SJB Folio No.5

Architecture Interior Design Planning Urban Design

SJB Melbourne +61 3 9699 6688 Sydney +61 2 9380 9911 sjb.com.au @aboutsjb #aboutsjb

06 Latest 08 Work 14 White House 16 Willoughby Incinerator 18 L’Hotel Gitan 20 St. Margarets 22 Establishment 26 Cantala 30 100 Harris 34 Lindfield Village Hub 36 Chifley 40 Harry the Hirer 44 Planning

This is SJB

Our passion is the built environment. We are proud to have worked on some of Australia’s most recognisable and innovative projects.

Over the years, we have built a reputation for bringing enthusiasm, creativity and personal commitment to every commission whether it’s the interior design of someone’s dream home, or the planning and revitalisation of an entire site. Our four entities, SJB Architects, SJB Interiors, SJB Planning and SJB Urban, work as interlocking teams, giving us a cohesive and versatile approach that generates innovative and holistic thinking. In short, SJB is more than the sum of its parts.

We see ourselves as a collection of experts; a multi-disciplinary practice that embraces architecture, interior design, town planning and urban design. Our collective goal is to contribute meaningfully and responsibly to the environments in which we all live. We collaborate with a diverse range of clients, from individuals and research groups to multi-nationals and government agencies, on ventures that aim to achieve this goal, both here in Australia and internationally. Above all, our practice is about people.

4

Our own knowledge and expertise is constantly expanding, advancing and adapting by working with our clients and communities. We value the relationships we build with those who are passionate about meeting the challenges of our times. This brochure gives you an understanding into our people, our built works, and some that we’re currently working on. We hope it will give you an insight into how we think, how we work, and how we strive to fulfil our mission of creating spaces people love.

Making better places to live

Looking over our 40 year oeuvre, one of the most striking features is the extraordinary diversity of work for which SJB has been responsible. From some of the most significant restaurants, private homes, commercial and residential developments in Australia to planning for whole communities and urban renewal, there is an abundance to be proud of and the awards to show for it (p6–7). Moreover, there has been a consistency of spirit as we continue to stand by our primary tenet of ‘designing better places to live’. This, with our underlying philosophy of collaboration, has resulted in an innately inter-disciplinary practice where architecture, urban design, planning, and interiors each benefit from the expertise of the whole. We are, as such, the sum of all parts and for this issue, architectural publisher and former AR editor, Andrew Mackenzie takes a look at the last forty years through the eyes of SJB founders, Alan Synman, Charles Justin and Michael Bialek (p8).

As SJB has evolved, so too has the world in which we design.

In 1990 a study on Melbourne revealed 125 people living in that city, which as Minister for Planning Richard Wynne, (lord mayor of the time 1990-91) noted, comprised “a few hippies and squatters, and that was basically it.” Melbourne, was in fact a perfect storm of infrastructural and residential deadends and change was essential. The creation of SJB Planning in Melbourne at this time drastically shifted the way we worked and importantly allowed us to design and build the residential developments for which Melbourne is now famous.

Moreover, SJB Planning has allowed an active engagement with the way our cities take shape (p44) and has paved the way for projects such as Lindfield Village Hub (p34).

With 40 years of extraordinary work to our name, we asked some of Australia’s key architectural and design writers to ponder on a SJB project that resonates with them personally.

For Sophia Watson, editor of Indesign, The Willoughby Incinerator is the perfect design solution for future-proofing (p16). SJB Director Ljiljana Gazevic’s private home comes under the gaze of Belle editor, Tanya Buchanan (p14), while Inside co-editor and Architel.tv interiors editor, Jan Henderson takes us to a favourite restaurant, L’Hotel Gitan (p18).

The joy of a night at Sydney’s Establishment speaks to Architecture Media editorial director, Cameron Bruhn (p22), while St. Margarets embodies the principals of exemplar adaptive reuse for Nicky Lobo, former Habitus editor (p20).

Adaptive reuse is a primary objective with 100 Harris Street (p30) a glorious example of what extraordinary architecture can achieve. History similarly plays a role in the return of Chifley to its former glory (p36), while Harry the Hirer (p40) is an astonishing exercise in staging and creating relationships with the industrial past. Conversely Cantala looks entirely forward with a beautiful musing on the way we live as a community (p26).

5

Latest

A Memory of Time An exhibition in collaboration with Swee Design and Gallerysmith located at our Oliver Lane studio.

The Australian Interior Design Awards A Private Residence received the award for Residential Decoration and a commendation for Residential Design at this year’s AIDA. Redfern Terrace also received a commendation for Residential Design.

The AIDA recognises and celebrates interior design excellence via a credible, industry-based program, which is supported by the Design Institute of Australia, the professional body representing Australian designers. “This was not expected and we’re so thrilled. We were up against stiff competition and we’re so excited by this award,” said Jonathan Richards.

Comprising a selection of amazing artworks, the exhibition is for public enjoyment. As a practice working with the contemporary engagement of creative spaces, SJB is enormously proud to support and celebrate artists.

Ranging from sculpture, to photography and paintings, art within an interior environment is an extension of the design process: as necessary as furniture, textiles and accessories.

The exhibition includes work by Ngaio Lenz, Kirstin Berg, Adriane Strampp, Rachel Coad, Penelope Aitken, Jan Parker, Louise Rippert, Jo Scicluna, Emma Davies and Jo Wilson.

Level 4, 18 Oliver Lane Melbourne 9.00am-5.30pm Monday to Friday.

“We’d like to recognize our incredible team in this achievement, and acknowledge this award is as much theirs as it is ours,” said Kirsten Stanisich.

Waterline Place, Williamstown Exemplifying design excellence, the recent completion of Waterline Place embodies an integrated approach to development that encompasses architecture, interior design, planning and urban design. Located on the former Port Phillip Woollen Mills, the large industrial site is being transformed into an integrated precinct including a residential development for approximately 650 dwellings.

As part of Stage 1, and comprising 140 apartments and townhouses, the SJB design of Nelson Place delivers a contemporary interpretation of the industrial legacy of the precinct.

Importantly, the established maritime nature of the community was responded to with a design process of sensitive incursions, whereby the local historic buildings and streetscapes of Williamstown were incorporated into the new development. Indeed, Waterline Place is the first ground floor retail and residential development of its kind in this industrial precinct.

While grand in scale, A Private Residence is characterised by a simplicity of detail which SJB’s design has clarified further through minimal palette shifts expressed as large swathes of unbroken colour. Soft and expressive detailing provides a restrained and liveable sense of luxury, while wholly opulent furnishings defy era specific trends.

World Architectural Festival and Inside, WAF finalists announced SJB is delighted to be shortlisted for seven projects across 6 categories in the 2017 World Architecture Festival (architecture) and INSIDE (interiors). WAF is considered the world’s largest and most prestigious architecture awards programme, with the event to be held in Berlin 15-17 November.

Building our future It is with great pride that we announce new appointments in the Sydney Architecture and Urban Design disciplines. In making these promotions we have considered many factors; talent, experience, aptitude, attitude and equity. Each individual has made an important contribution to the success and growth of the practice, the values that shape our projects and the way we work.

Associate Director Francisco Layson, Marcus Lewin, Charles Peters Senior Associate Monica Edwards, Klaude Lania, Joseph Loh, Gabrielle Suhr, Jonathan Tondi Associate Sevda Cetin, Stefanie Hughes, Howe Law, Elizabeth Metlikovec, Emily Wombwell

“We are very excited by the opportunity to present our work on such a respected and international platform. It’s a remarkable achievement, not only for SJB but also Australian architecture with just over 10% of local practices shortlisted for Completed Buildings.” Adam Haddow.

INSIDE – Bars and Restaurants – 12-Micron

SJB is delighted to announce four new appointments in our Melbourne Planning office.

We believe that these promotions continue to strengthen our practice and further establish our reputation as a leading consulting service. Many factors were considered in the making of these promotions including professionalism, valuable insights into the planning system, experience and track record in expert advice on development options. We are very proud of David, Henry, Andrea and Anna and believe that their elevation will not only benefit our practice, but also continue to further our strong network of client / stakeholder relationships and add substantial value for our clients.

