Indesign - Issue 65

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Leonardo da Vinci.

For assistance with your next project, contact Miele’s dedicated team of industry specialists in our Project Division, or call into any of our Miele Experience Centres. miele-project-business.com.au

Over the last 15 years , Indesign has followed the evolution of the modern workplace towards the ideal of effective, attractive and agile spaces calculated to understand and distil an organisation’s business plan, its people and real estate and strive for something dynamic and future-proof.

In parallel we’ve seen the evolution of human and operational behaviour: new ways of working, communicating and relating and more. This in turn has led to the blurring of boundaries and to the making of new associations. Places and spaces (and their uses) have found themselves more blended, overlapped and interrelated – more mixed – than they’ve ever been before.

In this issue we address Mixed Use through the lens of blended space from both an interior and end-user perspective. We also reflect on the relative harmony that’s now evolving through marrying apparent disparate workings.

While we’re on the subject of evolution, we’re also excited to announce that Indesign magazine has reached a point in its history where it’s about to make an evolutionary leap; a shift into a new era as we unify Indesign with our sister title DQ into one extraordinary magazine.

It’s a big step forward that grasps the full yield of possibility and which will engage the region’s most exciting projects and practitioners in an intelligent, thought-provoking and creatively raw conversation on design and architecture. Our next issue promises to be an exciting proposition for anyone (all of you, and us!) looking to be engaged, stimulated, inspired and informed in a new way. Watch this space!

letter from the editor issue 65, 2016

GU Y ALLENBY – EDITORIAL DIRECTOR A LICE BLACk WOOD – CO-EDITOR

left Geelong Library and Heritage Centre

Muffle

Brings diversity and warmth to any workplace Create quiet zones or collabortive hubs with countless configurations

Issue 65

regulars portfolio

027 eVolVe

Bite-sized portions from the latest people, places, products, events.

052 Cosentino + inDesign

The surface material that can be used in a myriad of applications –indoors and out, retail, hospitality, residential – and ticks all the boxes on aesthetic appeal.

057 fuse

A multi-use space needs to be a flexible one and lighting provides numerous ways to adapt the mood via nuances of colour, brightness, contrast and user control.

064 praC tiCe

ROTHELOWMAN’s interior design department is driven by a creative dynamic that has seen the team become a force to be reckoned with in only two years of existence.

076 luMinarY

As design and innovation director at the Breville Group (and before that Sunbeam), Richard Hoare is the guiding hand behind some of Australia’s – and now the world’s – best loved appliances.

175 pulse

Giulio Cappellini talks of the wider design influence of the Poltrona Frau Group’s union with Haworth.

Mixed use developments are the shape of the future and architect Koichi Takada is an emerging exponent of the art in Sydney.

Densification without needless demolition is one of the modern city’s great challenges – Alex de Rijke sees a way ahead with wood.

187 Zone

That Frank Lloyd Wright’s stylistic revolution required a specialised response wasn’t necessarily picked up by his antipodean imitators. Wright’s impact in Australia was important nevertheless.

192 ps

With its open design and continuous curves the Ellipsicoon Retreat Pavilion is made from recyclable high-density polyethylene and simultaneously creates the feeling of being both inside and out.

CoMMerCial

086 Western Australian Institute of Sport, Perth, dwp|suters, Sandover Pinder

099 Vic’s Meats, Sydney, Those Architects, End of Work

161 Australia Post, Melbourne, Gray Puksand

MiXeD use

112 Geelong Library and Heritage Centre, Geelong, ARM Architecture

124 Manukau Institute of Technology and Transport Interchange, Auckland (NZ), Warren and Mahoney Architects

132 Tonsley Main Assembly Building and Pods, Adelaide, Woods Bagot, Tridente Architects

139 ParisAntwerpTexas, Antwerp (BEL), Nathalie Wolberg

Hospitalit Y

146 Como The Treasury, Perth, Kerry Hill Architects

retail

152 Mondopiero, Melbourne, MOS Architects

resiDential

168 Courtyard House, Melbourne, Matt Gibson Architecture + Design

CoVer Geelong Library and Heritage Centre, Geelong, Photo:John Gollings

FLOW COLLECTION

The FLOW Collection represents craftsmanship at its finest. These Italian designed pieces have been created to suit any modern or traditional bathroom setting. All FLOW Vanities are crafted with premium Moisture Resistant Joinery and incorporate a stylish internal grey finish.

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Axolotl axolotl.com.au

- 151 Binder binderapp.com.au

Bolon bolon.com.au

- 005 CaesarStone caesarstone.com.au

Café Culture + Insitu cafecultureinsitu.com.au

Careers Indesign careersindesign.com.au

Cass Brothers cassbrothers.com.au

- 025 CDK STONE cdkstone.com.au

Cosentino

Cult cultdesign.com.au

Dauphin dauphin-group.com

Designer Rugs designerrugs.com.au

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1957

375.

Design: Walter Knoll Team.

1967

FK.

Design: Preben Fabricius & Jørgen Kastholm.

1975

Berlin Chair. Design: Meinhard von Gerkan.

Classic Edition

15 0 years of Walter Knoll

Walter Knoll is known as the furniture brand of modernity. With classic pieces and icons of the avantgarde, the company has repeatedly made its mark on design history. As modern then as it is now: the » Classic Edition « The shaping of lasting values to explore and rediscover.

1956

369.

Design: Walter Knoll Team.

1949

Vostra. Design: Walter Knoll Team.

1962

Haussmann 310. Design: Trix & Robert Haussmann.

1956

Votteler Chair. Design: Arno Votteler.

1972

Fabricius. Design: Preben Fabricius.

SOLVAN FLOW LED

THE UGR19 ALL-ROUND TALENT FOR GREATER PLANNING FLEXIBILITY

INDESIGN CORRESPONDENTS

Stephen Crafti (Melbourne), Mandi Keighran (London), Jon Scott Blanthorn (Toronto), Andrea Stevens (New Zealand)

LIGHTING EDITOR

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

David Becker, Stephen Crafti, Kath Dolan, Philip Drew, Marg Hearn, Jan Howlin, Lorenzo Logi, Paul McGillick, Claire Millett, Iona Roberts, Mark Scruby, Andrea Stevens, Stephen Todd

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Sarah Blee, Brett Boardman, James Broadway, Anthony Browell, Emma Cross, Alex de Rijke, Simon Devitt, Mark Duff us, Max Dupain, George Fetting, Robert Frith, John Gollings, Shannon McGrath, Sam Noonan, Patrick Reynolds

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FOR LOVERS OF FINE

Oslo Parquet featuring a textured grain with a slight grey hue, delivering the natural quality of fine European Oak for The Porter By Gensler.

Tongue n Groove TM floorboards are designed with three solid layers of fine European Oak for optimal finish, longevity and structural integrity.

OAK

Portsea Elegant Grey Titanium Travertine Titanium Gold Antique Brown Nero Tempesta

ALL THAT GLITTERS

“I’m fascinated by the challenge of creating humancentric design,” says glass artisan Anjali Srinivasan who this year jointly won the Swarovski Designers of the Future Award with sound artist Yuri Suzuki, and design duo Studio Brynjar & Veronika. The trio of winners are currently working with Swarovski to explore innovative design. Of the collaboration Srinivasan says: “Crystal is a highly engaging material because it is a solid object that creates visual effects that you cannot touch... I’m excited to further explore this relationship between material, data and people.”

Swarovski swarovski.com

people places p RoDUc T s even T s

Curated by Alice Blackwood, co-editor of Indesign

OUR gUEST EDITOR

HASSELL’ S HEAD OF In TERIOR DESIgn, SCOTT WALk ER , SELECTS HIS TOP SPECS FOR MI x ED USE COn TE x TS .

ADAPTIVE ICON

The beauty of Vola’s simple, efficient and practical tapware lies in its internal workings, which are designed to be as “durable as the form”, says Scott. This iconic edition, the Vola HV1, was designed in 1968 by Arne Jacobsen. The fact that Vola can configure its taps and mixers to the specific purpose and water consumption required makes it adaptable to home, hotel and office settings.

Vola vola.com

FLOATING MONOLITH

“These are deceptively simple, monolithic kitchens that aren’t designed to be hidden away out back of the house,” says Scott of Minotti Cucine’s designer kitchens. Pictured here is Inca designed by Alberto Minotti. The kitchen appears as a single volume, highlighted by vertical profiles. It appears light as if floating in space, yet monolithic in form.

Minotti Cucine minotticucine.it

PERFECTLY MODULATED

The Tufty-Time sofa by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia re-interprets the past with an incredibly comfortable, sculptural sofa solution. Highly adaptable to different spaces and needs through its series of modular components, TuftyTime’s ottoman and basic unit can be matched with other central, corner and end units (armrests included), to form a traditional or corner sofa, chaise longue or island elements.

