Architecture Interior Design Planning Urban Design
SJB Melbourne +61 3 9699 6688 Sydney +61 2 9380 9911 sjb.com.au
4 Latest 8 L’Hôtel Gitan 10 Casba 14 Catherine Booth College 18 Kennards Self Storage 20 Guardian Early Learning Centres 22 Dexus 32 Flinders Street 24 Paspaley Pearls Corporate Office 28 Parkville Gardens 32 Darling One 34 1160 Sayers Road 36 Designing Sydney 38 Alfred de Bruyne
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.
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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
SJB is a collaboration. It is a meeting of minds, skills and ideas. After 39 years, SJB is now firmly multi-disciplinary in nature with a team of more than 150 people, across eight studios in Sydney and Melbourne, working in architecture, urban design, planning and interiors. Our specific skill set, brought together over our broad and collaborative platform, enables us to work together to create better outcomes for both the built environment and for communities. Australian cities are no longer just pushing out, they are also pushing up and between existing developments in new, complex and mixed-use forms. Casba (p10) is SJB’s recently completed project in Waterloo, and one that provides a benchmark for infill urban brownfield development that our cities and their communities are demanding, where approaches to shopping, living, working and playing are integrated. This project represents a shift in urban morphology that we first delivered at St Margaret’s on Bourke Street, Surry Hills, over 10 years ago, and is now firmly embedded in government policy. The need to constantly evolve our approach to designing and delivering mixed-use development will only increase as we continue to manage increasing urban population densities in our major cities. For us, communities are at the heart of all of the work that we do. It’s crucial that we ask ourselves how our projects can help communities grow, renew and strengthen. The Structure Plan devised for Wyndham City Council to guide them in their development of 1160 Sayers Road (p36) is an example of how walkable, connected, healthy communities can be built. Drawing upon SJB’s internal research and development work ‘Shall We Dense?’, the Structure Plan is an example of world’s best practice in sustainable greenfield development. We see a similar opportunity with our clients. Working as we increasingly do on large and medium scale mixed-use, multi residential projects, how good design and commerciality come together is a premier concern of ours. Development is not a dirty word. We believe development must serve not only the shareholders, but also the public. In collaboration with our clients, we take this social responsibility very seriously and we hope that the results can be seen in our work. Outstanding design is of course another driving force behind the work that we do and our achievements in this realm have been recently recognised with Kennards Self Storage (p18) and Paspaley Pearls Corporate Offices (p24) in the 2015 Australian Interior Design Awards, with Kennards winning the Workplace Design category. The Paspaley project was also named a 2015 Good Design® Selection winner. We look forward to creating more places people want to be in. We also hope you enjoy this glance at some of our recent projects, ideas and achievements.
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Latest
Sepia Named Australia’s Top Restaurant
20 Years of Interiors
SJB Interiors-designed Sepia Restaurant in Sussex Street, Sydney has been named the premier dining experience in the nation. From its commencement in 2009, The Australian Financial Review Top 100 Restaurants awards, a partnership with Qantas and Vittoria Coffee, has seen 500 top Australian chefs and restaurant owners vote Sepia as number one.
This year SJB Interiors celebrate its 20th anniversary. SJB Interiors has been responsible for many outstanding interiors projects that have helped redefine the way people relax, socialise and entertain.
The award comes just weeks after restaurant critic Terry Durack also named Sepia and it’s “moody New York vibe”, the best restaurant in the country. Sepia’s head chef, Martin Benn, was also voted Australia’s best chef in The Financial Review’s inaugural awards. Kirsten Stanisich, Director of SJB Interiors in Sydney, says, “Sepia was a joy to design. The richness in the design reflects the magnificence of the food.” Home:LIFE App Launched at Vivid Festival A prototype web-based application (app) is being developed by SJB Urban to help home buyers choose a home that supports ongoing liveability and health as well as providing financial benefits and wider community and environmental gains. The prototype web tool has been launched at Sydney’s Vivid Ideas Festival. The app, Home:LIFE, is based on in-house research and development work conducted by SJB Urban and is being developed in conjunction with RMIT’s Centre for Urban Research. Using a mathematical model and numerous data sources, the app correlates housing location, type and size, with social outcomes, family circumstances and direct personal financial implications — to allow the household to make an informed and effective housing choice. Simon McPherson, Director of SJB Urban in Melbourne, who heads up the app project, says, “Home:LIFE is designed to help people make an informed, holistic choice that considers lifestyle, social and environmental outcomes. It also calculates financial costs and benefits that result from housing choices and affect households over the long term.” Simon believes the app could have far-reaching benefits for the urban landscape by encouraging a shift towards more compact, walkable cities and towns rather than conventional suburban, cardependent development, or compromised apartment environments. “When buyers are presented with the holistic data and concrete calculations the app provides, they may see that this information is counter to the prevailing marketing-driven perceptions about different types of urban development,” says Simon.
SJB Champions More Equitable Workplaces Adam Haddow, Director of SJB Architects Sydney, has been named a Champion of Change and is one of the latest signatories to the new charter created by the Gender Equity Taskforce (GET) of the NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects.
The elegant and expressive SJB Interiors signature can be seen in projects like the refurbishment of AMP Collins Place and Royce Hotel in Melbourne, the Establishment Hotel in Sydney and Hotel Kurrajong in Canberra.
The Champions of Change charter acknowledges that diversity of people brings diversity in design and seeks to create gender equality across the architectural profession.
As well as working on an increasing number of multiresidential and large scale projects, SJB Interiors is also renowned for its work on private houses.