INSIDE – Bars and Restaurants – The Buena (Submitted with Tess Regan Designs)

Senior Associate David Hickey, Henry Wood

INSIDE – Creative Reuse – Cleveland & Co.

Associate Andrea Zohar

“This has been a big year for us and for our design to be recognised internationally is incredible.”

Kirsten Stanisich.

SJB’s shortlisted projects are as follows: WAF – Housing – 41 Birmingham WAF – House – Cleveland Rooftop WAF – Landscape – Cleveland & Co. (Submitted with Dangar Group and Black Beetle)

INSIDE – Residential – Cleveland Rooftop

6

Planning for the future

Senior Planner Anna Thang

Parramatta Civic Link SJB in joint partnership with ASPECT Studios, has responded to the City of Parramatta Council commission to create a Framework Plan for the Civic Link, with a grand civic spine connecting the railway station with the river.

Aligned through Harwood Place, the vision will create ‘a vibrant green heart for Australia’s next great city’ - a pedestrianised public space and cultural spine which connects Parramatta CBD’s primary civic and riverfront spaces. The design responds to its environmental context and the city’s rich and vibrant history, expressing people and place, past, present and future.

The framework additionally provides a set of Urban Design Guidelines for public space, pedestrian movement, built form, program and sustainability, as well as identified actions for the short, medium and long term.

Architects without Frontiers SJB is enormously proud to support Architects Without Frontiers in its global mission to aid vulnerable communities design and build health and education projects in the Asia Pacific region.

Perspectives Celebrating its first anniversary, Perspectives continues to impress.

Enabling conversations amongst creative industry peers, Perspectives is a speaker event series of gravitas. The forum draws together people, posing themes and most importantly, invites the women involved in our creative industries to share their perspectives.

Co-founded by SJB Associates Elizabeth Metlikovec and Emily Wombwell, past events have discussed a range of topics. These include FRAME with Mel Bright (MAKE), Jen Peedom (Sherpa) and Tanya Buchanan (Belle) sharing their views. PATTERN, ICON and SENSE will round out 2017 with an extraordinary line-up of speakers. www.perspectives.net.au

SJB Director, Amanda Roberts embarked on a four-week trip to Vietnam which included a visit to the Kianh Foundation education centre in Hoi An.

Pictured above: Kylie Bracknell, Sophie Howarth, Emily Wombwell and Elizabeth Metlikovec (SJB) and Tarsha Finney.

“Seeing this centre was a sharp reminder of the positive impact health and education have on the wellbeing of children and their families, especially when provided in a safe, comfortable and happy environment. The staff and kids have made the building their own and are now growing veggies, setting up ‘shop’ and learning essential life skills to help them live fulfilled lives in their own communities.”

Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards Kirsten Stanisich and Jonathan Richards were awarded Interior Designer of the Year at the 2017 Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards.

12-Micron was also awarded for Best Hospitality Interior. These awards recognise Australia’s leading design practices, their respected bodies of work, and the acclaim amongst industry and peers.

Bridgehill Residence SJB takes great honour in receiving the 5-star award which places Bridgehill Residence as a finalist in ‘The World’s Best - International Property Awards’ to be held in London later this year. We would particularly like to thank Bridgehill Group who accepted the award along with SJB at the gala event in Bangkok.

Bridgehill Residences in Milsons Point, Sydney was awarded for its adaptive re-use (conversion) of an existing office tower into a mixed use multi-residential building of 126 apartments with two retail spaces at ground level and a commercial component.

“Congratulations to the winners of the Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards 2017 – Jonathan Richards and Kirsten Stanisich of SJB. The pair, and their team, had a very big year with a myriad of projects entered in the awards – taking out the Best Hospitality Design Interior for 12-Micron at Sydney’s Barangaroo and the ultimate gong – Belle Coco Republic Interior Designer of the Year.

It’s the sophisticated and assured Australian sensibility that SJB has brought to its work that has earned the team global recognition,” says Tanya Buchanan, editor of Belle.

Photo: Dave Wheeler, Belle June/July 2017.

SJB Scholarship Award SJB is proud to announce Audrey Cavalera from the University of Melbourne as the recipient of the SJB Scholarship Award for 2017.

The annual award recognises architecture and interior design students from the University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales respectively.

“I would like to thank Michael Bialek and SJB, along with the University of Melbourne and our Dean, Professor Julie Willis, for this honour.

The SJB Scholarship is an immense opportunity, which I accept as a motivation to keep following my passions with utmost dedication and diligence,” said Audrey.

SJB would like to thank and acknowledge the very high calibre of students in this year’s program.

Pictured above: Donald Bates (University of Melbourne), Audrey Cavalera, Owen Chow (SJB).

7

Work 40 years in the making Andrew Mackenzie

8

Over the past 40 years SJB has created an abundance of awarded, accolade and inspiring work, but also a work culture and work strategy to see it thrive.

Many of Australia’s most prolific architectural practices were born of strong dynamic three-way partnerships.

Historical exemplars include Ancher, Mortlock and Woolley in Sydney, Claridge, HASSELL and McConnell in Adelaide, and Grounds, Romberg and Boyd in Melbourne.

Each was responsible for many great achievements in architecture: testament to a creative engine that was, at times, greater than the sum of their parts.

So it is with the story of three architects named Alan Synman, Charles Justin and Michael Bialek. Their practice, founded in 1976, has evolved from “three directors and one staff member” , into eight interconnected companies based in studios in Melbourne and Sydney, working all over Australia and with over 200 staff.

Yet it all started from humble beginnings in the early 70s. On going it alone as an architect in 1971 Alan Synman employed Charles Justin initially as a work experience student, then employee, then partner. A year later [1972] Michael Bialek returned from a stint in Britain and signed up to the local football team. As it turned out, Synman was the coach and before long Bialek swapped his football jersey for a smart suit and joined Synman and Justin. It didn’t take long for his talents to flourish, and as three partners Synman Justin Bialek (SJB) was born on 1 April 1976.

“We were complete equals, with common goals and common values about how a practice should run,” says Synman.

“From the beginning we wanted to have a good work culture, based on mutual respect, the highest design standards and a commitment to a good work/life balance.

It was a very close relationship, and in many ways Charley and Michael were like the two brothers I never had .”

In the early years the practice grew from project to project, designing houses for significant Melbourne personalities such as Ted Lustig and Max Moar. For those who know Melbourne’s development history, Lustig and Moar were legendary figures, responsible for buildings such as the Melbourne Park Hyatt and the Hong Kong Grand Hyatt. As Synman remembers, “Each house was probably $10-15m in today’s money. You can’t image how tough these people were. The brawling that would go on. Working with Bruno Grollo too was amazing. What he could get done was remarkable, given the construction environment at the time .”

top left Michael Bialek, Alan Synman and Charles Justin circa 1988

middle left Corporate Offices: 580 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC

top middle Nissan House

middle right Private Apartment, St James – 350 St Kilda Road, Melbourne VIC

top right Fawkner Towers

It didn’t take long for the talents of this growing practice to migrate into commercial buildings. Their bold 1983 design for Nissan House was a breakthrough for the practice.

Their submission won a design competition based on a single perspective drawing and propelled the practice into a period of intense commercial development. A number of ambitious commercial buildings followed, particularly along St. Kilda Road, such as Fawkner Tower. But the good times were cut short at the end of the 80s.

When the recession came, there was an absolute bust in commercial properties”, says Charles Justin. “In one week we lost 50% of our work. It was tough. We lost staff. Our wives had to come in to help keep the business going. But we were lucky to cash out of a development we were heavily committed to. We knew that if we held on to our good reputation, we’d get through it.”