Space Furniture spacefurniture.com.au

CLEAN-LINED KITCHEN

For a clean, uniform and seamless expanse of kitchen workspace, Scott highlights the Barazza Made To Measure. Made using AISI 304 stainless steel, the Made To Measure gives the designer ultimate freedom to create a functional kitchen with hobs, sinks and accessories integrated into a seamless, clean-lined worktop.

Abey abey.com.au

silveR FoX

The softly uniform tone of Signorino’s Grey Tundra Stone holds a subtle appeal, coming to life on closer inspection with a wealth of fine detailing in silver – the George Clooney colours, as Scott calls them. Perfect for exterior cladding, floor and wall.

Signorino signorino.com.au

nAos is nice

“It’s everything you need in a table and nothing you don’t,” says Scott. The Naos by Studio Cerri & Associati for Unifor features a clean span with no extra embellishments. It is fully customisable to fit your unique project specifications.

Unifor unifor.it

Hidden HAven

Deeply inspired by the work of Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKA), Scott points out the design studio’s “surprising yet restrained use of materials”. Whether designing an office, house or civic space, KKA are “considered and precise down to the last detail”, he says. Pictured here is KKA’s Selva guest rooms renovation for the Vals Therme Hotel in Switzerland. The cave-like haven is clad in a series of overlapping oak panels, each 40cm in width. Lighting is integrated between the panelling.

Kengo Kuma & Associates kkaa.co.jp

liFe AQUATic

In cinema today, there is no director with a stronger reputation for dreamy aesthetics and distinctive colour palettes than Wes Anderson. It’s fitting then, that Tom Fereday’s homage to the director, the Wes collection, consists of soft and minimalist design, with both muted and vibrant colours to choose from. Spending over a year in development, Fereday’s collection shows off Australian-made upholstery and reveals a seamless appearance from every angle.

Zenith Interiors zenithinteriors.com

a RTY-FICI a L LIGHT

LZF heads in a new direction in showcasing their wooden lights with a creative new concept. Inspired by painter Edward Hopper, director a lfred Hitchcock, and the aesthetics of the 1950s, the campaign seeks to display lighting in a wholly ground breaking way. Merging night time photography that showcases the lights in action, and the illustration of Riki Blanco, LZF intertwines these lush images with a narrative specifically written for the campaign by Grassa Toro. What emerges is a story of people, and the environments they live in, with the signature Timberlite lights beautifully illuminating the lives of these characters.

LZF lzf-lamps.com, Ke-Zu kezu.com.au

EVEN A SPY SLEEPS

There’s nothing quite like collapsing into a perfectly moulded chair at the end of a long day. Emilio Nanni’s Spy chair is a gentle melding of frame and seat with the shell creasing over the structured back like a soft hug.

Billiani billiani.it, Cafe Culture + Insitu cafecultureinsitu.com.au

PLAYING WITH PAINT

Michael Reid Sydney celebrates Australian artist Alesandro Ljubicic’s sculptural paintings with The Scent of Painting exhibition. Placing his signature still life floral paintings side-by-side with the more lush and conceptual colour studies, the exhibition gives an insight into Ljubicic’s processes and inspiration. His playful attitude is shown through the moulded shapes emerging from the push-pull of paint across canvas. The vibrant colours and sumptuous paints meld together in a rich collision of sculpted oil paint so decadent you can almost touch – and scent! – it.

Michael Reid Sydney michaelreid.com.au

Stylecraft collaborates with designer Justin Hutchison to produce a new, modular collection of furnishings for the outdoors. The Melbourne designed and manufactured collection encompasses a variety of lounges, coffee and side tables, as well as integrated planters. With muted colours and natural woods to give the collection a soft look, the collection works seamlessly together to create varied spaces with each distinct configuration.

Stylecraft stylecraft.com.au

meRging TeXTURes

Lex Pott’s Fragments collection showcases the juxtaposition of raw stone against traditionally manufactured stone that is infinitely smoother and more polished. Featuring even planes interrupted by jagged, natural stone, Pott highlights the beauty of both the organic, and the manufactured – suggesting that they can work in harmony together.

The Future Perfect thefutureperfect.com Design Miami designmiami.com

THe modUlAR oUTdooR

Facebook /indesigntheevent

Instagram @indesigntheevent

Twitter @indesign_event

indesigntheevent.com/melbourne

A citywide design takeover is coming

With over 8,000 designers, architects and specifiers engaging in an industry defining programme of international product debuts, seminars and creative installations, this is an event you can’t afford to miss.

Liqueur Table by Didier, didier.com.au

Also available from Cafe Culture + Insitu, cafecultureinsitu.com.au

SOLId BR a SS

Crafted in high quality brass with the option of a chrome or brushed nickel finish, the Blix flexible hose sink mixer is the epitome of sophistication in tapware. The mixer features a flexible hose to allow extended reach and ease of use, and has been engineered for optimum performance. Select from Blix and accompanying models of Vezz and Prize.

Phoenix Tapware phoenixtapware.com.au

smAll BUT migHTY

Elegant and soothing, DELPHI is a versatile chair with multiple base types to suit a variety of applications. Its small size cleverly hides the generous internal seat which is comfortably accommodating for all. The chair is versatile and suitable for both formal and informal uses, bringing a warm and welcoming atmosphere with superb comfort.

Advanta advanta.com.au

THE RIGHT a NGLE

david Moreland explores angles and simple design in this collection of a rea tables. Propped up by an X-shaped base, the tables come together in bold lines and stern structure. The tables are available in a matte white or plain oak with either a matching, minimalist edge, or a bolder black option.

David Moreland davidmorelanddesign.com, District district.com.au

PLEASE SIT!

There’s a balanced beauty to the minimalist composition and industrialinspired design of the Adam stool from FRAMA. Its practical, pragmatic and pared back structure is unembellished with the simple cut-out in its centre designed to make the stool easy to move around. As a versatile piece, the Adam stool is the perfect touch in a rustic bar, contemporary café or even at home.

Great Dane Furniture greatdanefurniture.com

ALL UN-TANGLED

Colebrook Bosson Saunders colebrookbossonsaunders.com

Aeri A l Sculpture

Jamie Mcl ellan plays with balance and asymmetry in his quirky eccentric Mobile. Beautifully fashioned out of birch, the mobile consists of four separate segments joined together with micro bearings allowing each segment to slowly rotate around multiple axes. While this results in a constantly changing shape, the complete image is striking.

District district.com.au

Sleek and subtle are the key design notes of the Flo Power Hub – a minimalist desktop addition that provides easy access to three USB charging ports for personal and workplace use at the office. Designed to work effortlessly together with the Flo monitor and CBS monitor arms, the power hub unobtrusively de-clutters the workstation.

IN YOUR ARMS

The Clutch lounge chair features a bold, yet curvy shape that is poised, sturdy and designed to provide immense comfort. The little nooks created as the back slopes downwards are perfect for cradling weary arms after a long day.

BluDot bludot.com.au

LIVING IN MINIATURE

At IMM Cologne, Werner Aisslinger works his magic with Kvadrat, creating the ‘Garden of Wonders’ and pulling together bright, contrasting colours to create a cozy and geometric ‘cabin house’. Aisslinger says that the house is, “a small piece of architecture dressed as a collage in a wide range of fabrics”, and is intended to creatively showcase “a complete Kvadrat colour collage”.

Kvadrat Maharam kvadratmaharam.com

ECO-FRIENDLY FLOORS

Luxury vinyl tiles are a rapidly growing alternative to traditional flooring for both commercial and residential projects due to their realistic timber and stone finishes. Coming in a broad range of patterns and styles, LVTmoduleoLuxo takes these tiles a step further by introducing registered embossing in their Impress range to more accurately imitate the knots and grain found in natural wood finishes. With a perfect GreenRate Level A certification, vinyl tiles are an excellent option for the environmentally conscious.

Signature Floors signaturefloors.com.au

PHOTO: PATRICIA PARINEJAD

SHHH! We’Re WoRKing

Open-plan offices provide excellent opportunities for creative collaboration, but when the buzz rises to a dull roar, productivity can give way to distraction. Laine has cleverly sorted this problem with its innovative Snowsound acoustic technology creating a number of subtle and unobtrusive reversible acoustic panels that serve to brighten and show off the personality of a workspace.

Laine laine.com.au

london UndeRFooT

Drawing inspiration from London’s rich character, Tom Dixon’s Industrial Landscape collection for EGE takes the images of London’s industrial revolution and weaves them into a carpet collection that plays with colour and texture. With the classic imagery of billowing smoke and cobblestones at their heart, the GECA-certified Industrial Landscape collection is a creative breath of fresh air in carpeting.