As a signatory to the charter, Haddow joins 20 other CEO’s from NSW architectural firms including Cox Richardson, Woods Bagot, Hassell, Bates Smart, Architectus, BVN and PTW. In upholding the charter, signatories will actively work to create equity in pay, leadership, staffing numbers and also work to build workplaces that are more flexible and consultative.
“You have to earn the respect and the loyalty of your clients, which is why we get a lot of repeat projects from client groups, both residential and commercial,” says Andrew. We thank our Interiors teams in Melbourne and Sydney for their dedication to creating beautiful places and spaces where people want to be.
“Equality is not only an important ethical issue, it’s an important creative issue. Diversity in thinking is imperative for business success nowadays. I will do everything I can, and encourage us as an organisation to do everything we can, to bring women more fully and fairly into the workforce,” says Adam. The GET Champions of Change charter is part of a broader Male Champions of Change initiative that involves leaders across corporate and institutional sectors and was initiated by Elizabeth Broderick, Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Australian Human Rights Commission. The reason the Champions are men is that we all need to work together on the issue of equality and to make a real difference, male leaders need to drive change.
13 New SJB Associates Announced The recent appointment of 13 new associates across the Melbourne and Sydney SJB offices reflects a broadening and deepening knowledge base, says Jonathan Knapp, Director of SJB Urban in Sydney. “With these appointments, SJB is enhancing our capability and capacity to work on large scale, significant, complex projects,” says Jonathan. Having been first established in Melbourne 39 years ago and expanded to include a Sydney office 13 years later, SJB’s offices are each facing exciting periods of growth. “We welcome all of these new appointments as our practice continues to grow and evolve. All of our associates bring to the practice very specific areas of expertise, which is driving our work in new directions and to new levels. Their contributions are highly valuable and highly valued,” says Jonathan.
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“We’re not a gimmicky design group. Whilst we’re contemporary in our thoughts, we always have an understanding that a project has to have a functionality as well as a high design aesthetic,” says Andrew Parr, Director of SJB Interiors.
Designing the Future in a Bathroom To celebrate their 140 year anniversary, Kohler invited SJB and four other architecture firms from around the world to design a bathroom for their flagship showroom in Shanghai. Tristan Wong, Associate of SJB Architects in Melbourne, who headed up the design, says, “We chose the theme ‘future’ because it represents the profession that we work in. Architecture is constantly evolving. We’re always developing new products, working with new materials and dealing with new construction methodologies so we felt that we could respond to the theme fittingly.” The design vision was to make the bathroom an ultramodern, yet revitalising cocoon. As reference points, SJB looked at cars, boats and jets: all objects that are evolving rapidly and are highly refined in their form and functionality. Central to the design was deconstructing the utilitarian feel of many traditional bathrooms. “We wanted to create a space that was as inviting as it was unusual,” says Tristan.
Kirsten Stanisich, SJB Interiors [centre]
Extending Our Commitment to Indigenous Interns SJB has deepened its commitment to bringing cultural diversity to the industry by making a 10 year commitment with CareerTrackers.
Ballarat Station Precinct As part of a broader program of urban renewal for the country Victorian town of Ballarat, SJB was commissioned to develop a master plan with the aim of integrating the station precinct with the CBD. “It was important for us to plan a precinct that will be pedestrian-focused, vibrant and commercially successful,” says Lauren Clerey, Associate of SJB Urban in Melbourne. Given the significant national and local heritage nature of the Station itself, the master plan also sought to provide a cohesive and celebratory response to the cultural and historical significance of the site. “Good urban design maximises access to and operation of public transport allowing people to travel by bicycle, car, and especially on foot or by wheelchair. Our master plan makes recommendations for transport and movement improvements that will make Ballarat easier to access and more enjoyable to get around,” says Lauren. The master planning process was carried out in collaboration with the local community which was integral in identifying existing challenges, future priorities and opportunities for the precinct.
SJB Helping You Find Your Way Wayfinding describes the process of orienting yourself in an environment and navigating through it, using subtle cues, features and signage. It’s about knowing where you are in a place, identifying where you want to go and finding out how to get there. At a city or town scale, wayfinding is achieved by tall buildings, streets, open spaces and water bodies.
CareerTrackers is a non-profit organisation that seeks to increase the representation of Indigenous Australians in professional, private sector employment. Participating in the CareerTrackers 10x10 initiative cements our substantial, ongoing relationship with them. “We value the contribution that CareerTrackers and Indigenous interns make to our business,” says Adam Haddow. Each year for the next ten years, at least one intern will join SJB for 12 weeks during university holidays with the vision of working for us once they have completed their studies. This number is significant when you consider that of all the architecture students Australia-wide, this year as few as 15 are Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. “Thinking differently is critical to success in business today. It’s really important for us that we integrate Indigenous design thinking into the work that we do,” says Adam. SJB is partnering with COX Architects as a 10x10 sponsor, and joins other leading employers including Leighton Contractors, Insurance Australia Group (IAG), Westpac, Lend Lease, Commonwealth Bank, Qantas, HerbertSmithFreehills, Gadens Lawyers, GHD and Indigenous Business Australia.
