This project evolved from peeling back the original skin of the storage warehouse and inserting a professional design office. Respecting the original structure and industrial nature of the building was a conscious decision that was supported by our intention to be sustainable and work to a limited budget.
An enclosed office was inserted to one side of the building which was separated by an active spine from the open office space. This active spine houses the literature library and job filing as well as providing clear access to the back of house areas. This was an intentional move based on the necessity to house two tenants who were able to share common space.
The original entry from Prospect Street was maintained and the front of house rooms such as the board room, reception and breakout space were located under an existing enclosed upper storey space. The existing loading bay ramp was replaced with a breakout deck. This allowed the open work area to have a relationship with the street. The level change between inside and outside assisted with providing respite and security from the busy street. The existing roller door was maintained and provides either total enclosure to the street or good cross ventilation and natural daylighting to the open office space when open.
The ceiling internally was clad in fibre cement and painted black, assisting with defining the forms of the sawtooth roof, and accentuating the flood of natural daylight. The high level louvres were maintained as a way of providing this natural light, and also for cross ventilation when the air conditioning was not required.
The material palette was kept simple and expressed in an honest manner. Materials used include exposed timber studwork painted black, polycarbonate sheeting for the office pod, recycled sheet steel for screening from the front entry and ironbark timber decking for the informal meeting/breakout space. The existing concrete floor was exposed and clear finished, further expressing the industrial nature of the existing building. Light fittings were kept simple, as either bare batten fluorescents or suspended light bulbs.
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