RC+D rc-d.com.au

INSTANT BOILING CHILLED SPARKLING

ResTYling A clAssic

At Stockholm Furniture Fair, Swedish design brand Massproductions unveiled six new colour ways for their classic Tio chair, and celebrated the opening of their new, collaborative showroom and studio. As Massproductions’ signature chair, the Tio has a sturdy, galvanised metal wire structure finished with a weather-protective Swiss polyester coat. Launched along with the new Tio colours is the versatile Endless shelving system, and the practical Ferric workshop table.

Massproductions massproductions-online.com, Spence & Lyda spenceandlyda.com.au

MOdERN MUTaTION

Celebrating its 90th anniversary, Cassina launches

The Mut a zioni Project with the aim of revising nine of its most iconic designs in a more modern, contemporary format. Kita Toshiyuki tackles the timeless Wink chaise lounge, adding new fabrics and whimsical colour combinations to the 35-yearold design, allowing complete customisation from its Mickey Mouse ears, to the upper and under upholstery of the foldable leg rest.

Cassina cassina.com, Cult cultdesign.com.au

Reissi brings superb Italian design to the Australian specification market through its new online platform which allows extensive browsing of major Italian design brands and samples sent right to your door. An indispensable resource for designers, the website opens the virtual door to the world of Reissi, providing specifiers and designers with full specification details on all products, and a wide range of customisation options for various unique projects – start exploring straight away!

Reissi reissimall.com.au

viRTUAl iTAlY

lenT

Every year Craft Victoria showcases the freshest Australian makers and crafts practitioners with its annual Fresh! exhibition. Carefully selected in the months before opening, a team of professional craft and design practitioners and curators survey the works produced by graduates of numerous Victorian universities and TAFEs, before settling on a group of 10 practitioners. With their works on display at the Craft Victoria’s CBD gallery, these artists give important insight into the future direction of craftsmanship.

Craft Victoria craft.org.au

Hella Jongerius is known to be a strong advocate for experimenting with colour in the realm of industrial design. This passion for colours, along with her love of textiles has resulted in Danskina – where Jongerius is the design director – launching its latest Multitone rug collection. The hand-woven rugs feature a rectangular grid pattern with each block coloured in slightly differently due to the interweaving of two different thread colours.

Danskina danskina.com Hub Furniture hubfurniture.com.au

Ta KING Ta BLE TO Ta SK

Sculptural yet fluid, the LIQUEUR is characterised by its conical base in solid a merican Oak and elliptical table top. Versatile in application, LIQUEUR is available in a range sizes and can be adapted to meeting, dining, bench, desking and boardroom specifications. Integrate power and data connection into the top. Didier didier.com.au

cHAmPioning coloUR

ad

a RT- ChiTECTURE aT WoRK

CoNSiDERED aloNE , a RT a ND a RChiTECTURE C aN SEND PoWERFUl MESSaGES . CoMBiNED, ThE y C a N EMPoWER a PRoJECT a ND iNSPiR E SoMEThiNG UN

When asked about the inspiration for DEXUS Place, Nicholas Kaspareck, the design manager for Girvan Waugh, describes an ambition to create, “a combined vision of workplace and hospitality... as corporate as a law firm, as inviting as a house party and as comfortable as a hotel.” Fourteen floors above the street, in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, DEXUS Place functions as an accessible, multi-functioningcorporate workspace with artistic flair.

Condensing DEXUS Place’s diverse functions and plethora of executive boardrooms, conference and seminar spaces, business lounges, and breakout areas into a single cohesive environment required a holistic design approach. What emerged is a modern design very much influenced by the city it is situated in. With large open spaces in between workshops and sliding industrial shelves scattered across the floor, the walls are noticeably decorated by art and graffiti, creating the feeling of an urban workplace.

“The vision for DEXUS Place is to recreate the Melburnian streetscape inside a corporate space,” says Kaspareck and interior architect Belle Trovato. Girvan Waugh collaborated with local artists to consider the ways in which the design could incorporate classic Melbourne flair, “an example is the graffiti mural inspired by Russian deconstructivist architecture and its hard lines which blend into the herringbone pattern and angles, whilst its colours are a reflection of the graffiti in the nearby buildings to 385 Bourke Street.

“The project delivery strategy was also a key component of the innovation. DEXUS Place was developed via a multi-disciplinary design and construct process where different parties shared iP and workshopped the space in early conceptual stages.

Credit to the DEXUS Capital Works Group for managing the process – it’s not easy to get architects, builders, telcos, engineers, suppliers and the client to collaborate in harmony.”

This collision of creative and corporate forces has created a workplace environment like no other. Created to serve as a solution for companies who find a dearth of productive meeting spaces or facilities in their own premises, DEXUS Place is a clever marriage of practical design needs and vibrant personality.

Read the full story at indesignlive.com/dexus_place

above Dexus Place – an accessible, multifunctioning corporate workspace with artistic flair

Words Christina Rae

iQUE.

COMMENT

ALEJANDRO ARAVENA’S SUCCESS IN THIS YEAR’S PRITZKER PRIZE HERALDS A BRAND NEW ERA. THE TIME WHEN ‘PHARAONIC STRUCTURES FOR ANYONE

PAY’ IS BEHIND US, OPINES STEPHEN TODD.

The death of Zaha Hadid last April was the nail in the coffi n of starchitecture. Frank Gehry (now 87) isn’t going to live forever and with Rem Koolhaas (at 71) now a venerated elder, we are hearing the trumpet call to a new era. And it’s one the esteemed peers of the Pritzker Prize jury clearly heard when they gave the award to Alejandro Aravena only months before Zaha checked out.

Aravena is a quiet achiever. Working from his home town of Santiago, Chile, he creates compelling housing and intriguing cultural and educational institutions. Typical is his “half a house” program by which he builds the frames and essential components of a series of houses, allowing residents to complete them as and when they can. It’s a case of design thinking very far out of the box.

Aravena is at the forefront of a new avant garde. A group of conspicuously non-stellar architects like fellow

Chilean Smiljan Radic whose Serpentine Summer Pavillion of 2014 looked like a giant rock dropped from

outer space. Or Shigeru Ban, who works wonders with recycled cardboard, especially very beautiful emergency housing. Or China’s Wang Shu, Pritzker of 2012, who builds idiomatic structures of rammed earth and recycled brick. His monolithic Ningbo Museum is a thing of radical beauty, striking in its humility.

Wang Shu, who lives and works in Hangzhou in the Zhejiang Province of Eastern China, has no computer in his Amateur Studio. Radic builds his models from clay. This is no Cad-Cam clan hellbent on dotting the world with sybaritic arabesques, testimonies to their own grand egos.

Paul Goldberger, writing in Vanity Fair, called Aravena a “dark horse” and pondered if giving the award to him only two years after Shigeru Ban “suggests that the Pritzker jury is casting its lot with social responsibility over celebrity”.

If you take into account that Wang Shu got the gong two years before Ban, your conclusion might well be, Yes. To my mind, that’s a very good thing indeed.

Some, of course, don’t agree. Most vocally, director of Zaha Hadid Architecture and thus heir, Patrik Schumacher who took to Facebook shortly after the Aravena announcement, hammering that “the PC takeover of architecture is complete: the Pritzker Prize mutates into a prize for humanitarian work. The role of the architect is now ‘to serve greater societal and humanitarian needs’ and the new Laureate is hailed for ‘tackling the global housing crisis’ and for his concern for the underprivileged. Architecture loses its specific societal task and

responsibility, architectural innovation is replaced by the demonstration of noble intentions and the discipline’s criteria of success and excellence dissolve into the vague do-good-feelgood pursuit of ‘social justice’.”

What Schumacher is conveniently forgetting is architecture’s obligation to evolve with the times. The phenomenon of using iconic architecture to promote a city, an institution, or a real estate development was a product of the economic boom that began in the late 1990s and ended with the recession in 2008. That was Zaha’s time. A time of building pharaonic structures for anyone who could pay.

When it was reported that hundreds of workers had lost their lives in the preparation for Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup, Zaha – who has designed the al-Wakrah stadium – was quoted in The Guardian as saying, “It’s not my duty as an architect to look it.” And while it’s true that the responsibility ultimately lies with the construction companies and government regulators, brushing it off in such a manner is akin to Cardinal George Pell saying that child abuse in the Catholic church is “a sad story and it wasn’t of much interest to me”.