As it turned out, they did more than get through it. With a mixture of foresight and creative strategy the practice positioned itself to take advantage of the sharp increase in high-rise multi-residential projects that started to emerge from the ashes of the recession. Bringing together nearly two decades of experience in designing bespoke family residences, alongside the more recent honing of a smart commercial design sensibility, the three directors set about leading the market in converting the over-supply of office buildings into high-rise residential developments. Something that had never been done before.

The combined result was a period in which SJB came into its own. As Bialek recounts, “when we converted BP House into the Domain, it was one of the first such conversions from commercial to residential use in the city, and it brought a whole new lease of life to an iconic Melbourne building”.

It was also a move that capitalised on the three’s distinct capabilities. Synman brought unity, discipline and process to the team and to each project (perhaps unsurprisingly for an ex-footie coach). Justin brought a keen understanding of a brief’s commercial potential combined with its strategic design possibilities. Bialek brought a refined architectural sensibility and close attention to both design detail and spatial richness.

Process, strategy and execution.

At the same time as they were repositioning their skill sets the directors made a strategic business decision to create four distinct and self-contained entities for delivering architecture, interior design, urban design and town planning, all under the banner of

SJB. Alongside this decision they also diversified their client base across Melbourne and Sydney. Together these moves broadened their creative horizons, while insulating SJB against further economic shocks.

In many ways it was a significant moment of transition for the city, as a number of factors coalesced at the same time. Firstly, empty-nesters started to leave their family homes in the middle burbs to be closer to the city. This caused the city’s bars and restaurants to boom, forming a feedback loop that encouraged more people to swap suburban life for city living. Secondly, there was a large amount of unused or underused building stock, from office buildings to warehouses to old heritage buildings. These became rezoned and ready for adaptation into housing. Thirdly, the expansion of tertiary education saw rapid growth in Melbourne’s student body, bringing with it an enthusiasm for apartment living. Finally, the city discovered the water. Demand for new homes in areas such as Port Melbourne and Port Philip exploded.

“We didn’t create the market,” says Bialek, “but when it emerged, we were ready for it. All of a sudden people wanted to see Melbourne from the sky. A project like Clarendon Towers responded to that demand, and with 260 apartments it was the largest residential building in Melbourne at the time”.

In expanding the practice into four disciplines, it freed each part to either collaborate internally, or work with other architects, planners and interior designers.

This capacity to be nimble and collaborate as opportunities arose was critical to their on-going success. With projects such as New Quay at Docklands, where a whole new chunk of city was effectively invented from scratch, a joint venture with Fender Katsalidis helped manage the scale. For their later project CBW (Corner of Bourke and William) they collaborated with Bates Smart. At other times they have worked with Wood Marsh, Six Degrees and Carr Design [St. Kilda Triangle, Village Park in Parkville and The Park House, Abbotsford respectively]. Whereas many joint ventures lead to the wrong kind of competitive tension, you could say that many of SJB’s best projects have been delivered collaboratively. As Justin says, “We have a distinct approach to joint ventures.

We don’t carve the job up, but pool our resources. So the dynamic is different and more productive”.

bottom left BMW ZQ Import Centre, Mulgrave VIC bottom right BMW City Road, Melbourne VIC

9

The Domain, originally the commercial premises for BP

10

CBW Melbourne, on the corner of Bourke and William Streets

11

Four decades later SJB’s legacy is visible on many of Australia’s skylines and waterfronts. The Domain set a high benchmark for future office conversions into apartments, at a time when these buildings might otherwise have been simply torn down or left as empty hulks.

CBW has catalysed the revitalisation of Melbourne’s west end of the city, much as St. Margarets in Sydney’s Surry Hills helped revitalize a previously neglected part of the city. More recently, apartment developments such as Wylde Street in Potts Point have won awards for continuing a tradition of immaculate detailing and high craft in construction.

But for all their accolades, perhaps the more enduring legacy of SJB is the work culture that the founding directors have inculcated into this burgeoning design engine. As Synman says, “from the very beginning it was important for Charles, Michael and I to create a family culture within the practice. Over the years, the ability to rely on and trust the decisions of our partners and colleagues has been of paramount importance. With each division of SJB, whether in interior design or urban design, we have made a point of giving each new young director complete freedom, while at the same time making available every bit of experience and knowledge we can”.

In a country that boasts a number of architectural practices with long and rich histories, there is reason to believe that a practice that is founded on mutual respect, strong professional principles and the fostering of creative team thinking, can expect a healthy long life. If current vital signs are anything to go by, SJB looks set to be one of those practices.

The new SJB studio Melbourne

12

Special anniversary feature 40 years of SJB

On the occasion of our 40th anniversary we asked five leading design and architectural writers to comment on their favourite SJB project.

13

White House Luxurians

There is something quite mesmerising about the refined minimalism of Ljiljana Gazevic’s Mornington Peninsula weekender. Like its owner, interior designer and director at design firm SJB, it exudes a sophisticated serenity.

by Tanya Buchanan Editor, Belle

Longevity and simplicity were the key words on the checklist when Ljiljana and her partner, architect Axel Baumann, were on the lookout for a property to renovate. With busy weekday careers in Melbourne the renovation of the property had to be interesting, calm and incorporate all of the details and finishes required in a bolthole belonging to this couple of ascetic luxurians.

Looking at the finished product there are myriad nods to the signature SJB style of which Ljiljana has been such an important innovator in her two-decade plus career with the award-winning firm. A robust yet elegant slatted screen with a nod to minimalist Japanese design is the showpiece of the pavilion-inspired enhancement. An understated timber platform links the interior and maximises the liveability and appeal of the garden which features native plants and pebble and rockscaped expanses doubling as a warm entrance area and sunny alfresco dining space.

A trademark of SJB’s design work is a masterful use of colour and finishes and here the subtle palette imbues the space with an urbane yet quintessentially Australian exuberance.

While many of the pieces in this project are bespoke and designed by Ljiljana - such as an oversize barn door that screens off the entry and entertaining areas from the guest quarters and the chic outdoor entertaining table – the rest of the interior finishes, art and design pieces, have been confidently curated with an adept hand and experienced eye. The gorgeously feminine ‘Smock’ chair by one of Ljiljana’s favourite designers, Patricia Urquiola, is a standout in the living room, which features a dramatic monochromatic artwork, Tali (Sand Hills) by Lily Kelly Napangardi.

14

The finishes throughout have been influenced by the locale with exposed timber beams, stone platforms and fireplace hearths with a volcanic quality and raw yet refined earthiness.

The space has been carefully assembled with beautiful objet, stunning art and designer pieces from Australia and abroad and has become the perfect downtime haven for Ljiljana and Axel.

It’s no surprise that the space is chic and pared-back and seems absolutely idyllic, but when speaking with Ljiljana she had one final addition she wanted to make – a yoga studio.

Fast forward a year or so and in conversation with Ljiljana again she mentioned that she hadn’t yet added the yoga conservatory, but instead, had cleverly worked out how to transform the house into a weekend yoga retreat for her fellow yogis while Axel was away on a fishing trip.

After a speedy appraisal of the living room she cleared the furniture from the space and created an expansive studio for herself and her yoga-loving guests and the higher space above the stairs became an elevated space for the instructor. The finishes and the layout had been perfectly far-sighted – you see Ljiljana had innately designed it with all of her requirements achieved without even realising it.

15

Willoughby Incinerator The Art of Future-Proofing

Outlasting the dreaded five-year cycle is a challenge faced by all practicing designers. But while we all work toward achieving longevity, few have actually cracked the code for the art and science of futureproofing. Designed by SJB, the Willoughby Incinerator is a shining example of intelligent adaptive reuse at its most exceptional. Let me tell you why…

by Sophia Watson Editor of Indesign magazine

It’s often forgotten that future-proofing is a critical part of the sustainability equation. If a building or space is designed correctly, it will have a minimal footprint and survive decade’s worth of fads and trends. But what does it even mean? Where do we start? If it were that easy, wouldn’t everyone be doing it?