Contributing to a Precinct The suburb of St Leonards on Sydney’s lower north shore in recent times has been somewhat neglected when it comes to urban planning and development, at least relatively to nearby centres of Chatswood and North Sydney. “Sitting on the border of three councils has meant that traditionally, St Leonards has been leapfrogged by comprehensive planning reform and regeneration” says Jonathan Knapp. St Leonards is now attracting the same intense development interest received by neighbouring centres in recent years, reflected by a number of recent planning approvals that are already changing the skyline and character of the area. However, the challenge of creating a singular vision and planning strategy to manage the growth and change in St Leonards remains. The three Council’s appear to be in different stages of their plan-making, or more importantly have different ideas of what St Leonards will become in the future. SJB has been working with two of the Council’s in St Leonards; preparing the urban design and placemaking study for part of the precinct on behalf of North Sydney Council, and with Willoughby Council, who are one of the land-owners involved in the St Leonards Central proposal located immediately to the north of St Leonards Station. “St Leonards is a fascinating urban area and one to which SJB is really excited to be making a contribution to. There’s enormous potential to pair outstanding architecture, urban design and planning with leading edge engineering to add enormous value to the area” says Jonathan. SJB continues to contribute to the redevelopment of the precinct across several of our disciplines, on six different ongoing projects.
Wayfinding, when applied, is a kind of spatial problem solving, and this is the endeavour that SJB has recently undertaken to transform the experience of navigating your way through three of the four busiest train stations in NSW. Today, if you catch a train to Wynyard, Town Hall or Parramatta Station, you’ll notice new signs everywhere, SJB created them after winning the project through a competitive tender and it is our first foray into this area of speciality.
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L’Hôtel Gitan The Reymond family’s new venture
Melbourne’s famous resident French chef Jacques Reymond and his family have fulfilled what they describe as a lifelong dream with the opening of L’Hôtel Gitan, the French-inspired gastro pub located on Commercial Road, Prahran. As the great chef has technically retired, L’Hôtel Gitan is a project steered by three of his four children: Edouard, Antoine and Nathalie. “This is the third time we have worked with Jaques, having previously designed the Jacques Reymond restaurant in Prahran and Arinji, the fusion restaurant in Fed Square. But it’s the first time we’ve worked with his family,” says Andrew Parr, Director of SJB Interiors, who oversaw the project. Reflecting the journeying spirit of the family, Gitan means gypsy in French. The new gypsy is similar to the Reymond’s French/ Spanish influenced Bistro Gitan, but with much more of a pub feel and experience. “The client wanted a classic pub. A place where no one is scared to go. A place that you can go for a beer, lunch or a light dinner,” says Leo Terrando, Associate of SJB Interiors in Melbourne, who led the design team. The desire to break down any possible sense of intimidation influenced the layout, materials and colour palette. “We wanted people to feel comfortable and not scared. That’s why we didn’t position the dining room at the entrance. Dining rooms with white table clothes can be intimidating. Instead, we used recycled timber table tops and steel frames, an open fire pit, and other softening, relaxing elements,” says Leo. Another technique used to foster a welcoming, relaxed experience was to create distinctive zones within the customer area.
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“I think that hospitality has changed to a certain degree in that I don’t think anyone wants to sit in a big hall anymore. I think now hospitality is about a series of spaces that connect you to the bigger space and make you feel comfortable and allow for intimacy while also making you feel a part of the bigger scene or action,” says Andrew. “Normally in a hotel, the bar becomes the hero and the kitchen becomes quite secondary. In L’Hôtel Gitan, this has been reversed. The theatre of the display kitchen is everything. You can sit at the kitchen bench and watch the chefs cook,” says Andrew. Set in a 1930’s Art Deco building, the exterior of the hotel remained classic and charming. With the interior, however, very few original features endured the time lapsed or the many previous renovations. To imbue the interiors with a Deco feel, the shape of the kitchen references the curved form of the exterior of the building. A custom designed pattern was introduced for the tiles behind the bar and also for the carpet. The glamour of the period is evident in the satin brass finishes and detailing. L’Hôtel Gitan was heavily booked for the first several months after opening and has since seen a full house for lunch and dinner. “You’re always very happy when something is successful. Particularly in hospitality. There’s nothing worse than a failure. And you always ask, ‘Is it the design?’ L’Hôtel Gitan is very successful in that respect. It’s busy. That’s a credit to the client and in some part, to the design too. I think,” says Andrew.
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Casba Urban renewal in Waterloo
How do you respect history while injecting energy and newness? How do you create a calm living environment above restaurants and bars? And, how do you ensure the public domain isn’t just space left over between buildings? These are some of the questions at the heart of the urban renewal project Casba, in Sydney’s inner western suburb of Waterloo. Directly adjoining the smaller scale urban areas of Redfern and Surry Hills, Waterloo has come under increasing redevelopment pressure. The demand for more housing options in the city, and the movement of warehousing from the inner west to the south west, has seen the area transform. Casba, a redevelopment designed by SJB in collaboration with Billard Lease Partnership and interiors by BKH, strove to achieve a balance between this need for renewal while also respecting the established grain and texture of the area. The building speaks to the light industrial history of the precinct and the evident warehouse typology without displaying a direct, “kitsch” relationship to these elements. However, the relationship to warehouse spaces also needed to be a functional one. The client, Winnings Appliances, who have been the landowners for many years, needed to continue trading from the site during construction. This necessitated a specific design and construction sequence that saw the short-term retention of a part of the original warehouse prior to demolishing it when Winnings Appliances could be relocated to their new store. Comprising 65 residential dwellings and 3000 square metres of retail space to achieve good urban renewal, Casba was conceived around 3 guiding elements: a communal, publically accessible courtyard, a pedestrian link throughout the site, and active street edges.