A little do-good-feel-good wouldn’t go astray today. One of the greatest mass migrations of modern times. Exponential city growth. A rapidly ageing population. A climate in meltdown. It’s not that I’m down on Zaha. Of course she did some magnificent work, seminal even. Era defi ning. It’s just that that era is over. If she could have delivered public housing,

on time and to budget and with a superior level of amenity, Zaha might have been able to transition to the new reality.

Meanhwile, Alejandro Aravena is director of this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, titled “Reporting from the Front”. At the launch, he announced, “There are several battles that need to be won and several frontiers that need to be expanded in order to improve the quality of the built environment and consequently people’s quality of life. More and more people on the planet are in search for a decent place to live and the conditions to achieve it are becoming tougher and tougher by the hour. Any attempt to go beyond business as usual encounters huge resistance in the inertia of reality and any effort to tackle relevant issues has to overcome the increasing complexity of the world.”

More than half of the 88 Biennale participants will be presenting for the first time, and 33 of them are under 40. All of them are tackling issues relating to segregation, inequality, suburbia, sanitation, natural disasters, the housing shortage, migration, crime, traffic, waste, pollution, and community participation.

Congratulations on your Pritzker, Mr Aravena.

WORDS Stephen Todd

PORTRAIT Jamie Morgan

ILLUSTRATION Michelle Byrnes

WHO’LL

Stephen Todd writes on architecture and design.

NANOTECTURE: TINY BUILT THINGS

Written by Rebecca Roke

Published by Phaidon Press 336pp hardback, $29.95 au.phaidon.com

Reviewed by Christina Rae

“Tiny built things frequently convey a sense of freedom to experiment,” writes Rebecca Roke in Nanotecture: Tiny Built Things, “without the weighty responsibility of a large budget or complex functional requirements.” Freedom is a continual theme throughout this pint-sized architecture book that delights in the impermanent nature of everything from Javier Mariscal’s cardboard playhouse to Ai Wei Wei’s short-lived Qing and Ming dynasty door installation in Germany. Divided into five sections which show the constructs gradually growing in size, the book highlights a vast array of designs from miniature cat houses, to interactive pavilions, and cozy weekend hideaways. Roke places a strong emphasis on breadth of construction materials, highlighting the creative, the innovative, and the recycled. She makes an effort to exhibit the “demountable, portable, transportable, inflatable, systematised and flat-packed”, emphasising the limitless possibilities in architecture.

The book’s carefully curated selection of structures is whimsical and audacious, with an emphasis on socially-conscious design. A large portion of the showcased structures are built with repurposed materials and a deliberate design to function in harmony with nature. The number of isolated retreats – with their location listed as ‘or elsewhere’ – suggests an architectural focus, or “social preference, for bucolic and migratory behaviour”. These structures are placed in contrast to the more playful animal shelters and installations that are peppered throughout the collection.

Roke’s Nanotecture: Tiny Built Things is a comprehensive compilation of designs with vivid photographs accompanying each of the 300 structures. Each structure is coded “according to the 66 construction materials used” allowing easy cross-referencing between materials, architects and designers. The breadth of the structures included in the book serves as a vibrant reminder that architecture comes in all shapes and sizes.

LUMITECTURE: ILLUMINATING INTERIORS FOR DESIGNERS AND ARCHITECTS

By Anna Yudina

Published by Thames & Hudson 256pp softcover, $65 thameshudson.com.au

Reviewed by André Tammes

This book approaches light(ing) as a medium of transformation. Indeed, its structure divides the subject into three distinct sections – Transforming Space, Transforming Time and Transforming Emotion. Each explores the esoteric qualities of these intangibles in a remarkably practical and engaging series of sub-sections. For example, under Transforming Time, one is lead into considerations on Daylight, Rhythm and Change, while the section on Transforming Emotion examines Intensity, Colour Power, Interaction and Immersion.

The striking aspect of this treatise lies in the breadth of its spectrum. Anna Yudina has assembled an extraordinary number (159) of internationally based projects which support and illustrate her infectious fascination with the transformative powers of light. The result is a book which is timeless but also a product which sits astride the wave of technological development that has engulfed the lighting world in recent times. Unusually, equal weight is given to both the design of light fittings and the conjunction of light and the physical world. The joy for the reader lies in tracing the reason behind the inclusion of any given project; invariably this comes down to what the artist, James Turrell, refers to as the ‘thingness’ of light. In some cases, this is illustrated by the design of a light fitting but only if the quality of its light output is, of itself, expressive. In other cases, the emphasis lies on experiential engagement with light, with little consideration as to how it is produced.

Ever more books on light and lighting are appearing, many of which focus on a particular aspect of the subject. In this case the reader is exposed to a sensitive, and intelligently curated, essay on the limitless manifestations of light as an object, a shaper of perception and a medium of creative expression. This book is both an invaluable commentary and an inspiration.

MINIMONO VOLUME 02: HILL THALIS ARCHITECTURE + URBAN PROJECTS

Edited by Andrew Mackenzie

Published by Uro Publications 106pp softcover, $49 uromedia.com.au

Reviewed by Guy Allenby

Profi ling 10 projects (out of a total 550) completed over Hill Thalis Architecture + Urban Projects’ 24-year existence, Minimono Volume 02 is a window into a slice of the imposing output and the modus operandi of this driven and critically acclaimed Sydney fi rm; a fi rm that’s built its reputation on works conceived with a keener understanding of the broader urban and geographical context than most.

Or as Lawrence Nield, AIA Gold Medallist and Northern Territory Government Architect writes in the foreword to the book: “streets are the music of the city and buildings are the words. Places sing when street and building are in harmony...”

Hill Thalis, Nield points out, have fought “publicly and professionally” against the increasing trend for buildings to deny their context and reject the street.

This was no better evidenced, in relatively recent times, than with its vigorous defence of its competition-winning scheme for Barangaroo –one of the 10 projects highlighted in the book.

Conceived by Hill Thalis in concert with Paul Berkemeier Architect and Jane Irwin Landcape Architecture, the scheme won the competition, but soon found itself being binned – in inimitable Sydney style – by the relentless force of the Harbour City’s agendas and interests.

Then again projects of this scale, unrealised as it was, are only part of the very diverse Hill Thalis oeuvre. As David Neustein and Michael Neustein point out in the book’s feature essay, the 10 featured projects fit within the three categories of ‘Housing’, ‘Public’ and ‘Urban’ –even if they ignore the company’s “portfolio of beautiful houses” and “downplay some of its most photogenic work”.

But that’s entirely in keeping with the Hill Thalis’ taste for the grittier commissions. “We do tough projects,” says Philip Thalis. “People only come to us when they have a problem.”

Time will tell if Barangaroo is one they should have been allowed to provide the blueprint to help solve.

words PeneloPe BArKer PhotogrAPhy courtesy of cosentino

surface Paradise

With five times the strength of granite, Dekton is a surface material that offers a size and a thinness that was previously unimaginable –while offering extreme levels of performance. It can be installed in thinner slabs over greater spans, is nonporous and never needs sealing and is resistant to scratching, temperature extremes and hydrolysis. While other surfaces show wear over time, Dekton’s finish never needs to be resurfaced or refinished, even if used as flooring in high traffic areas or outdoors on walkways and driveways.

Dekton’s unique characteristics allow infinite application possibilities – from countertops and flooring, to cladding and facades . Dekton is a revolutionary material created using a high tech process – sinterisation – an accelerated version of the metamorphic change that natural stone undergoes when subjected to high temperatures and pressure over thousands of years. The result is a material with zero porosity and lack of the micro-defects that cause tension and weak spots.

Dekton for retail applications

As well as being stronger than granite Dekton is even more resistant to abrasion than granite too, making it the ideal surface for commercial applications and high traffic areas such as flooring. Being nonporous

Imagine a material that ticks all the boxes for aesthetic appeal while being so durable it can be used in almost infinite applications, indoors or out.

means the material never needs to be sealed Instead liquids are naturally prevented from penetrating the surface, creating a completely stain proof, lowmaintenance surface.

In retail environments, Dekton can also be used as wall cladding, countertops and even to create staircases. Inkjet technology can be used to print Dekton slabs for signage and other creative effects.

Dekton for hospitality applications

The exceptional technical performance of Dekton makes it an ideal material for kitchen and bar worktops and for bathrooms in commercial premises. Dekton is a non-combustible product with extraordinary heat resistance, allowing direct contact with hot objects.

