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t is tempting to think of buildings and their interiors going hand in glove. They do. But it has to be said that some make better fits than others. It is rare that buildings are designed from the inside out-the drivers are more to do with site, optimising rental space, regulatory constraints and occasionally making a public statement. These developments are rather like arranged marriages. But even if'love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage,' it has to be said that arranged marriages can often work quite well. In architectural terms, architects and their clients recognise the opportunity to shape a building to make it align as closely as possible to the client's business culture. Such was the case with the new TransGrid building in Sydney's Ultimo, which sits behind theABCbuilding and diametrically opposite the new and idiosyncratic Frank Gehry building. The context was important because this precinctis fast becomi ngthe mostexciti ng in Sydney. It is a university precinct boasting a number of new and distinctive buildings, which complement the historical character of the area. This historic character includes the semi-industrial buildings of the former markets (Haymarket) and the Ultimo Pedestrian Network, to be called the Goods Line, whichwilleventuallybeSydney'sanswertoNewYork's High line. This passes directly in front of TransGrid and the architects, Bates Smarr, have acknowledged this by beautifully integrating the building into its context: creating a public plaza to complement the Goods Line, ensuring that the scale and materiality of TransGrid complement the surrounding built form, and by providing transparency at ground
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level to integrate the building with its context and to make visible the commissioned artwork in the lobby by Lucas Grogan, making it effectively a piece of public art. Bates Smart succeeded where others had failed: to build a new building on top of an existing one, whose columns and central lift core had anticipated just such a development. But TransGrid, who were to be the main tenant, were looking to consolidate a number of offices into one and wanted the building to drive a new workplace culture, one with a flatter hierarchy, more collaboration and greater transparency. A central lift core would constrain this agenda. The solution was a series of steel transfertrusses on top of the existing bui lding. This enabled the floo r plate to cantilever out on the western side (the entry and the Goods Line pedestrian precinct), thus increasing the floor area. At the same time, the lift core was moved to the western edge as an extruded glass volume, while service risers, staff amenities and escape stairs were located on the east_s:rn side forming a visual shield to an adjacent residential building. The cantilever, the extruded glass lift core and the seemingly random assemblies of vertical and horizontal sunshade blades combine to break down the mass of the bui lding, making it a 'good neighbour' to its largely small scale and variegated context. TransGrid's CEO, Peter Mcintyre, had been very specific about the kind of building he wanted in order to drive a new transparent, connected and collaborative workplace and a number of 'town hall' meetings were held to further articulate this vision. The building supported ~this with long, column-free
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floorplates with a central stairway, offset at each level to generate visual variety and connection across the three floors of the tenancy. The floorplates are quire large (2,000 square metres) and very long. So, in the words of Bates Smart's Brenton Smith, the challenge was how to make it not look like "a call centre or a football field of workstations". The stairs help to give scale to the floorplates, as do open and semi-enclosed meeting pods, the custom-designed pendant lights (by Arup) and rhe Knoll 120° workstations which cluster staff into re-configurable teams of six and provide visual variety down the length of the floorplates. Similarly, the double-height central wintergarden with its grand views north across Darling Harbour is deliberately set in the middle on Level 2. Its transparency and views lead the eye through the space, while its location encourages the 'bump factor' because people have to go up or down to get to it. Bates Smart have provided a building- with gr~at fluidity vertically and horizontally, together with clear sightlines and a visually rich office landscapethat fully supports their client's vision of an open and connected workplace, generating a significant shift from the previous workplace culture and supporting the staff in what has been a major change in the way they work. Post-occupancy feedback suggests that the staff could not be happier. Share your thought on the Transgnd prOJe~t at lndesignlive.comftransgrid
Paul McGillick is a Sydney-based freelance write1• on architecture, art and design.
LEFT The recycled tomber
batten screen VISually connects recept1on and the lnteflor workplace BELOW The office
landscape prov1des a nch v1sual prospect and breaks down the long floor plates OPPOSITE The recycled t1mber screen 1s repeated 1ns1de the workplace as decorative batustrad1ng connected to w1re space d1v1ders
PORTFOLIOINDESIGN
IN DISCUSSION
Brenton Smith from Bates Smart headed up the interiors team on TransGriq. Here he speaks to Paul McGillick about the drivers of the project. e won this project in a inherent qualities. Not separating or competition. TransGrid segregating business units. This was a were the main tenant nice, easy way of bringing everybody and occupied three floors. It was an together overrhree floors. integrated fit-our. At the time we TransGrid don't have any clients started to brief the project, TransGrid per se. So, in terms of a public fronthad a number of satellite offices and of-house space, it is quite modest. It's there were issues in terms of the way not belts and braces stuff-you're nor the business was moving for ward. doing a law firm. It is a nice honest firThere wasn't a lot of collaboration out. Not polished. So, the fit-out does going on. There were a few significant reference t he idea t hat they're in power strategic business drivers that came (energy), it's engineering. When you along with the building, which they walk into reception you've got these wanted thefit-outtofulfil. Oneofthem recycled tallow wood power poles, an was for more collaboration within the open screen with transparency into business, rather that separate, siloed the business. They wanted to give business units in different parts of people the opportunity to see into the the city. By getting everyone under business. In their old fir-out it was one roof, what they were tr ying to do fro nt-of-house/ba ck-of-house, you was flatten t he hierarchy and achieve /h it a boardroom, then you were out. more transparency within the office. You had no idea what was going on They were quite cellular-based in their inside. With this space you've got full previous offices, high partitioning, transparency. There is modesty in the very inward-facing, not a lot of materiality. It's got a polished concrete tra nsparency across the floors- and a floor and timber clements that run all lot ofhoarding of paper. the way down. It's about power and The fl oorplates lent themselves movement. The wires that suspend to this new way of working with more the fluorescent batten lights are about transparency-one long, column-free, power. There is a sense of per petual contiguous floorplate, side core. So, movement and energy through the in terms of space planning, openness ceiling. It was about creating a new and transparency-it has all those image for TransGrid.
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