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Adam Haddow, principal architect on the project, says, “Context is always a key consideration in any development. As an infill project, we had to create a building that responds to the street and actively participates in the urban landscape.” The design approach was to start with the round-the-clock, publicly accessible, internal courtyard or cloister. “We made the cloister the most important space and the thing that defines the way the site is arranged,” says Adam. To inject character to the public realm of the development and also reference the heritage of the original warehouses, recycled bricks were used in the cloister and throughout. Residential buildings are made of brick and painted white, providing a quiet and restrained backdrop to the residential environment within. “The thing about the project is that there’s a real beauty in the simplicity of the scheme, both in terms of the way the site is planned and in terms of the materiality of the building. That kind of simplicity is refreshing,” says Adam. The project was completed within budget and the residential development sold for an average of $15,000 per square metre – setting a record at the time for Waterloo.
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Catherine Booth College The Salvation Army’s new training centre
SJB was approached to transform the former Southwood Boys Grammar and grounds into Catherine Booth College: the new Salvation Army training facility that houses and educates its cadets. In designing the College, Nigel Morris, Senior Associate of SJB Architects, was inspired by the painting by Antonello da Messina, ‘St. Jerome in His Study’. “Study at Catherine Booth College is characterised by introspection and contemplation. The Antonello da Messina painting captures this essence - it depicts a secluded private place of study enriched by natural light and connected to the landscape beyond,” says Nigel. The reclaimed green space that spreads through the heart of the project helps facilitate connection with and contemplation of nature while also functioning as a publicly accessible, communal village green. By removing the existing street fencing, the former private school is now an open community parkland facility. To enable further community use of the site, plans are in place to create a childcare centre that will be open to all. Flanking the village green is a refurbished training facility and two new double-storey accommodation buildings.
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The training facility is centred around the spiritual space, a new chapel and a new library. A communal dining hall, open plan workstations, break out areas and shared facilities were created within the training building to encourage a sense of community between cadets and visitors. Reflective nooks that overlook the village green have also been built into many of the spaces so as to encourage spiritual contemplation and quiet study. The new buildings within the College orientate towards existing trees, surrounding bushland and protected native vegetation. Accommodation comprises one block of larger townhouses for cadets with families and another with one bedroom and combinable apartments. The use of movable wall panels to create interconnecting apartments provides the flexibility required to meet the changing needs of the various residents. Located on Maidstone Street in Ringwood, Victoria, the external form of the new buildings references the residential skyline of the surrounding pitched roof dwellings. In response to the client’s desire for the College to be humble, the materials and colour palette selected are hard wearing, practical and complementary to the tones of the indigenous landscape.
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Kennards Self Storage Headquarters for a team
Sam Kennard, head of one of Australia’s largest storage businesses, came to SJB seeking a new head office for his Sydney team. On meeting Sam, Jonathan Richards, Director of SJB Interiors in Sydney, knew the design had to be imbued with both authenticity and modesty. “Sam is a very successful yet humble and down-to-earth guy. He didn’t want the new office to feel as though it was over the top or overdesigned. He wanted it to feel grounded, like his business,” says Jonathan. As the name suggests, Kennards Self Storage is all about boxes and warehouses. SJB used the very nature of the business as the driving force behind the interior design. “Literally, some of our concept images were just cardboard containers in a space. And we thought, in a way, that’s kind of lovely. Why don’t we design a space that feels like boxes in a warehouse?” says Jonathan. The new headquarters fills its open plan warehouse space like an installation. Meeting rooms reference oversized boxes and circulation areas provide gaps between the structures. Simple, modest materials were chosen to reflect the essence of the business. Desks are made of plywood, floors are polished concrete, the roof structure remains exposed and, as seen in traditional Sydney warehouses, window frames are steel. The sense of rawness that the materials impart is tempered by the inclusion of some fine contemporary design elements. A Frank Gehry Wiggle Chair, made of perforated cardboard, feels authentic in the space.
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Kennards is a family-owned and family-run business. The company culture is close-knit and non-corporate. To be true to this familial culture and further enhance the sense of community among the staff, the decision was made to design the office to function like a home. “At a party, everyone gravitates towards the kitchen, so we placed the kitchen in the centre of the whole space. Every time I’ve been back to visit, everyone is hanging out in the kitchen. It’s great, you can really feel the connection between people,” says Jonathan. Colour is a big part of the Kennards’ brand and the specific company colours posed a challenge. Bright orange and royal blue are not easy colours to apply tastefully in interior design. The solution came in the details. An orange reception desk greets you when you enter the space and an orange pinstripe leads you through it. The orange line on the joinery also wraps the recessed pull door handles. Custom carpet features the company orange and blue serving to define the different areas in the wall-free space. The carpets add to the sense of homeliness the design sought to achieve and they also help to resolve another design challenge: acoustics. Perforated plywood built into the ceilings and the reception desk further improve the acoustics within the new head office. Kennards Self Storage has recently been awarded the Best Workplace Design in the 2015 Australian Interior Design Awards.