Dekton for residential applications

Dekton has myriad applications in residential projects, from exterior facades, walkways and driveways to interior flooring and cladding. It is ideal for creating luxurious, easy - to - maintain kitchens and bathrooms . R ed wine, coffee, markers and rust can be easily wiped away from its surface . In the kitchen, Dekton’s resistance to high temperatures means hot saucepans and appliances such as crockpots can be placed directly on the benchtop with no worry of damage. Meanwhile

in the bathroom Dekton is ideal for countertops, flooring or c ladding owing to its excellent water resistance qualities. D ekton has a high resistance to hydrolysis – the material does not alter in eithe r composition or aesthetics if in contact with liquid for extended periods.

Available in a range of solid colours and natural stone effects, three thicknesses and 320 x 144cm slabs, Dekton is a revolutionary surface material that opens up an infinite range of design possibilities.

Left Dekton Domoos 12mm featured as flooring at Okami Japanese Restaurant in Malaga Right Dekton Keranium featured as countertop

Penelope Barker writes on design and architecture.

eq.ToW er: H A n DleD W iTH CA re

Melbourne’s glittering new e q.Tower building is on the rise. novas Architectural worked with architects e lenberg Fraser to custom design the elegant door handles for each of the 633 luxury apartments.

At 63 floors, with its unique hourglass form stretching to a diamond-shaped top, and multifaceted glass facade that interacts with the sun to produce constant change in colour and light, e q.Tower on the north-western edge of Melbourne’s C b D will not only be one of the tallest buildings in Melbourne on completion in mid-2017 but a glittering addition to the city’s skyline.

For a project of this scale, architects e lenberg Fraser were acutely aware of the need to create economies of scale. “We had an issue with new DDA requirements as part of the b CA,” says e lenberg Fraser associate Jeremy s chluter, “so we specifically designed a door handle that met both these guidelines, allowing people with dexterity issues to

turn the handle more easily whilst also matching the building’s specific architectural aesthetic.”

To achieve the desired result, e lenberg Fraser worked with novas Architectural to design a practical and very beautiful door handle for each of the 633 apartments. “ it’s this bespoke detail that is exclusive to the development that makes it feel unique, homely and highly resolved,” says s chluter. This is a strong example of how novas Architectural works in collaboration with architects to develop custom designs to fit the specific needs of their projects.

novas i nteriors brings together the novas Group of Companies’ many products and services into tailored contractual packages that are streamlined, quality consistent and industry competitive. This approach is proving highly beneficial to architects working on large, complex projects with multiple time and budget constraints, in addition to the challenges they face with finding flexible product options.

For more inF ormation please visit novasinteriors.com.au

s ales enquiries (61 3) 9709 3200

In this issue we look at dynamic lighting approaches for multi-function spaces.

It is abnormal for a stage lighting designer to create lighting for a production without any change or dynamics throughout the length of the performance. Whilst this can occur, it’s very unusualness marks such an approach as highly stylised. This was brought home to me when attending a performance of Waiting for Godot (by Samuel Beckett), which had only one change of lighting –from daylight to moonlight.

Most stage lighting designers use the fluid and dynamic qualities of light to invoke mood changes, suggest a sense of location, provide temporal cues and create visual delight. Until relatively recently such uses of light were very much the preserve of the

theatrical world. ‘Serious’ lighting, or illumination, took over once one stepped back into the ‘real’ world. One hallmark of day-to-day lighting, in the majority of the built environment, has been its static nature. However, things are changing.

In the following article, lighting designer David Becker traces the major opportunities which relatively recent developments in lighting technologies continue to introduce. The ability to easily and economically incorporate dynamic lighting in multi-function spaces, thereby tailoring the luminous environment to specific demands, is now well established. In addition to tuning lighting to accord with varying spatial, practical and mood requirements, in support of multiple uses of a space, LED and associated control technologies also

enable subtler, but immensely important, shifts in the colour appearance of what has normally been static white light.

Dynamic ‘human-centric’ lighting, which is reflective of the natural diurnal cycle and supportive of widely varying work patterns, is an increasing reality which ushers in the need for a major reconsideration of how environments can, and should, be lit.

It will not be long before the idea of lighting an office, hospital ward, school or airport with static white light will be as unusual as lighting a stage production in the same manner!

André Tammes is Indesign’s lighting editor. andretammes.com

In recent times the versatility that light can provide has been amplified with the explosion of lighting electronics, in particular high output LED technology and the sophistication of control systems. At first there was the sugar hit of colour-changing LEDs. Suddenly the cocktail of a miniature and potent light source, pure colour and digital dimming made colour changing addictive – particularly so in hospitality environments where clients routinely alter mood to suit different occasions and expectations.

Whilst colour changing has now become rather passé, dynamic lighting to modulate mood and make spaces flexible has long been embraced in multi-use spaces where lighting is pivotal in making a venue appropriate for its occasion – whatever that may be.

In these spaces lighting has been intrinsic to the success of an event, and the technical systems, significantly lighting systems, paramount to the flexibility of a venue and a successful show. As Andrew MacColl, director of event technology at Staging Connections notes: “It’s all about return on investment (ROI), and speed is the absolute imperative. The faster a room can be turned around, the more profitable it is.”

The manipulation of light in more conservative environments, to support multi-functionality, is also becoming more prevalent – the manipulable quality of light encourages multiple uses of a space. As a result, light is a vital constituent in the adaptability of a commercial space, and becomes

the ‘glue’ which makes multi-use environments cohesive. Steve Brown, design director at NDYLIGHT comments: “The majority of multiuse environments are created when a company is keen to maximise the flexibility of its workspaces, as well as to enable staff to work more efficiently.”

Lighting is not only valuable in the pursuit of functional versatility, it is also essential to pleasure and health. In this field, the convergence of lighting and AV technologies through digital compatibility has opened up new opportunities. PointOfView director Bernie Tan-Hayes highlights the integration of ‘pixel net’ systems where illumination through data screens adjusts the theme and dynamic of a space. He points out their installation at Café Sydney, where the integration of light art “can transform a space and make environments more adaptive to various uses, as well as adding interest”. “Video in architecture is really a natural extension of LED colour changing technology,” he adds.

This integration of video as part of the illumination of space and enhancement of human experience is also shown in 2BDesigned’s work for Telstra. “The lighting harmonises with AV systems to allow Telstra to demonstrate to its key clients the innovation skills they have – lighting is linked to AV systems to allow for a coordinated solution,” comments 2BDesigned principal, David Bird.

The integrated lighting and AV also allows Telstra staff to create a wide range of moods to suit the

various functions, be it a meeting, conference, exhibition or social event.

The need for light to create highly adaptive spaces is exemplified through Electrolight’s lighting design for lawyers Corrs Chambers Westgarth (CCW). “There was a strong desire from the client to create a hospitality aesthetic within the law firm’s new offices,” says Catriona Simmons, lighting designer at Electrolight. Lighting control technology, an essential component of the CCW lighting design scheme, has long been an important aspect of space adaptability. But it is notable that continuing improvements in sophistication, system integration and user friendliness play their part in creating truly versatile spaces. Here, intuitive and intelligent automation has vastly improved the flexibility of the built environment.

Interestingly, the flexibility that light adds to durability extends further than thematic applications. The role that lighting plays in staff health and wellbeing is becoming a focus for larger institutions, says Brown. “Businesses who understand how long their staff work are leaning towards more dynamic lighting solutions. The introduction of controlled colour shifting light in these environments can be integral to the wellbeing of the staff in the medium and long term.”

This connection to health and nature is reinforced by Simmons, again referring to CCW: “To strengthen the connection to the outdoors, a false skylight was created. A stretched fabric membrane with addressable colour-

opener Café Sydney. PointOfView (lighting) and Bruce Ramus (digital content) applied an integrated ‘pixel net’ system to manipulate the theme and feel of the space through animated content. Architect: Hassell; photography: Brent Winstone opposite Princes Wharf, Tasmania. Illuminated canopy provides shade by day and interactive lighting by night, by computing human presence and activity. Lighting: PointOfView; architect: Circa Morris-Nunn Architects; programming: by local media artist on term appointment; photography: David Becker

words david Becker photography various

Illumination as a tool to affect mood and modulate the way a space is used, has always been a key ingredient in creating a flexible environment. Through nuances of colour, brightness, contrast and user control, light becomes the magic factor in multi-use situations.

right Electrolight’s scheme for Corrs Chambers Westgarth offices in Melbourne adds a hospitality aesthetic to commercial space, enabling the office to be adaptive and support a broad range of functions. Architect: BatesSmart; photography: Peter Clarke far right Sheraton On The Park, Sydney. Flexible lighting infrastructure in hotel ballrooms is essential for multi-use purpose, and imperative for fast turnaround. Event Design & Management: Staging Connections; photography: courtesy Starwood bottom right Centenary Square Parramatta. Electrolight’s lighting design was pivotal to the public space meeting broad use objectives. Landscape JMD Design; photography: Rohan Venn Photography

changing LEDs forms a graphic matrix to simulate the colour and movement of the sky. During the day, soft rolling clouds pass over the skylight creating different shades of blue and white. During the evening a warm colour temperature takes over to replicate the sunset.”