‘Future-proofing’ is a rather vague and ambiguous term that gets thrown around quite a bit, and I’m pretty convinced that a large part of our industry thinks it involves some kind of architectural clairvoyance and crystal-ball thinking. However, futureproofing isn’t so much about making predictions as it is about designing-in longevity. And while, sure, using the benefit of years of industry experience and knowledge to forecast movements and probabilities in architecture and design is a great tool, the only thing we know for sure is that change is inevitable – and we therefore need to design environments that will adapt and grow as intuitively as possible with that inevitability.

Originally completed in 1934 by Walter Burley Griffin and Eric Nicholls, the Willoughby Incinerator not only ranks among my favourite SJB projects, but my favourite projects ever. It is a remarkable piece of early Australian Industrial heritage, and despite a tumultuous 80 years it has remained iconic and treasured.

After terminating incineration in 1967, the building was unused until a rather ill-advised attempt at adaptive reuse in the 1980s to convert the space into a restaurant and then a small office building.

This disastrous ‘stab-in-the-dark’ approach to the redesign was fraught with complications and subsequently, was a spectacular failure. Vandals, fire, a lightning strike that forced the removal of the ornate chimney top and a series of unsympathetic additions all badly damaged the original fabric of the building.

16

In 2006 SJB and Godden Mackay Logan were appointed by Willoughby Council to prepare documentation for the adaptive reuse of the seriously damaged and maligned building. The design team very cleverly used 3D technology to reimagine the original architecture, based on old photographs and half-finished “as built” drawings. This initial phase of “CSI Architecture” as the team recalls, gave SJB a clearer understanding of the original glory of the building, including what potentially lay beneath the additions made in the 1980s renovations.

The investigation revealed a number of large and expensive issues, the most problematic being the significant concrete cancer throughout the structure, where much of the built fabric would need to be replaced. Now, this is where SJB has been remarkably clever in their thinking around lasting adaptive reuse; how do you restore the original integrity of a building if you need to replace almost all of it?

Though the rectification works saw the replacement of much of the original materials, the reinstatement of the chimney has given the building back a sense of scale and aesthetic nostalgia.

More importantly though, SJB created a smart and simplistic design strategy in their quest to secure longevity, driven in part by some rather intelligent ecological design principles. For example, because the space is small, it can be occupied without the use of lighting most of the day. The building has no need for air-conditioning, owing to the specified natural materials (concrete and stone), which do wonders in keeping a reasonably stable temperature throughout.

The other factor in successful futureproofing is making sure the design is responsive to its location, blending seamlessly within the physical and cultural nature of the place it’s in. To ensure that Willoughby would last, SJB had to make sure

that it would meet the modern functional needs of users and match the purpose of its surrounds. Here, SJB created a competition brief for an artist to design a sculptural element to cover the proposed lift shaft.

Richard Goodwin was commissioned for his entry to cloak the lift structure in a fractal design of stainless steel geometry.

The lift ensured easy access into and out of the building, while kicking off the public acquisition program for what would become a public sculpture parkland.

Ultimately, the Willoughby Incinerator was a project that was about doing, in SJB’s words, “as much as necessary and as little as possible.” And that’s why I love it. From a design perspective, SJB really understood that the role of the team was not to compete with the original architecture, but to restore and support the original vision for a contemporary purpose.

Now home to an artist-in-residence’ studio, a community gallery space and a café/ community meeting hotspot, I imagine that this building will at some time in its future change use again. As the current community morphs organically into a new one, a new and more appropriate use may arise. This next use, whether it be in 30 or 70 years, will be well supported by SJB’s foundation of genius adaptive reuse. The loose-fit approach pursued in the current adaptation will stand this important little building well for the future. For me, the Willoughby Incinerator represents the most beautifully inspiring philosophy to this widely misunderstood concept. And that is SJB.

top The restored chimney of the former incinerator below left Richard Goodwin’s winning design for the lift graces the entry level of the incinerator below right Walter Burley Griffin geometric `nailhead’ details restored by SJB

17

L’Hotel Gitan French Delight

Reviewing the substantial work of SJB to choose my favourite project was an extremely difficult process. A stellar practice such as SJB has achieved success by constantly producing outstanding architectural and interior design solutions that both stand the test of time and inspire change.

by Jan Henderson Co-editor Inside Magazine and interiors editor Architel.tv

“ Materiality was essential to creating an authentic French ambiance” Léo Terrando, Director of Interiors.

Having admired the practices’ many completed projects, and in particular their multi-residential commissions, my first inclination was to choose such a project.

However on reflection, I have chosen a hospitality project in Melbourne that encapsulates all the attributes of fine design, and by its success, typifies the work of SJB, and this is L’Hotel Gitan. I should paraphrase and say that I visit this establishment often – for intimate drinks with friends, quiet meals on the weekend or a more formal dinner for work. Each occasion is a perfect fit for the interior that offers refined, considered and appropriate design.

In the front bar area there is a variety of seating configurations for drinks and casual dining with bar stools and small tables, large high tables for groups and quartercircular banquettes for a more intimate experience. The open plan kitchen is located in the middle of the spatial footprint and provides voyeuristic opportunities for diehard foodies seated at the kitchen bar. The restaurant proper is located at the back of the building and there are white clothed tables and bentwood chairs spaced around the diamond-buttoned charcoal and white piped rectangular back cushions on the parameter’s banquette.

The Hotel is situated on Commercial Road, Prahran and offers French food with contemporary touches and the interior reflects this perfectly. The internal renovation was commissioned by the Reymond family (patriarch Jacques Reymond is well-known as an iconic chef) however with L’Hotel Gitan the Reymond brand has been extrapolated, gathering a new clientele and securing a place in the often volatile Melbourne bar and dining scene.

An intimate private dining alcove adjoins this space and features original stained glass work on the door surround. Although the walls and ceilings have been painted white, accents of dark timber have been utilized to great effect on doorways and at picture rail height on walls. A dark stained timber floor flows from the entrance to the restaurant and abuts a dark floral patterned carpet that has been laid for acoustic consideration and to delineate the dining area. Lighting is discreet and the addition of contemporary French wall sconces provides a touch of the modern.

The bones of the building are Art Deco and SJB has retained the best of the features concurrently updating and reinventing the style of the period for today’s discerning patrons. Striking additions have been included such as geometric patterned tiles behind the front bar, structural pillars clad in bronze antiqued glass and the retention of the ‘Art Deco curve’ in the bar and surrounds that complement the building.

18

With a colour palette of white, cream, espresso, bronze and brass the interior could have been very predictable but here is the essence of the SJB design, the interior is renewed, looks and is modern, all with resonance to the Art Deco heritage. The whole embraces a modern aesthetic but true to what a drinking and eating establishment should be, the atmosphere is warm, convivial and inviting and the clientele (including me) agree.

19

St. Margarets The Mastery of St. Margarets

Architecture and design can inspire curiosity and delight. St. Margarets for me is very much about my growing relationship with design and the innate response good design instils in those within its sphere.

by Nicky Lobo A professional slashie (writer/editor/curator/ moderator/yogi) working across design and architecture

Surry Hills became my stomping ground when I scored a job as an editorial assistant while studying at the University of Technology, Sydney, in 2007. So I only really ever knew the 2004, St. Margarets development as it stands today. I can’t imagine what that strip of Bourke Street would have been like before — tucked away behind Taylor Square, a kind of bleak back street to the bustling liveliness of Crown Street.

I didn’t know much about architecture but intuitively understood that the buildings in St. Margarets were special. To my naïve senses they heralded the future with their alternatively curvaceous and crisp angular forms, and their fresh white palette with those outrageous red window boxes making a bold statement, like when you work up the courage to wear red lipstick, which I had not, yet. They seemed effortlessly chic.

I know now that nothing about this architecture is effortless. St. Margarets is a finely tuned response to history, context and community. Taking on the layers of memory — both emotional and built — of the original maternity hospital and chapel demands sensitivity, while the nature of medium-density projects calls for practicality and robustness. Bringing these somewhat opposing requirements together is no mean feat, yet this was achieved.