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Guardian Early Learning Centres World’s best practice in early education
SJB has completed the second of more than 20 new Guardian Early Learning Centres to open across the country. “It’s delightful to be able to create projects that are focused on the experiences of very young children and are designed to help them to start out their lives engaging with the built environment,” says Adam Haddow. The Guardian Early Learning model is founded on a belief that children are very capable learners who develop through their interactions with the world around them. Guardian sees its role as providing children with access to quality educators and stimulating environments. “We see our work as preparing children for the journey of life, not preparing them for school,” says Tom Hardwick, CEO of Guardian Early Learning Group. “We start from the premise that the brain develops more in the first 5 years than any other period. This means that we have a huge responsibility to help shape children’s development in the most positive way that we can,” says Tom. For Guardian, this means that education isn’t about rote learning alphabets and numbers. “Early education is about children developing the life skills they need to be successful in the highly dynamic 21st century, skills such as resilience, communication, collaboration, research, curiosity and flexibility. How do we stimulate these natural qualities in children? How do we harness, foster, and bolster the innate curiosity of children? One way to do it is to create a beautiful and creative environment,” says Tom.
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Guardian is the largest provider of companysponsored childcare in the country, currently with 14 centres that provide childcare at or near company headquarters. This means the centres often need to be built in urban environments, often in converted commercial spaces. The challenge therefore for Guardian and its designer is how to create a beautiful, creative environment within the constraints of an office building. The challenge is further compounded by Guardian’s mandate that all of their centres have outdoor areas for children to explore and connect with nature. Christina Markham, of SJB Architects in Sydney, says, “There are lots of different applications we’re putting centres into. Many have limited outdoor space, one has none at all. We still have to provide the equivalent of that, but indoors.” In such centres, working with Jeavons Landscape Architects, the designs aim to create the opportunity for various experiences for the children as they move around. “Mounds, bike tracks, bridges, slides, trees, potted plants and water features are all incorporated into the centre. In an effort to recreate the natural world of colour, texture and light, we have steered away from fake grass and incorporated natural materials like recycled timbers,” says Christina. The results are inspiring and present a very different offering to the childcare market. “We’re doing things differently and we’re thinking about things differently. We’re working with a range of creative people to open centres across five states this year and next. SJB is one of the key partners involved in making this happen,” says Tom.
above Proposed schemes for Guardian centres in: South Yarra, VIC Springfield, QLD Barangaroo, NSW
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Dexus 32 Flinders Street A landmark Melbourne tower
As part of the revitalisation of the ‘Paris end’ of Melbourne’s CBD, SJB is working with DEXUS Property Services to create a residential tower and new retail laneway linking Flinders Street with Flinders Lane. The 32 Flinders Street tower will be a distinctive, slender form in the south-eastern corner of the CBD. With a height of more than 180 metres, the tower component, with a gross building area in excess of 50,000 square metres, will be comprised of approximately 500 apartments over 56 levels, a rooftop resident’s pool, terrace, gym, gardens, car lifts, a ground level café, retail space and a sky-bar and lounge on the 26th level. The proposed development sees part of the site being given back to the city and its inhabitants. What is currently a commercial, multi-storey car park will be transformed into a public laneway precinct with intimate retail spaces, significantly improved laneway connectivity and pedestrian amenity. “It is a privilege to contribute not only to the built environment of the inner city, but also to the experience of visitors and residents in this significant Melbourne precinct,” says Tony Battersby, Director of SJB Architects in Melbourne.
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The residential tower is intentionally designed as an elliptical form - curved and inflected in response to the orthogonal façades of the neighbouring buildings. Clad in metal and glass, the tower will provide a counterpoint to the concrete form of Seidler’s neighbouring No 1 Spring Street. Balcony openings will further differentiate 32 Flinders Street from the nearby towers, adding a residential character and scale. From these balconies and from the sky bar, residents will be able to enjoy some of the city’s most impressive sights. “The tower will offer unsurpassed views across the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Birrarung Marr, the Botanic Gardens, Federation Square and the Yarra,” says Tony. In contrast to the “shimmering” tower, the podium levels of the building will be clad predominantly in stone, referencing both the classic and enduring bluestone footpaths of the city and the nearby, commanding civic buildings. Like the ground level laneways, a public stairway will link Flinders Lane, the 32 Flinders Street tower and SoHo Tower. “The SoHo apartments fronting Flinders Lane will comprise a mix of larger apartments with a Manhattan scale and attitude,” says Andrew Parr.
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Paspaley Pearls Corporate Office A descent into luxury
Paspaley is one of Australia’s most successful family business retailers with a reputation as one of the world’s finest pearl farmers and suppliers. Their flagship store, a former bank on the corner of George Street in Martin Place, reflects this level of refinement. Underneath the exclusive store, decaying subterranean bank vaults were being used as storerooms. When Paspaley approached SJB, the brief was to create executive offices as well as pearl grading and inspection rooms in the disused bank vaults. “We were keen to avoid the approach typically taken for the redesign of heritage buildings. Rather than create a space that was in stark contrast to the original building, or was an indistinguishable fusing with it, we wanted to balance the new interior with what was once there,” says Jonathan Richards. To deliberately celebrate the nature of the underground spaces, as well as the refined nature of the Paspaley brand, ‘industrial luxury’ was the design concept chosen by SJB. The idea was to retain and restore as many of the original elements as possible and layer the Paspaley luxury upon them. “Our proposed design was a departure from the Paspaley brand which reflects a premium jewellery company. They were really nervous that it was going to feel too rustic for them,” says Jonathan. The client’s initial scepticism was matched with the repsonse from Council authorities. As the site is a state-listed heritage building, complex authority approval processes were necessary. Further complicating the project, extensive restoration was required - the site being in such disrepair that very little could be salvaged.