Whilst the ability of light to make interior spaces flexible has been evolving over an extended period, the approach is also finding favour externally. PointOfView’s work with architect Robert Morris Nunn at Princes Wharf in Hobart shows how a programmable lighting system integrated into a vast shade canopy can add another dimension to what is essentially an open forecourt, enlivening the space by showcasing local media artists’ work.

In a different location, Electrolight’s Centenary Square in Parramatta illustrates the same point. This public place had diverse objectives to improve the overall appearance, usability

and safety of Church Street Mall and the pedestrian access now known as Centenary Square, but it also has to work as a venue for farmer’s markets, public concerts, sports matches, pop up events and celebrations. A more delicate and integrated approach to lighting was pivotal to meeting these goals.

The foregoing thinking about the use of light in the multi-function context is not a particularly Australian phenomenon. Overseas, the need for public space to have broad capabilities appears to be equally important. The recent release of a concept for a new opening pedestrian and cycle bridge over the River Thames in London, designed by reForm Architects, is as innovative in the way it considers the revitalisation and reuse of public space at its landing points, as it is in expressing beautiful simplicity of form.

Principal Nik Randall says his firm wants the bridge to rejuvenate and expand the use of the river banks by

inspiring other activities. At the very core of this goal is the lighting. The integration of lighting has, according to Randall, helped distill the bridge form.

Nicknamed the Boomerang bridge (by virtue of its shape), it’s a fabulous example of how lighting aid structure and multiple uses – and vice versa.

David Becker is principal of David Becker Design.

blended family

Over the last 24 months ROTHELOWMAN’s integrated interior design team has risen to new heights, aided in great part by their familial camaraderie and creative dynamic.

words Alice BlAckwood photogrAphy courtesy of rothelowmAn

“We have an integrated interiors team because we know it produces better work, and ... it’s more successful for the client.”

Andrew wA les

When you meet with the ROTHELOWMAN interior design team you get a sense that it’s all for one, one for all. As we huddle around an outdoor table, set comfortably within the shadows of Melbourne gallery ACCA’s monolithic rusted steel façade, I’m struck by the easy camaraderie that flows between the team’s mix of personalities. They are easily differentiated by factors of experience, age, personal interests and skillsets, yet between them exists a clear unity borne from shared conviction – belief in what they do; and an appetite for what is possible.

The team are defined by an internal culture of collaboration and this in turn supports the way in which they integrate into the 25-year-old company’s long-established architecture arm.

“At ROTHELOWMAN we recognise the importance of including interiors in the fundamental design principles of each project,” says head of interior design, Andrew Wales. “We have an integrated interiors team because we know it produces better work, and we know it’s more successful for the client.”

With ROTHELOWMAN’s shifting project load into the hospitality sector, the interiors team find they add the most value by maintaining their presence throughout the whole project development process. Whether at town planning stage, “where we often offer feedback from the very beginning”, or at interior layout stage where the team “works with the architects to find a functional and aesthetic solution. We work collaboratively with our architects throughout all stages of the design process,” says Wales.

Alicia Lynch, interior design associate, says decision making is a structured process, but everyone has a voice. The diversity of talent and skills allows challenges and solutions to be considered from every angle. Regular design panel workshops allow project teams to invite external team members in, to give perspective and feedback. “Every project is bespoke,” explains Lynch. “It’s no one person’s design, but a group designed outcome, pulling on the greater team’s diversity of influences.

“Through the design review process, we tend to have an overriding concept that we judge everything against. We test our ideas continuously to make sure they’re relevant, and always with an outcome that comes back to principles of timeless design, a liveable aesthetic and, most importantly, one that offers comfort to the end user.”

The interior team itself is a fine orchestration of experience and skillset. From Lynch, with 18 years’ experience in hotel design, to Wales, who brings more than 30 years’ experience in commercial, retail and government interior design.

Complementing this is associate interior designer, Roberta Tessarolo, who formerly worked in property sales. Her intimate knowledge of residential space is indispensible on ROTHELOWMAN’s multi-residential work. “The diversity goes right through our team,” comments Tessarolo.

It’s a diversity that reaches beyond the internal workings of the firm and finds real value at the client end of the spectrum. “We offer more than just a great concept,” says Tessarolo. “We visualise the concept,

opener Interiors team (left to right) Roberta Tessarolo, Alicia Lynch, Andrew Wales ABove leFT Brasshouse, described by the interiors team as a great collaboration between ROTHELOWMAN and developer, K7 Developments ABove righT The hotel-inspired lobby of ROTHELOWMAN’s iconic Abbotsford project, Sanctuary

the cost and the operation of that space. We ensure what we produce has many years’ experience and knowledge behind it.”

Among the team’s latest offering is the Abey Melbourne showroom, a “cool” re-use of site and beautiful fit-out responding to Abey’s high-end portfolio of products and brands.

“We resolved a lot of challenges in the space,” reflects Wales. “We wanted the space to be clean and simple but showcase the diversity of product. By challenging notions of space and display we were able to make the space beautiful, giving the purchaser an experience reflective of the high quality designer brands on show.”

Another point of pride for the team is Brasshouse, a multi-residential development that hit all the right marks in terms of its architecture and design, as well as being a highly marketable product.

Whether marketable or liveable, the end user remains fundamental to ROTHELOWMAN’s interior design. “People are engaging with the product we design,” says Tessarolo. “Whether hotel or apartment, people interact with these spaces. We recognise that in every decision we make.”

Discover more about Rothelowman at rothelowman.com.au

Alice Blackwood is co-editor of Indesign

ABove For the Abey Melbourne showroom, ROTHELOWMAN aimed for a high quality design that would reflect Abey’s high quality products left The Abey showroom exudes a strong luxury kitchen feel

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Living ShowcaSe

In a move away from a more standard showroom experience, Cafe Culture + Insitu has created a warm space, steeped in sincerity, community and excellent design.

left Espresso bar features Constellation lights by Anaesthetic that hang above Pipe tables, Little Brother stools and Spun stools by LifeSpaceJourney

Shifting from its Surry Hills home to slightly edgier, burgeoning Redfern, Cafe Culture + Insitu ha s unveiled its new Sydney showroom. The new space will offer a living showcase of the company’s growing collection. Through intuitive partitions, a sunlit outdoor deck, entertainment areas and fully-fledged street side espresso bar – the showroom has been envisioned as a destination and a fluid addition to the suburb’s existing creative community.

Operating for over 16 years, Cafe Culture joined with Insitu in 2013 to widen their already diverse and beautiful range of world-class local and international design brands. Cafe Culture + Insitu offers sleek contemporary pieces, ideal for commercial, hospitality and work spaces. The range includes indoor and outdoor seating, lighting, tables and bold accessories from brands such as Zeitraum, Miniforms, Casamania, Plank, Zilio A&C, Lee Broom and Didier.

For director Marnie Hammond, the new Redfern showroom is representative of a new phase, and the continued evolution of the business. “[This space] really reflects who we are now definitely, and the evolution of where we’ve come in the last three to five years,” she says.

Set within the walls of a 19 th C entury warehouse building, the showroom’s interior plays skilfully with the site’s original bones. “As far as the design and the aesthetic of the building we really wanted to take it back to the original features,” Hammond says. Collaborating with brother and designer Todd Hammond, as well as the property owner B r yan Rutter to imagine the showroom, Ms Hammond appointed award -winning joinery outfit Elan Construct to bring the design to life.

Walls have been stripped back to expose founding brickwork, and painted columns and beams have been sanded to reveal warm, rich timber. Just one of the space’s defining features is a series of white Victorian-style panels, which weave neatly along

the length of the room. Almost like folding screens or dividers, the panels conceal storage space, and standard stacked chair displays, while working to carve out a more interesting floor plate.

While Cafe Culture + Insitu intimately understands design, and design for the most charming hospitality, entertainment and work spaces, they will be leaving brewing and beans to the experts. The stage is set for a skilled coffee team to settle in and man the street-facing espresso bar, which features round tables and stools from their current range, locally designed and made by Melbourne - based LifeSpaceJourney. Fittingly, the open-air deck will showcase Cafe Culture + Insitu’s outdoor product range, but also act as a space for hosting events. The result is a living exhibition, with furniture pieces up close and in use – instead of just assembled and on display.

“ It was really important for us to increase our footprint, but also to feel really connected to the community,” says Ms Hammond.

Sam Preston is a content producer at Indesign Media.