For me, the community aspect is where it gets really interesting, because there are only a proportionate few who have had or will have the pleasure of living in the 214 apartments contained within the four residential buildings — Alba, Henry, Jasper and Ivy. So the master plan for St. Margarets had a crucial role in engaging with the streetscape and surrounding laneways to draw people to the site. Eateries and retail provide destinations on the journey into and throughout the 1,500 square metres of public space.

20

But my favourite part of St. Margarets was undoubtedly Object Gallery and the Australian Design Centre, located in ‘Kenneth’, the restored chapel building. At that time under the helm of CEO and Creative Director Steve Pozel and Associate Director Brian Parkes, I — and anyone — could absorb some of the most interesting and eclectic creative work being done in Australia. This was a space that invited interaction and appreciation of beauty and culture. A space that showcased objects and art that were conceived and made in our own country. An exciting space of possibility and connection.

I was lucky enough to spend some time there during the early days of my career as a writer and editor. I happily explored exhibitions within the gentle circular form, natural light filtering through vertical wall panels to shine onto the ideas represented in the works.

I didn’t know quite why I liked it so much — just that I did.

I believe we all have the capacity to understand architecture and design simply through bodily experience. It doesn’t take formal training to feel comfortable and inspired in some spaces and oppressed or intimidated in others; to intuit how some spaces are conducive to conversation, while others encourage calm commune.

To be able to create these feelings, to use architecture and design as a palette for experience and emotion — this is the mastery.

One that, no matter how much I write and learn and speak about it, instils in me great awe and delight.

top Original St. Margarets chapel by Ken Woolley below left Bourke Street retail edge below right St. Margarets courtyard

21

Establishment Hotel Room

by Cameron Bruhn

The global thirst for great experiences is insatiable and increasingly sophisticated and this makes design all the more powerful in the increasingly competitive global hotel business. The welcoming interiors of Establishment hotel in Sydney, designed by Andrew Parr and Kirsten Stanisich from SJB, are distinguished by their confidence, quality and longevity over decades they have honed their craft well.

Editorial Director, Architecture Media

The Establishment opened just in time for the Millennium Olympics in the year 2000.

This iconic venue is prescient of the success of its impresario Justin Hemmes, and the growth of the Merivale Group to more than 65 restaurants, bars, pubs and hotels across Sydney. The now legendary Sydney haunt, is a grand metropolitan pleasure palace with acclaimed restaurants that provide the backdrop for everything from deal making to marriage proposals; lively bars and intimate cocktail lounges that make us feel equally comfortable in the camaraderie of friends, lovers or strangers; and the indulgent private sanctuary that is the SJBdesigned boutique hotel. It is now almost twenty years since the audacity and scale of Establishment set Sydney’s nightlife aflutter and pioneered a new benchmark for Australian boutique hotels.

The historic Bridge Lane provides a discreet entrance to the 31 room hotel, finessing guests from the hustle and bustle of the city through into the assured comfort of the hotel’s lobby.

The hotel and its facilities are set within what were once the burnt out ruins of George Patterson House fronting George Street in Sydney’s downtown. This heritage-listed Victorian pile, designed by AL & G McCredie & JW Ashcroft, is an early Australian example of the multi-level department store. SJB responded respectfully to the original structural elements present in the building and deftly integrated these into the hotel’s interior. The hewn, worn surfaces of the venerable old columns and beams that rise through the structure are a striking contrast to SJB’s assured and graphic interiors.

22

Upstairs, Establishment’s rooms are comfortable and commodious, deftly employing materials, furnishings and lighting to create a sophisticated home away from home. Grand marble-lined bathrooms are a luxurious and sumptuous part of each of the guest rooms and penthouse suites offering the perfect setting to glam-up or chill-out.

The architects and theorists of the modernist movement used the hotel room as a visual metaphor for a new way of living where form strictly followed function. At Establishment the hotel room is cast as neither anonymously modern nor sentimentally cloying. This is more than a place to lay one’s head at the end of a long day in Sydney for either business or pleasure. The hotel interior SJB created eschews the austerity of modernism and the over decoration that is synonymous with luxury hotels. Andrew and Kirsten designed a place that allows guests – either new or returning – to create their own memories and experiences, expressing their own individuality and identity.

Architects and designers bring tangible value to the hotel business and exemplary projects like Establishment are a powerful vehicle for promoting and celebrating this contribution to the way we live, rest and play.

23

24

This page was left intentionally yellow

25

Cantala Contemporary Place-Making

Set amongst a mix of period and contemporary residences, the form of Cantala appears to float at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in Caulfield.

The glowing sculptural element of Cantala is the first of many slow reveals as the development gently makes its impression. Comprising 25 multi-storey townhouses and a block of 44 low-rise apartments, Cantala embodies the current desire for residential balance. That is, a home community that marries the best of contemporary placemaking and the aesthetics of leafy Melbourne. As such, the reveal is a deliberate gesture intended to signal the presence of something unexpected: “You’re not quite sure what it is, its sculptural quality conceals its identity,” says Director of Architecture, Tristan Wong, adding, “It’s a glimpse of timber that acts as a kind of ‘exclamation mark’ at the end of the cul-de-sac.”

Entirely walkable, the quiet serenity of the space is immediately evident and it is only when the absence of driveways and roads is noticed that the reason becomes apparent.

In this instance, SJB opted to remove all vehicles from the ground plane and place parking underground. With access via a shared driveway, each townhouse has its own parking bay with private lift access, while general parking is located directly below the apartment block. This decision enabled a people-scaled approach further enhanced through the introduction of a series of connected paths and courtyards.

“It allowed this beautiful landscape quality, and the walkability of the ground plane to occur,” says Director of Architecture, Michael Bialek.

Positing a neighbourhood model, the design demonstrably embraces the shift in the way we live, as Michael explains: “The inner-suburban scene is changing, getting away from separate, distinctive models and instead merging people with different needs into a typical suburban context. We have combined people wishing to live in apartments with people living in townhouses, all sharing the swimming pool, landscaping and other amenities.”

Compounding the idea of community, the built form is a direct response to its immediate neighbourhood. “We took the alignments of adjacent house properties and stitched them through the site to create a planning grid,” says Tristan. To this end, the existing escarpment along the north boundary became the natural location for the larger form of the apartment building.

This in turn suggested a natural unfolding of the townhouses on smaller grid sections.

Importantly, these were then aligned with neighbouring streets so that residents facing Cantala see townhouses and wellestablished plantings or a small sculptural element of the timber facade.

Taking subtle cues from the art deco buildings found along Dandenong Road, Cantala has been softened with natural timber and clipped curves: “The facade peels back towards the west, allowing a more sculpted aesthetic – curved ‘reveals’ comprising both window and balcony elements,” says Tristan. In effect, while the townhouses stand as small, singular gestures that are rectilinear and understandable, the apartment building is more playful. Angled balcony and window arrangements, for example, give the façade an active and fluid appearance.

26

Similarly, the upper levels are lent an air of weightlessness by the recessed ground floor of black brick. “We were looking for reinterpretations of a residential building and how we might adjust the average person’s perception about what that building is,” says Michael.

Entering the apartment lobby, large travertine tiles create an ambiance of luxury while the building’s exterior is strikingly referenced in the black steel balustrade and banquette seating. “It is about connecting with the architectural approach and the curved form of the exterior,” says Director of Interiors, Ljiljana Gazevic. Here, the banquette seating is recessed in the curved wall in polished concrete and upholstered in a rich tan leather, commensurate with the timber of the facade.

Transitioning from the public to private domain, the lobby design takes a residential approach: “We are emphasising the boutique elements of a smaller development, more detailing and attention to making sure it is intimate and with a connection to the leafy green of the area,” says Liljiana.

Following this approach, the vertical louvres’ strong visual presence is enhanced through shadows created from both natural and concealed lighting sources, while the mailbox presents as a beautiful built form more akin to a credenza than the usual utility.