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“As an example of the detailed work required, a lot of the tiles you see in the interior space were custom made to be exactly the same size as the existing few that remained intact. The new tiles had to be approved by the heritage consultants and match the colour of white exactly,” says Jonathan. The fabric of the building has been enhanced and the history of the space is palpable, but luxury is everywhere to be seen. Existing bank vaults were relined with steel. Double-stitched leather panelling was chosen for the adjacent walls, the stitching aligning with the proportions of the doors of the vaults. Quality finishes and materials are used throughout including stained wenge timber. The design drew parallels between the nature of the site and the nature of the business. “Given that Paspaley’s business stems from people diving down into the water and retrieving pearls, we wanted to create the sensation of descent: descent into water, descent into luxury,” says Jonathan. As if submerging into a pool of water as you enter the space, you are met with a carpet of deep blue and swimming koi carp. Exuding contemporary elegance and old world charm, the end result is a unique product for Paspaley and one that they love. “We are now working with them on their next project now, refurbishing their head office in Darwin,” says Jonathan. Paspaley Pearls Corporate Office was awarded the 2015 Good Design® Australia Award for Interior Design and has been shortlisted for the 2015 Australian Interior Design Awards.
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Parkville Gardens From an athletes’ village to community living
For more than a decade, SJB has been contributing to the development of a community on the original site of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Athletes’ Village. Since delivering the master plan that transformed the area from the decommissioned Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital into the Athletes Village, SJB is now in the advanced stages of delivering more and more residential accommodation in a precinct that’s defined as the Parkville Gardens Freeway Apartments. “The real joy of this project has been to see the transformation from a disused, derelict site into a living, breathing, vibrant community and housing precinct,” says Michael Bialek, Director of SJB Architects in Melbourne.
below The original site
The already established and expanding residential community includes single-family homes, social housing, converted heritage buildings, an aged care facility, a child care centre, a residents’ amenity centre as well as a large, open recreational area known as the Oval Green, all set within a landscaped parkland. “This project is an example of a truly successful master planned village. It reconciles the desire to provide high-quality, environmentally sustainable residential living with many competing factors including adjacency to the Tullamarine Freeway and Royal Park as well as existing heritage buildings that needed to be retained,” says Kel Twite, Director of SJB Planning in Melbourne. When complete, Parkville Gardens, a development by Village Park Consortium (VPC, a joint venture between Australand and Citta), will provide more than 1000 dwellings to house in excess of 2000 people. The precinct now offers an array of both medium and higher density accommodation ranging from 2 storey buildings to 11 storey apartment towers, with more to be delivered over the next few years.
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The Freeway Apartment buildings are positioned to act as the spine of the development, holding the street edge and protecting the whole site from the noise of the freeway. “The precinct is very surprising in that regard. You come off a very busy intersection, you loop around, you drive in to the site and you are met with this open, natural, landscaped space and you feel as if you could almost be in a rural setting,” says Michael. “The dichotomy is quite lovely,” he adds. Surprise and delight continue within the site; the buildings display great diversity in style, materiality and the use of colour. “Diversity has been paramount in our thinking. We wanted the precinct to have the appearance of an organic development, as if it wasn’t built by one hand in one moment in time,” says Michael. Roads, too, have been carefully planned to provide further interest and a sense of place. Entry roads flank the lineal park, move in a circuit around the heritage buildings, and meander through the treelined, public grounds. “What’s really amazing here is that the reason this project was initiated was to hold the Commonwealth Games. In the end, they’re long forgotten. As successful and interesting as that part of the project was, now it is tested from a completely different point of view,” says Michael. In a rapidly expanding city crying out for housing options, Parkville Gardens is proving its worth by contributing to the creation of a thriving residential community.
k Road
Fleming S treet
eway Tullarmarine Fre
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e venu da A Gala
Parkville Avenue
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Travancore Park
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Heritage precinct
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Oval Green
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Parkville Gardens Freeway Apartments
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above ‘Flourish’ Freeway Apartments (design development) opposite ‘Thrive’ Freeway Apartments (under construction) below Social housing adjacent to the restored heritage buildings
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Darling One, Wirth House, and St Leon Apartments Living in the heart of Darling Harbour
An exciting transformation of Sydney’s western harbour, the Darling Live regeneration project will revitalise a former cultural precinct into a new, urban living space within the city. The project led by Lend Lease extends over 20 hectares and will house a new convention centre, exhibition and entertainment venues, a 5 star hotel and the commercial/residential village of Darling Square. SJB Interiors was approached to design the interiors for all three residential towers in Darling Square - Darling One, Wirth House and St Leon. “It is very exciting to be involved in such a significant project,” says Kirsten Stanisich, Director of SJB Interiors Sydney. The SJB design team’s approach was to select a colour palette for their finishes scheme which evokes a sense of calm upon entering any apartment. The serenity of the water outside forms the backdrop for each dwelling, bringing the outside in, and expanding the space as a result. “Versatility in the product was a major consideration as there are 529 apartments. Part of the challenge in a project of this scale is to accommodate the design to allow for the varying individual tastes and preferences across a diverse range of potential inhabitants,” Kirsten continues. Smaller elements of detailing were also introduced to provide uniqueness to the design of apartments that would ultimately be reproduced on a large scale and under a short time frame. This focus on the detailing allows each apartment to achieve a distinctive appearance.
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“We want to make each of our projects feel different so we are always looking at the detailing and finishes” says Kirsten. In addition to the apartment interiors, SJB also designed all of the internal public spaces for the three towers. Balancing the practical requirements of access with the intangible value of a great entry experience, the team developed unique resolutions for each building. Accessibility was treated holistically, with disabled access being given as much priority as the main entry. “There are so many things to consider in a project of this type and scale. You have to deal with levels of durability. Also, there are of course fundamental issues of access and egress. The foyers are open to everyone. And, in such an urban environment, responding to the public and the street is a huge consideration” says Kirsten. Not due for completion until early 2017, all the apartments in the Darling One, Wirth House and St Leon towers have been now sold.