FAR leFt Warehouse space showcases furniture and lighting by brands including Didier, Zeitraum, Maxdesign and ChristelH leFt Furniture by Billiani with lighting above by Lee Broom and a splash of green Below Kitchenette and bar features furniture by Hussl, Zeitraum, Saba and Punt. Lighting by Anaesthetic

RICHARD HOARE

Design anD innovation Director at the Breville group, r ichar D hoare has Been a guiDing hanD in the Development of electrical appliances in a ustralia for over 20 years. first W ith s unBeam, then Breville, he’s helpeD transform a local outfit into an international maker of appliances that sell in 50 countries.

Through h is 26-year career Hoare has designed over 360 household appliances. He’s won more than 70 awards world-wide and has overseen and developed 1200 design patents across products ranging from juicers and espresso machines, kettles and tea-making, compact ovens and microwaves, to ice-cream and waffle makers. He insists credit is hard to apportion because product design is a collaborative process and it takes a good team to make a great product. But that’s not to detract from his achievements, as his strengths lie as much with people as with inventive products or innovative details. He leads projects, analyses problems, understands consumers, searches for insights, develops strategies and encourages creativity, and with all that has become a remarkably successful industrial designer, in the broadest sense of the term.

“To be a good designer you have to have an affinity with things and an empathy with people,” says Hoare. “If you are into objects and how they work – if you’re prepared to immerse yourself in the thing – that really helps, but you have to keep coming out to check what it really means to people. You have to be able to read them, understand them, and have that empathy with them” – simply because success depends on how the user interacts with the product.

Hoare seems to be one of those people who has both sides of his brain working overtime. He’s equal parts big-picture thinker and detail man, and extremely analytical by nature. “I enjoy the process of solving problems, I’m very persistent,” he says, explaining how much he loves to do those logic puzzles that have most people tearing their hair out. “You’ve got to step sideways, get out of your normal way of doing things and look at them from a different direction.

“Creativity is definitely about your subconscious brain. You ask your brain a question, feed all the information in, and later on it comes back with an answer.” While spruiking innovation in business might be par for the course, Hoare says: “I do want to find things new. I always want to improve things, even if it’s just the process or the culture, I want to do something different.”

Fit and boyish at 51, Richard Hoare is as enthusiastic as ‘the kid in the candy store’. He enrolled in industrial design in 1984, at what is now the University of South Australia. Years before that he was the kid who was always making things, building gliders, drawing plans, pulling things apart and trying to fix them.

“Ironically,” he says, “I can remember one day standing in the kitchen staring at the old espresso machine we had, and thinking: ‘What is this black magic? How would you ever learn enough to make that?’ ” He was only 12 or 13. “It’s funny looking back on that,” he says, “because that was fascinating to me, and it’s probably why I ended up here.”

Straight after school Hoare studied medicine for a year but knew he was on the wrong track, and when his sister suggested industrial design he didn’t look back. Her industrial designer boyfriend helped arrange a visit to the Sunbeam Sydney factory; Hoare did some work experience there, then took a job. “It was really like an apprenticeship in all aspects of manufacturing”, because he was involved in design, prototyping, testing, detail component engineering, tooling, production engineering, quality assurance and product improvements.

He also had the factory at close quarters: “They were doing chrome plating, die-casting, powdercoating, injection moulding. What an amazing education that was!” However, he says, “the writing was on the wall [because] the whole cost structure for manufacturing in Australia didn’t work.” The first two ranges of products he designed, irons and toasters, were engineered so the various parts clicked together, and each product was finished with only one screw to minimise assembly costs. “It was a big puzzle to design these things so they wouldn’t snap apart - a complex, bespoke, clip system for every product,” which made product development laboriously slow.

above The Breville waffle maker with easy clean moat right The Breville Juice Extractor (top) with an array of fruit and vegetables ripe for juicing; and the Breville Super Blender

“To be a good designer you have to have an affinity with things and an empathy with people.”

Richa R d hoa R e

“We ‘stalked’ a few people in the food world and Heston Blumenthal was one of the people we really wanted to meet.”

Richa R d hoa R e

Hoare was not only witnessing the decline of manufacturing in Australia, they were turbulent times for the company too, with a couple of buyouts, a company float and a hostile takeover. There were 10 managing directors in 15 years, an experience he describes, with typically positive spin, as “a very good lesson in corporate life.” In 1998 Hoare was made design director and, forced to reduce the design department from 12 to six, he set about overseeing the transition from manufacturing in Australia to manufacturing in China, and the transformation of Sunbeam from a manufacturing-driven organisation into consumer-driven one. Within a few years he had refocused the design staff, introduced the higherperforming café series, standardised the look of the Sunbeam range and increased product development fivefold. The company grew spectacularly.

These developments at Sunbeam had been noted by competitive brand Breville, and in 2001 Hoare, together with his friend and colleague Keith Hensel, were approached to join the company, which they did 12 months later. Hoare joined what he describes as a family business with a track record of innovation. Breville was also keen to expand internationally (Sunbeam’s license was only for Australia) and he found this, and the challenge of building a new design team at Breville, very appealing.

He started with a department of five including himself, Hensel, a designer doing product graphics and two model-makers. He now oversees a team of around 20 people, including experts in user experience (software and internet technologies), rapid innovation, prototyping and intellectual property, which together with engineering and marketing makes up the Global Development Group of around 50. As part of Breville’s executive committee and strategic planning team, Hoare’s input has since been central to all of the company’s major moves. A significant part of his role has been to establish a culture of innovation, with a focus on identifying consumer problems (opportunities) and coming up with novel design solutions that can be protected by patents. The performance and appearance of Breville products have also been improved, taking the brand up-market, with Kambrook, also made by Breville, covering the lower end.

He has also been intensely involved with the international expansion, which began with the launch of a limited range of premium-priced products in the USA in 2003. Despite entering “the most competitive market in the world,” he says, “we managed to navigate that difficult territory and make a success of it.” At

the same time he worked closely over several years with Breville head of marketing, Scott Brady, to define the company’s strategic position as ‘food thinking’. This has focused product development on all things kitchen-related and led them to establish relationships with food experts and chefs.

“We ‘stalked’ a few people in the food world,” Hoare jokes, “and Heston [Blumenthal] was one of the people we really wanted to meet.” Eventually a get-together was engineered and Hoare reports that “when he saw some of our products and how we’d come up with them, we very much found a mutual affinity that was very genuine. He’s just like us … loves experimenting and solving problems.”

With Blumenthal signed on as its global brand ambassador, Breville was able to launch its products in the UK in 2012 and achieve instant recognition and credibility. Because the Breville name had been sold off in the eighties along with the local rights to the sandwich maker, they created a new brand: SAGE, by Heston Blumenthal. “The media coverage was incredible because of Heston,” says Hoare, “but also because we were taking 10 years of innovation, these very well-developed products, and dropping it in all at one time. To come up with a new brand, all the design, packaging and communication that goes along with it and to launch in a market like the UK, is a big achievement. It was all done here and that’s something we’re all proud of.”

On the back of this success the company has expanded the Sage range and launched it in Scandinavia and other parts of Europe, while the Breville brand is sold in many Asian countries, including China, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

LEFT Breville Benchmixer with glass bowl scraper beater bELow The Breville Citrus Press, which designer Richard Hoare says is “beautiful ... very innovative and functionally excellent ... It’s a work of art”

While its international growth has been dramatic, Hoare believes Breville has not yet realised its full potential. “We’re like a sapling, where you can see some of our characteristics but we’re not the full tree yet. There’s much more growth to come.”

As part of this growth, the ‘food thinking’ philosophy has led to relationships with other chefs as well. Breville juicers are used by Rene Redzepi at Noma in Denmark for his juice-pairing menus, and were also on hand at Sydney’s pop-up Noma in early 2016. Neil Perry’s team at Rockpool is testing some new Breville cooktops. “We’re getting a lot of input from chefs around the world, in recipes too,” says Hoare, who is clearly enjoying the expertise at the top echelons of the food world, finding its equivalence in the challenge to create and refine the company’s products to make them the best they can possibly be. “There is an aspect of me that’s a perfectionist, but I’m probably living in a time when that’s okay. It works for the very fastidious consumers, and we’re all very versed in that [process] now, and keep on refining and pushing until it’s right.”

Take the new Breville Oracle coffee machine, for instance, which Hoare says came about because Australia is currently leading the world in milk-based espresso drinks. “We’re all coffee snobs now, so we set this challenge for ourselves of making a machine that’s capable of making an espresso like a barista.” The Oracle “automates all the tricky bits”, taking the chance out of grinding, dosing and tamping to make the espresso. It then produces “silky micro-foam like a barista, so at the end you can do latte-art,” which Hoare says is the sign of a properly made coffee. (Blumenthal apparently loves the Oracle and has one in his UK restaurant, Fat Duck.)