Material luxury in the apartments is delivered in a neutral palette of timber and stone. Realised as two colour schemes of textural nuance, each boasts wide timber floorboards, timber-veneer joinery and a choice between luxury tile and stone. The same interior design principles have been applied across both the townhouses and apartments. The key difference being that the townhouses offer larger spaces and additional luxuries such as fireplaces and rumpus-rooms.

The overall feeling is one of custom joinery with elements such as the freestanding kitchen table beautifully crafted as a continuation of the overall materiality.

“The bench evolves to become a long, solid island in the townhouses, with double sinks, integrated dishwashers, storage and display shelves. This is the place where family and friends will naturally gravitate,” says Ljiljana.

Additionally, large areas of storage are similarly delivered as semi freestanding, timber edged, built forms. “We have considered the potential owners and in particular for those downsizing with a need for a large amount of storage including the pantry,” says Liljiana. Adding character without dictating style, Articolo pendant lights have been customised for this project and feature in both apartment and townhouses.

“We’re really proud of this project.

It questions the typology of living and it tries to challenge the notion of public versus private. It also defies the notion of what a building or an apartment building or townhouse should look like” says Michael.

Indeed, thanks to a client that trusted the design strategy, the project defies preconceptions and has pushed the SJB design teams – both architectural and interiors – to look at things differently.

27

28

29

100 Harris Rethinking Australia’s Great Buildings

Meeting like-with-like, the restoration of the 1880s wool store building, celebrates the scale and industry of this magnificent building’s original purpose.

With ornate mass brick façades and robust hardwood timber internal construction, 100 Harris Street is a Sydney building of weight and heritage. Built in the 1890s and added to in the 1910s and 1920s this building represents Sydney’s successful pastoral period when Australia was dependant on wool for its wealth. Typifying commercial building design of its period with its grid construction and mass brick external shell, this building style was a precursor to multi-storey commercial buildings in Sydney.

Additionally, 100 Harris Street has the rarity of extensive areas of triple basket bond brickwork, a method usually reserved for nogging (an old English decorative element of stacked bricks between framing timbers).

Briefed to reimagine the building as an active and dynamic office space, the SJB design includes new vertical transportation and emergency egress. Moreover, the incorporation of an atrium delivers a scale of grandeur commensurate with the building while bringing abundant light into the impressive 4,500sqm footprint.

Leveraging a rare combination of robust materiality, scale and volume, the design works to extrapolate the heritage fabric through insertions that work as a dialogue of old and new within the vernacular of the original building. “The building was extraordinary; amazing brickwork, incredible timbers and the potential for some really magnificent commercial spaces. We wanted all that to be legible in the finished building,” says Architectural Director Adam Haddow. To this end, the primary heritage materials, timber, brick and glass, are met with contemporary elements of steel and stone. In the café, the wrapped black steel dining surround for example, is sheer and unadorned, while cobbled floors speak directly to the rhythm of bricks. In this same area, the simple geometric form of the black steel pendants follow the rhythm of the vast arched windows.

30

Steel has in fact been used extensively within the atrium space, which is crisscrossed by balustraded walkways and stairs. Steel panels and balcony rails deliver a variety of transparencies, while strengthening paraphernalia such as tensioning cables are left exposed as an accord with the original elements of construction. Plantings of an appropriate scale, such as a full size palm grove, and suspended plantings in curved bands of black steel of the same form used for the banquette. The end of trip facilities, bike racks and lockers address a life balance shift that sees an increasing number of tenants cycling to work with a current rack system to accommodate 222 bikes (all of which are in use).

Glass similarly plays an interesting role with frames extending beyond the aperture to include areas of heritage fabric. The effect from the atrium, is one of an image that includes both the office or meeting room beyond as well as the building. It also works to proportionally control the rhythm and return symmetry and simplicity to the whole. This idea of framing has been used beautifully with some of the heritage elements of the building. A stone escarpment, for example, was discovered during demolition when the boarded façade was removed. The architects saw this as a unique opportunity to reveal the fabric of place and changed the original concept to frame the area behind a newly created series of windows.

At its heart, 100 Harris Street is a project exemplifying sustainability. Here, the embodied energy of the original wool store building has been reused, with only minor alterations to the external building fabric.

These include the addition of shading hoods to the northern elevation, which are a direct response to the environment. The approach is one of adaptive reuse that has provided flexibility for future tenant requirements while delivering much needed boutique office space within the residential village of Pyrmont. Moreover, the redevelopment of 100 Harris Street ensures its longevity for another 100 years.

31

32

33

Lindfield Village Hub Bold Decision Making Fiona Gruber

SJB’s master plan for the Lindfield Village Hub is a first for the firm, says Urban Design Director and project leader Jonathan Knapp. The length and depth of the two and a half year engagement by Ku-ring-gai Council, he says, was a “high water-mark” on how to work with council and the community. It’s a “win-win situation,” he enthuses, “a council-led mixed-use project” based around existing council assets, within a town centre well served by public transport and local retail.

SJB, in collaboration with landscape architects APSECT Studios, was appointed to prepare a master plan for the councilowned car park site adjacent to Lindfield railway station, which forms part of the Pacific Highway corridor in this leafy north Sydney suburb. The brief was for a mix of community facilities including a public library and community centre, a minimum of 2500 square metres open space, a mix of retail and residential, community and commuter parking. SJB and ASPECT Studios produced four master plan options with varying combinations of land uses, open space configurations, site access and connectivity, and built form. These formed the basis of a comprehensive community and stakeholder engagement program.

For this project the community consultation went beyond the norm. With support from Cred Consulting, the team ran public exhibitions, question & answer sessions, online forums and questionnaires, and intensive group sessions with paid local participants who were selected to provide a representative demographic. Jonathan believes the community is much more aware and engaged these days, accepting that residential development be inevitable, but also enables enhanced community and public open space facilities in return. “They read more, travel more, make reference to other projects,” he says, and even though the sessions identified additional community requirements for a gym, business incubator space and childcare facilities, lack of shopping facilities were more pressing.

34

“They weren’t as concerned by density or height, although usually that’s the more conservative approach. They assumed the community facilities and open space were givens, and were most interested in discussing improved parking and retail.”

This they get, with the approved master plan including double the parking of the existing site, a new supermarket and 10-15 speciality retail units alongside other dining and retail opportunities. The facilities and outlets will provide an 18-hour activity cycle in a pedestrian-friendly environment.

The community hub site exceeds the brief, with 3000 square metres of open space including an amphitheatre-style setting making use of the sloping topography.

There’s an additional 900 square metres open space on the southern boundary of the site, urban plaza at an upper level that connects to Pacific Highway, and a semiprivate courtyard that provides amenity to the new residential development.

Ku-ring-gai Council will be progressing the project through a Private Public Partnership with development rights to retail and residential in return for the community, open space and parking additions. In many developments of this type the temptation would have been to build higher and more densely, but residential is limited to two blocks of seven-storey residential units, with a total of 95 dwellings. This has been a very carefully managed brief, says Jonathan, and developers will have to follow the master plan closely. “The council want to be able to compare apples with apples; the ratios must remain in place,” he says.

The Lindfield Village Hub site is the largest of three local sites that Ku-ring-gai Council are developing and Jonathan is full of praise for the level of their involvement and attention to detail. “It’s unusual for a council to be taking this to market on their own… and they’ve become bolder and more excited to keep the community happy. They really are delivering something new.”

top Aerial view of the Lindfield Village Hub middle Drovers Way with active retail frontage bottom New open space fronting the community hub with children’s play and amphitheatre style seating

35

Chifley Formative Opulence Restored

With the desire to reclaim Chifley as a pre-eminent CBD dining and retail experience, the design touches on the Art Deco ambiance of the building’s architecture, while delivering a light-filled and wholly contemporary aesthetic.

Once the most attractive of high-end atrium experiences for retail and dining, the emergence of increasingly luxurious outlets had seen Chifley’s offering fade.