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1160 Sayers Road Sustainable greenfield development
Melbourne’s outer west is one of the fastest growing areas in the country. Characterised by low density development based upon conventional, car-based urban planning, the majority of the population rely on private vehicles for transportation typically experience long commute times as well as severe congestion on the existing rail networks. Wyndham City Council is very conscious of the social and health problems that can be exacerbated by ‘urban sprawl’ and are working towards creating greater accessibility to key public infrastructure for all members of the community. After purchasing 160 hectares of greenfield land, the Council sought to deliver world’s best practice in sustainable greenfield development with financial support from the Federal Government’s Liveable Communities Program. Through an open Expression of Interest tender process, SJB Urban was awarded the project to develop a Structure Plan for the area. “The Structure Plan is extremely complex and rigorous and it considers in a scientific way: transport, waste, retail and commercial economics, housing demand and supply, energy production and usage, carbon neutrality, water neutrality etc. We had a very big team working in those disciplinary fields,” says Simon McPherson, who led the project team, which included SJB Urban, Arup, HASSELL, Capire, Navire, Hemisphere Design and Warren Green Consultants. Working in collaboration Wyndham City Council, the project team took an intense year and a half to complete the project. The result is a Structure Plan at the forefront of greenfield community planning and heavily based on SJB’s internal research and development project entitled ‘Shall We Dense?’ ‘Shall We Dense?’ investigates and demonstrates the intrinsic relationship between development patterns, community, walkability and health. Essentially, if you want people to go to your local shops, they need to be able to walk there in around five minutes otherwise they will get in their car and drive to the closest big shopping centre. The challenge is that you need enough people within that radius to make that local shop viable,” says Amanda Roberts, Associate of SJB Urban in Melbourne.
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Creating cities and towns in which people walk or cycle to services not only stimulates the local economy and provides residents with the opportunity for regular interaction with other community members, it also helps mitigate the physical health threats of obesity, heart disease and diabetes that are at extreme levels in Australia. “Although targeted exercise is important, it’s not the only answer in staving off the health problems many Australians face. In terms of urban planning, the answer isn’t only to provide more basketball courts, or playing fields. It’s allowing people to walk in their day-to-day life,” says Amanda. The Structure Plan for 1160 Sayers Road comprises three neighbourhood centres, a major activity centre and access to viable public transport. Significantly, the Plan achieves the 50 dwellings per hectare (dw/ ha) density that the mathematical modelling of ‘Shall We Dense?’ has demonstrated is necessary to support walkable urban areas and viable shops and services and help to create a healthy population. This figure is far higher than the 15 dw/ha suggested in current public policy directions. “The only reason this project can work is the Regional Rail Link. The proposed train station is in very close proximity to the site and is crucial to the success of the project,” says Amanda. Another key to the success of 1160 Sayers Road is the collaborative nature of the Structure Plan process. Council and community have been engaged from the beginning and now, during the implementation phase of the plan, the conversation continues. Importantly for the project’s realisation, the Wyndham City Council’s executive is championing the Structure Plan. “For us, central to the process was the need to create a robust and resilient community. And we’ve shown it’s possible. We have built a plan that is socially, environmentally and economically sustainable and we’re looking forward to continuing to drive the Structure Plan towards implementation,” says Amanda.
Sunshine Footscray Subject site
Melbourne CBD
Werribee
Existing passenger rail
Geelong
Regional rail link Freeways
Leakes Road
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Sustainable Transport
Example journey of a resident of 1160 Sayers Road
Housing diversity
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Single, young professional living in medium to high density residential with no car.
Regional Rail Link station
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Commute from home to the train station by bicycle, approximately 500m distance (3 minute ride).
High frequency bus
Terraces/duplexes
Local bus
Detached
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Take regional rail link to employment location; travel time to Geelong, 35 minutes, travel time to Melbourne CBD 30 minutes.
Dedicated bike paths
Neighbourhood centres
Secondary separated bike lanes
Open space
Community facilities (including indoor sports centre, primary school and library)
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After work activities in the town centre, visit the community centre, dinner at a local restaurant with friends.
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Evening sporting activity, approximately 400 metre distance (2 minute ride).
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Grocery shopping and other necessities at the neighbourhood centre, approximately 1 kilometre distance (5 minute ride).
Apartments (including mixed use)
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Designing Sydney Competitions and the city
Since 2000, through their design excellence initiative, the City of Sydney Council has mandated that developers of buildings of more than 1,500m2 or 55 metres high must be the subject of a design competition before appointing an architecture firm. The City of Sydney’s Design Excellence Program, together with the state government’s 2002 State Environment Planning Policy number 65 (SEPP65), aims to ensure that new development contributes positively, both in terms of the amenity of the end user, and the amenity of those people using and enjoying the city. Design competitions aren’t new. The Sydney City Council’s initiative is an adaptation of the process that is regularly enforced in France and Germany and other parts of Europe. However, for SJB, our participation in competitions is on the rise as, over recent years, we’ve been invited to compete on an increasing number of significant projects. “We’re using these competitions as a way to really push the way we think as a practice and the way we solve problems across the disciplines of architecture, interiors, urban design and planning. Sometimes we get it right, whilst sometimes we miss the mark, but we’re always learning and that’s exciting,” says Jonathan Knapp. Competition guidelines stipulate that a minimum of three architecture firms submit entries to each competition and Adam Haddow says this is one of the core strengths of the system. “The big benefit to a client or a city is that they are able to get a lot of creative minds thinking about a singular issue,” says Adam. Ensuring that creative thinking is at the heart of a project is one of the core aims of the City of Sydney’s Design Excellence Program. “This means developing a project isn’t just about making money, it’s about contributing to the city. There’s value to society in that,” says Adam. Stuart McDonald, Director of SJB Planning in Sydney, also views Sydney City Council’s design initiative as highly favourable. “These competitions allow the planners for both the applicant and the Council to benefit from a much greater insight into the design process, as well as a far deeper exploration of options and ideas,” he says.
