered form is enriched with an overlay of light bronze anodised aluminum windows, sliding doors and external sun control louvres, while the interior is defined by the Oak joinery and Travertine floors. The northern elevation is composed of a series of stepped cantilevered roofs and balconies with full height ellipsoid aluminium louvres screening the western facade from the afternoon sun and the neighbouring property.
The project retains its original envelope as part of its environmental, economic and planning values. a substantial lower ground living volume is sensitively inserted beneath the original fabric to harness the fall in the site towards the rear, extending deeply beneath the existing dwelling and outwards towards the garden to transform it – while a re-crafted rear ground floor above enfolds the existing rhythm of front rooms over the new lower ground below.
The Eden Art Wall apartment development explores the line between architecture and sign. This urban infill project is located in a varied and complex part of the Sydney cityscape and is visible from many vantages. The office sought to explore the possibilities of adding to the tapestry as a piece of art in the urban landscape. The project comprises 24 apartments consisting of a mix of 1bed, 2 bed and 3 bed penthouses. The project is located in a narrow laneway adjoining apartments to the east, and looks onto the Frasers Central Park development to the west.
The new Danks & Bourke commercial building is a refurbishment of a 1960’s concrete furniture warehouse. It is located in the former industrial area of Danks Street, which has lately become a trendy hub for the designer commercial set. The triple-frontage building contains 5,000sqm of office space over two levels, a supermarket and specialty retail stores on the ground floor.
The flagship store responds to its specific urban location within the established high-end retail character of the street, providing a high quality spatial experience for the presentation of optical products that overcomes its spatial limitations and modest budget.
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