As such, SJB was tasked with bringing Chifley in line with current high-end retail and dining. “The bones of the original architecture were good. It was more that expectations had risen, so while it had the potential to return to the sort of very high-end retail experience it once was, it also needed to pre-empt the next level of luxury,” says Interiors Director Jonathan Richards. In doing so, the design undertakes a complete rethinking of how this three storey circular atrium space is utilised.

It also rethinks the very nature of a food court. Traditionally the term brings to mind sprawling, open and somewhat pedestrian hospitality experiences.

Chifley however introduces the idea of a boutique and tailored food court for a more discerning customer.

Previously the tenants within Chifley Tower had no direct access to the dining or retail zones and were forced to leave and re-enter to enjoy these facilities. Additionally, the mezzanine protruded into the central rotunda resulting in poor circulation and blocked sightlines, while the third floor of retail was cluttered with columns and a low plasterboard ceiling. As Jonathan explains, “Our brief was to reinvigorate Chifley, draw new customers into the space and make the retail and dining facilities attractive and accessible to those working in the city, and particularly in Chifley Tower.”

Instilling Chifley with the opulence of its formative years, the design rethinks the retail experience from first impressions through to the dining and retail experience. The existing interiors at Chifley have an abundance of coloured marbles.

By contrast, SJB has inserted a strict palette of black and white that is softened with luscious colours in joinery and upholstery, while the magnificent ceiling brings space, light and glamour to the whole. To improve circulation and maximise sightlines, the mezzanine floor in the central rotunda was removed. Adding greatly to the theatricality of the shopping experience, the expanded spatial volume allowed clear sight through the three floors and reinstated a sense of arrival. Addressing circulation and pulling the eye up through the space, new escalators and a glass elevator were installed to make faster more direct connections across each level.

36

The crowning glory however, was once a flat plasterboard ceiling concealing a myriad of services. This was visually rethought as an illuminated glass ceiling.

With inspiration from the iconic atriums of Le Bonne Marche in Paris and the Guggenheim in NY, the design creates the illusion of a vast sky-lit domed ceiling and a visually stunning entry to the experience of Chifley. It also makes dining on the upper floor a glamorous and beautifully appointed option. Effectively transforming a low ceiling into a vast lantern, the illuminated ceiling throws a canopy of light across this retail marketplace. As such, the ceiling provides a continuum of the light penetrating the building at ground level to read as a wholly natural experience.

With the aforementioned illuminated ceiling and a newly established view through to ground level, the upper floor dining area was conceived as a bistro experience. Drawing on a palette of rich forest greens, deep plum and a reduced base palette of stone, tile and steel, the area has been returned to its former glamour. Thonet chairs are teamed with marble tables, while banquettes of diamond upholstered velvet in rich forest green are juxtaposed by elegant lounge chairs in plum and moss. Visually striking, a new floor of marble on the upper level provides a dialogue with the existing green stone of the mezzanine and terrazzo geometrics of the ground floor. Retail outlets, though diverse in their offering, are visually streamlined through black steel framed windows. “We wanted to give a sense of cohesion that was refined and elegant, spoke to the architecture and had slight Art Deco overttones, but also allowed the retailers to put their best foot forward,” says Jonathan. The aesthetic of bistro and café tenancies was also overseen as part of the design brief, towards a cohesive experience.

More than the sum of its parts, the interior has been designed to allow the retention of as much of the original green stone floor and geometric in-situ terrazzo on the middle and ground floor as possible.

“I have always loved that spiralling terrazzo pattern at Chifley, it is extraordinary. Almost quintessential to Chifley,” says Jonathan, who adds: “Construction, by nature, is not a sustainable endeavour, and we felt that by retaining building elements and not demolishing, a sustainable balance could be achieved.” Additionally, in creating an artificial skylight roof, the design delivers the ambiance of a natural engagement with the outdoors without needing to counter the temperature shifts of a glazed ceiling.

Beautiful, surprising, ambient and of a calibre befitting its architecture, location and offering, Chifley is once again the grand beauty of CBD dining and retail offerings.

37

38

39

Harry the Hirer Party Central

Highly commended in last year’s Interior Design Excellence Awards, Harry The Hirer is a design that exemplifies SJB’s considered response to heritage issues and the careful reworking of space.

The character of the building provided a magnificent aesthetic foundation as Interiors Director Ljiljana Gazevic explains: “Taking as our starting point the original 1940s red brick building in the style of late Art Deco, which is most evident in the exterior of the building, we have preserved those original elements as the framework.” To this end, the building was restored to celebrate the heritage fabric.

The steel trusses for example, have been exposed and painted black to give extra presence to the line of the roof. This element in turn was transferred to the modern: “The irregular sawtooth roof gave another chance for exposing and giving an industrial touch with ducting for air conditioning systems, heating and lighting made visible as part of the language,” says Ljiljana. Conversely the new windows have been finished in fluted glass to pick up on the Art Deco style. Importantly, the texture and warmth of the red bricks has been revealed through exfoliation. Over time, the bricks have been brought back to life and now comprise a major element, incorporating the heritage of the building into the design.

Emphasising the Art Deco character of the lobby are tall verticals of black steel panelling and linear LED lighting, while the cluster of pendant lights lends a sense of drama and occasion. Combined scale and simplicity of form are evident in the use of a solid expanse of colour and strength of line.

The project however, was far from cosmetic with the spatial redesign of the entire building required to accommodate Harry the Hirer’s steady growth. Effectively the display needs had outgrown the allocated showroom, while offices had slowly taken up nearly sixty percent of the usable floor-space. This was compounded by factory and storage areas being used for functions, but little else. The design strategy was essentially a complete rethink of the entire space, with utilities converted into different functions and the creation of an open plan office space for the one-hundredplus employees. “Our design expands the available space and reworks the entire building to activate the whole,” says Ljiljana.

Foundational to Harry the Hirer is the products they hire. As such, a very large showroom and several sub sections were created. A great diversity of display solutions was also required: “There was incredible variety in what needed to be displayed, chairs, linen, glassware, crockery and we had to take into consideration how this much was going to be displayed,” says Ljiljana.

40

With six metre high ceilings, one solution was the five metre black steel mesh display for chairs. Another was platforms that delineate space. The bravura solution, however, is the large oblong sculptural form that sits as a three sided internal room within the large volume. Here, settings are created in tableau style and provide a calm reprieve from the overall abundance.

Black steel framing and mesh makes a repeat appearance throughout the showroom to provide visual connectivity, flexibility and a means to incorporate themes. Yet the treatment is sufficiently varied to subtly engage and provide interest.

Black steel mesh for example is used extensively for large gestures such as the aforementioned chair display, but also where finer nuance is required. The areas where glassware and crockery are displayed, for example, required a higher level of detailing.

Another version of the mesh has been used for the ceiling, but in this case the material plays a pivotal role in the theatricalities of the design: “A double layer of fine perforated mesh creates a moiré effect as you are walking through the space. You really observe the subtle shifts and pattern movement,” says Ljiljana. It is here that SJB’s design is able to combine the micro and macro needs of the client, in that the mesh forms a display solution; a connectivity, but is also part of the ‘wow’ factor their clients were looking for. To this end, the whole Harry The Hirer experience is a showcase for the idea of a party. “When you walk into the showroom we wanted a really fresh clean look and we persuaded the client to a gloss white floor. It is magnificent, reflecting light and furniture,” says Ljiljana.

Taking it up a notch, when clients visit the bathrooms they are treated with a complete nightclub experience with sharp diagonal stripes of black and white tiles, black steel plated walls and the moody cool of a smoky toned mirror. “We are drawing on the analogy of surprise and drama and reflection.

It’s pretty full on, but as it should be,” says Ljiljana. The staff bathrooms are less schizophrenic, but still say ‘party’ in a cool jazz of blue and white geometrics.

The major treatments and striking elements, such as the double volume space and irregular dramatic pattern, provide a spectacular entrance, as does the fabulously dramatic Harry the Hirer neon light. This, in combination with the attention to detail and reclaiming of space, make Harry The Hirer a truly remarkable design.