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Conversely, Simon McPherson isn’t so quick to agree that competitions are wholly beneficial. “In principle, competitions are a good idea, but a lot depends upon the way they are run, structured, how they are judged, by who, and how the intellectual property of all entries is used by the winner,” says Simon. Simon suggests the wider context must be considered. “Melbourne’s planning framework tends to be less defined than Sydney’s and this means that a competition policy like the one in Sydney would require careful consideration before implementation in Victoria,” says Simon. Referencing NSW’s SEPP65 planning guidelines that were put in place partly to ensure the amenity and aesthetics of residential apartment buildings are treated as equally important as the architectural design, the Office of the Victorian Government Architect is reportedly in the process of developing similar design standards for apartments in Victoria. “To avoid the selection of the design competition being a commercial decision rather than a design decision, such guidelines would have to be in place. If aspects like height and expected yield weren’t set, then the developer might select a project because it offered more units than another entry which defeats the purpose of it being a ‘design’ competition,” says Simon. Notwithstanding these different points of view, what all the SJB Directors agree upon is the fact that competitions take a broad focus and force designers to consider the public interface. And this is something that all say SJB aims to do on every project, no matter how the commission is awarded. “We don’t just have a responsibility to build a building or plan a city, we have a responsibility to contribute to society,” says Adam.
clockwise from top Concept design: Eve III Milla Griffiths Tea, interior Griffiths Tea
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Alfred de Bruyne A fulfilled life with SJB
After almost 40 years with the practice, what does SJB feel like to you? The family that I grew up with. It’s given me my life. It’s afforded me my lifestyle. SJB educated me and offered me my sense of place in the world. It’s made me think bigger than I ever did or thought I could. What’s changed in architecture in Australia over the past 4 decades? Now, there’s a whole lot less patience and a lack of sharing of time. We used to go on site and talk to the builder, the brickie, the joiner. We’d talk about what was good and bad about our documents. Everyone had time to talk to each other. We don’t nowadays. I think because of that there’s a lack of opportunity to share opinions and knowledge and experience. You have retired from SJB, but not from the profession? I am still passionately involved in my vocation and still do pop back into the office. You have been described as being very calming to work with. Is that a conscious choice to not let work stress you out? It’s my attitude in life. There’s nothing that I do that’s as important as life and death. Anything could happen. We have to enjoy our lives. Is that your professional credo? My credo is that there is value in distilling everything into an idea. Words are the most powerful communication medium we have. That’s why I talk about my architecture from an emotive not ‘architectural’ perspective. It’s not about how big a room is. It’s about what it can do for you. Does beauty matter? Beauty always matters. It is the delight in life. As William Morris is reputed as having said, “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” You’re known for your style, Alfred, is beauty in that regard important to you too? I do like it. I think it’s all about la bella figura. It’s that Italian style of innately presenting the best of yourself, whatever the limitation. Has this approach to beauty been a strong influence on your work? The main thing that has informed my approach has been the guiding vision that the founders [of SJB] set down: We aim to work on projects that we enjoy - both in the relationship we establish with the client and the built outcome.
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Appropriate design is also what is important to me. Appropriate for me, appropriate for the client and appropriate to the time. SJB has grown from a handful of staff to over 140 today. Were there key milestones in this progression? There are key jobs that changed our status within the profession. Charlie [Charles Justin, one of three founding members] always said, “You’ve got to make money to be able to practice.” By the time we picked up an architetcural award for Nissan House a lot of the firms around town knew we had arrived. You documented Nissan House, what other projects were significant for you? The Domain. That was significant for me. Michael [Bialek, founding member] and I worked together on this project. It’s my life. It’s where I have lived with my partner, Thais, for 20 years, and, architecturally, it’s still relevant today. Do you enjoy designing private residences or commercial buildings more? Homes. For me, it’s a little bit more real and intense, the endeavour that you undertake. In commercial projects, there is a separation between the client and the end user. I still love the Brighton House, Peninsula House, and the Queenscliff House. So when you design houses, you’re creating beautiful places for people to live? No. I’m helping them live their lives. I’m creating places to make memories. You have been heavily involved with Melbourne University and the Australian Institute of Architects. Were these engagements important to you? One of the expectations of becoming a director was that I would give back to the community. Being involved with the University and the Institute were my way of doing what the founding members have always done and encouraged. How important are considerations of community in architecture? Community issues should be key and central to how built works are considered. Architecture is one industry through which we can make big changes to people, place and society.
Selected residential projects: top Peninsula House 1992 above left Brighton Residence 1986 above right Merricks Residence 2008 left Domain Apartments 1995 below Queenscliff House 2015
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SJB Melbourne +61 3 9699 6688 Sydney +61 2 9380 9911 sjb.com.au
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