41

42

43

Planning Planning for Australia’s future

One of the greatest shifts in SJB’s history was the introduction, in 1989, of planning as a discipline in the Melbourne practice; Sydney following suit 16 years later. At the time, SJB had thirteen years of architectural work to its name and a growing practice to manage, yet making this change, while daunting, was requisite to growing the business and stabilising the company’s future. By the early 1990s, planning as a discipline was emerging from the shadow of architecture. “The development sector was beginning to appreciate specialist guidance and advice and the value it could add to its projects,” explains Amanda Ring, Director of SJB Planning, Melbourne. “The statutory and regulatory planning frameworks, too, were steadily becoming more complex and challenging to navigate and the practice architects were increasingly reluctant to be distracted from their core area of interest and expertise,” Amanda adds. The changing nature of planning in Melbourne posed an opportunity not to be missed.

In the 1980s, Melbourne had been experiencing a pronounced boom in commercial development, but residential development, particularly in the inner-city area, was at a low ebb. The city was losing vitality. It had none of the characteristics that make the city and its surrounds the vibrant places they are today.

New planning policies were put in place to provide incentives for residential development in Southbank and the CBD and SJB saw an opportunity to participate in a new wave of residential growth and to diversify its skill set.

A new Planning and Environment Act introduced in 1988, together with a modernised Subdivision Act of the same year, facilitated change. A further factor was the end of the office boom in 1989, which caused developers and their architects to turn to residential conversion of older commercial buildings, together with a new type of higher density apartment projects.

Carter Street, Urban Design and Planning Review: Carter Street, Homebush is a Priority Precinct highlighted as a strategic opportunity to provide more homes and jobs close to infrastructure, transport and services

44

The State Government and Melbourne City Council actively encouraged this new legislation and accompanying changes to the Planning Scheme. In addition, initiatives like Postcode 3000 and the CBD plot ratio bonus system, provided financial incentives for residential projects. The next decade saw, amongst other things, the restoration and conversion of many of the city’s historic buildings as exciting places to live. The demolition of the former Gas & Fuel Corporation buildings on Flinders Street, for example, to make way for the now flourishing Federation Square and subsequent and very significant landscape and other improvements that would more closely engage the city with its neglected Yarra River.

SJB Planning took advantage of this new environment and was soon undertaking the planning role in many key Melbourne projects including the conversion of BP House, on St Kilda Road to The Domain, the emergence of a new suburb at Port Melbourne named Beacon Cove, The Oakford All-Suite Hotel (now the Stamford Plaza Hotel), and the Jolimont Railyards redevelopment to name just a few of its early projects. By the end of the 1990s SJB was part of the Melbourne Docklands resurgence and firmly engaged in the residential boom that continues to this day.

From this point, the practice flourished and many, many projects in and beyond central Melbourne enjoy and have benefitted from the SJB pedigree. As politicisation of planning decisions burgeons and performance-based controls and planning policies each year grow in volume and complexity, so too does the work of the practice,’’ says Amanda. Hugh Smyth, one of the younger generation of Directors at SJB Planning, observes that “SJB Planning in Melbourne is now more than ten times its early size and doing its best work yet.”

top Redevelopment of the Yorkshire Brewery site, Collingwood (Source: HAYBALL) middle Coast; SJB Planning worked on the luxury six apartment residential development at Ben Buckler point, North Bondi.

The project went on to receive a NSW Residential Architecture Multiple Housing Award at the 2014 Architecture Awards bottom Showground Station Precinct: A master plan of 249 hectares of land surrounding the Showground Station Precinct in Castle Hill, NSW; a part of the Sydney Metro Northwest Priority Urban Renewal Corridor.

Completed on behalf of the NSW Department of Planning and Environment

45

Some 27 years on, SJB Planning continues to provide personalised consulting services covering statutory planning, strategic planning and masterplanning, while also offering advice to public and private clients and across all sectors of government. Theirs is, in fact, a rigorous reputation supported by a solid record as consultant on a diverse range of projects. SJB’s consultants offer frank and fearless advice and strategy guidance, and many of the team are highly regarded expert witnesses appearing in Victoria’s Civil and Administrative Tribunal. “We focus on lateral solutions to increasingly complex development challenges; working with our clients and industry colleagues to deliver high quality land use and development outcomes for the Victorian community,” says Hugh.

In NSW the SJB Planning reputation is similarly robust with 12 years of active involvement across all sectors of the planning and development industry including active involvement with the NSW Department of Planning, the Central Sydney Planning Committee and the New South Wales Land and Environment Court.

As well as working with SJB Architects, Planning also collaborates with a wide range of large and small architecture firms, providing expert strategic and statutory advice. As Sydney’s Associate Director of Planning, Scott Barwick explains: “Planning is becoming far more obligated in terms of meeting legislation and what goes into putting together an application. Add to this the movements resultant of amalgamations of councils and implementation of independent assessment panels and you have a constantly evolving complexity of planning requirements.” Planning legislation, for example is constantly being amended with a current push to expand Complying Development that is, development that doesn’t need to have a merit case for development prepared.

right Beck Property’s conversion of St Kilda Road office building to residential far right SJB Planning’s new redesigned office space

46

The underlying aim is to free-up resources at council to concentrate on strategic planning and larger assessments. As Scott points out, this isn’t necessarily making the process any easier in all cases. “There can be conflict between the development industry, seeking to have more certainty and streamlined approval processes and concerns from local government, that those processes are dumbing down the standard of development and making things a lot more cookie-cutter.”

Obtaining approvals means meeting increasing council demands for information.

Scott cites a recent example where a project that Planning worked on previously was in need of further development: “Ten years later revisiting the same site and a similar application we had a myriad of additional reports required by the Council – acoustic, access, heritage impact – plans and analysis of solar impact. In ten years the bar has been raised incredibly in terms of the amount of information that needs to be compiled in NSW.” Stuart McDonald, Director of Planning, Sydney, and responsible for establishing the Sydney Planning division agrees: “There is a tension between developers (wanting as much certainty, in terms of a knowable outcome, as possible before starting the process) and local authorities requiring a whole lot of information up front. It is a much more complex and costly process and the role of the planner is to coordinate all of that, manage the client and be the interface with councils that are becoming more and more demanding. ”The state government is seeking to remove that complexity by introducing more forms of Complying Development and in so doing is, in part, making a trade-off and placing a high value on quicker approvals – which is also a legitimate planning and community outcome,” says Stuart, who notes that despite this more streamlined system, SJB is regularly asked by clients to interpret when a DA is needed or not. “It is still somewhat difficult for a lay person to successfully navigate.”

Through navigating the increased complexities of the planning system a great synergy has developed between SJB Planning and Architecture as Scott explains: “While I may not always be working with our architects, over the 12 years we have been operating in Sydney, there has been a two-way learning process.

When we go to talk with our architects you don’t have to convince them to address the apartment design guide, consider solar impacts or views. These issues are a given.”

Moreover, there has been an educational learning curve driven by both teams working collaboratively in the same office environment: “It has been of benefit to both, for me as a planner understanding the architects and how they work and design and all the conflicting issues they have to deal with and then understanding that if they want to get approval and be able to build things they have to approach things a little differently compared to perhaps ten or fifteen years ago,” says Scott.

Effectively, the planning division is working with architects, councils and communities to facilitate design outcomes that are unique and appropriate expressions. To a large extent this negotiation process is an educational role with Planning taking the lead in explaining a development in terms of community gain and the ‘why’ of the design outcome.

Across both states, SJB advice has been instrumental in major Australian planning projects including shopping centres, hospitals, offices, commercial buildings and all types of residential developments.

As an analogy, planning is the scaffolding of a project. It is the rigour of due diligence that allows the architectural vision to be realised, but perhaps more importantly it is the scaffolding for building futures that are bright and liveable with adequate amenity or, within the parlance of SJB, the facilitation of ‘designing better ways to live.’

design by garbett.co

SJB Melbourne +61 3 9699 6688 Sydney +61 2 9380 9911 sjb.com.au @aboutsjb #aboutsjb

Creating amazing places