Hoare is also pretty thrilled with the tea-maker that’s been a big hit in the US market. It looks a bit like a kettle but it boils the water, lowers the tea leaves in to steep, then raises them again at just the right time. Ready to pour, no bitterness. The kettle that boils water to the precise temperatures required to make different kinds of tea is another favourite. So is there such a thing as the perfect product? “I think our citrus press is a great product,” he says. “It’s beautiful. It’s very innovative and functionally excellent. We’ve had it on the market now for a long time. It’s a work of art.”

BREVILLE breville.com.au

above Breville Twiat Blender with citrus lid right A rendering of a Sunbeam Pro Steam 2 iron from 1995

RicHARd HoARe – Timeline

1964 Born and raised in Adelaide

1984-1987 Bachelor of Industrial Design at Underdale College of Advanced Education (now University of South Australia)

1986 Work experience at Sunbeam, Sydney

1987 Joined Sunbeam as junior product designer

1994 Worked in Mississippi, US, leading a design and production team to manufacture a range of steam irons jointly with Sunbeam Oster

1998 Became Sunbeam’s Director of Design, responsible for design, engineering, IP and project management

2000 Took responsibility for Sunbeam’s Technology and Quality groups

2002 Moved to the Breville Group as Global Design and Innovation Director

2003 Breville launches a range of products in high-end stores in the US and Canada

2004 Panel member, Industrial Design course review, University of Newcastle

2005 Established Ethnographic Insights research; Hoare’s involvement leads to 19 Breville design awards, patent portfolio reaches 300; Judge, Dyson Student Design Awards

2006 Invited to judge, Wheels Automotive Design Awards

2008 Business Management Certificate, from Australian Institute of Management, Sydney

2009 Invited to judge, Good Design International Design Awards

2010 ‘Food Thinking’ strategy implemented; Fully automatic tea-maker launched; IP patent team established; Design awards total 50, patent portfolio reaches 700

2011-2015 Judge, Victorian Premier’s Design Awards

2012 Breville launches new range in the UK, ‘Sage by Heston Blumenthal’

Good Design Council, steering committee member

2013 Established Rapid Innovation team; Launched Oracle Auto-Manual espresso machine; Invited to judge, Good Design International Design Awards

2014 Breville Group revenues from outside Australia/New Zealand greater than those from within

2015 Launched Breville non-electric cookware range; Established User Experience team; Design awards reach 70; Patent portfolio at 1200

Staron® DESIGn aWar DS 2016 C a LL For Entr IES

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t he Staron ® Design awards are open to any designer, architect, developer, kitchen/bathroom designer, student or any other designer who has created a design project using Staron ® Solid Surfaces. t he design awards have been designed to create exposure for students, designers and architects using Staron ® in outstanding design. t he aim is to recognise and celebrate beautiful design at all levels – from a young designer’s conceptual vision and ideas, all the way through to an experienced designer/architect who has been working in the business for years. t his year’s program is open to entries in three categories.

t he Commercial category is open to any installed commercial/industrial project. t he prize is $2000 cash plus marketing exposure for the winner. t he r esidential category is open to any installed house/ apartment project. t he winner will receive $1000 plus marketing exposure. t he Concept category is open to any idea or concept not yet realised. t his can be a drawing, graphic or sketch. a cash prize of $250 plus marketing exposure will be awarded to the winner of the Concept category.

t he Staron ® Design award judges panel for 2016 (pictured left to right) includes n icky Lobo from Habitus Magazine, a manda Stanaway from Woods Bagot and Stephen Varady from Stephen Varady a ssociates. Each judge has a wide and varied background of industry experience and brings a wealth of design knowledge to the judging process. t he judges will meet in Sydney to decide on a winner for each category.

Entries to the Staron ® Design awards 2016 are open until 30th September, 2016. Entry to the Staron ® Design awards is free and easy and can be made online at www.staron.com.au.

For more inF ormation please visit staron.com.au

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clockwise from top left nicky lobo from Habitus magazine, a manda s tanaway from Woods Bagot and s tephen varady from s tephen varady a ssociates

Fine detail, large

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Photography: Andrew Worssam

While discrete in comparison to the location of other sporting facilities in the precinct, the bold form of the new Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) is just the first indicator that this is a facility of the groundbreaking variety.

Contemporary and dynamic, expressed structure and the use of a range of clean, strong materials are seen as recognisable visual cues to the sporting nature of the building. Inspired by the elite athlete’s physique in performance, the main elements of the building’s design are deliberately articulated as legible expressions of the human body – namely the skeleton, skin, muscle and internal organs.

The result of a collaboration between Sandover Pinder and dwp|suters, the $33.73 million WAIS High Performance Service Centre forms part of the HBF Stadium lease from The University of Western Australia and sits on 5400 square metres of prime land in Mount Claremont.

The brief was clear: “The inadequacy of WAIS’ previous facility to meet their aspirations for expansion, high performance and training requirements saw the need for new facilities of national and international standards,” explains David Karotkin, project director and managing director of Sandover Pinder.

Not only were those outcomes met; in so many ways they were exceeded, with features that include the most advanced hydrotherapy facility in Australia, one of the largest environmental chambers in Australia, and an incline runway that’s only the second of its kind in the world.

Connectivity between the administrative first floor and the testing and training spaces at the core of the building take advantage of increased height and voids, and allow all support sectors of the organisation to visually interact with the heart of the facility.

“We wanted the centre of the facility to be the area that’s most utilised,” explains WAIS executive director Steven Lawrence. “Spread across 675 square metres, this is where we placed the strength and conditioning

opener Sandover Pinder + dwp|suters accurately modeled the facade using Revit 3D software to allow the specialist sub-contractor, Swarbrick Technologies, to computer-cut the moulds for the five very large prefabricated panels.

left The level of the ground floor has been established to tie in with the level of the existing eight-lane pool to the west of the site

centre.” The strategically planned extra space around each exercise station allows plenty of room to move for disabled athletes, which has resulted in significantly improved preparation for a record number of 17 paralympians making the trip to represent Australia in Rio later this year.

Sandover Pinder and dwp|suters spent considerable time with coaches and technicians to refine the brief and specify project requirements, and spoke to coaching and management staff of other facilities including the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. “Specific areas that needed research included recovery pool design and requirements for the inclined runway for pole vault, located within the indoor sprint track,” explains sports design leader and dwp|suters senior associate, Mike McGrath.

Where the client was seeking functionality that had never before been achieved in other facilities, reviewing the successes and failures of recent similar projects simply wasn’t going to cut it. Specialist suppliers and manufacturers from around the globe were contacted for knowledge on available technologies and for the development of bespoke solutions.

“WAIS is the Australian Centre of Excellence for throwing and jumping sports, and it was by working with suppliers in Queensland and manufacturers in Europe that we were able to develop a bespoke solution that accommodates the needs of multiple throwing sports, the need to film throw and jump activities, and can be mechanically retracted out of the way to allow pole vault activities to occur in the same space,” notes Karotkin.

McGrath adds that a specialist fabrication company was selected to design the 48-metre-long runway, which rises on hydraulic arms to provide an incline to assist pole vaulters to pick up speed when approaching the pit. “The result enables the athletes to expend energy on practicing their plant and vault rather than on reaching required speed to vault effectively,” he said.

Previous The use of advanced composite technology to build the complex curved facade allowed for a precision finish with minimal joints, while installation time on site was minimal ABove Irregular shaped windows to the building interface frame views to the outdoor pool right The 48-metre-long ramp is as solid as the ground slab to run on when raised and sits perfectly flush with adjacent lanes when lowered back to the ground

leFT The building’s form is contemporary and dynamic. Expressed structure and the use of a range of clean, strong materials are seen as recognisable visual cues to the sporting nature of the building ABove The connectivity between the administrative first floor and the testing and training spaces at the core of the building takes advantage of increased heights and voids

The list of features in this state-of-the-art facility goes on; an “altitude hotel” that allows athletes to sleep and live in a simulated altitude environment; a physiology laboratory with one of the largest environmental chambers in Australia and the only one where heat, humidity and altitude can be independently controlled; administration and support areas on the first floor that have been designed to accommodate 75 staff and their needs for the next 30 years.

Highly insulated facades and roof, mixed-mode ventilation, occupancy sensor lighting, solar thermal hot water, controlled natural light, renewable materials, a 60kw photovoltaic array on the roof and a 100kL stormwater collection tank in the basement that collects rainwater for toilet flushing give the building a massive tick for environmental sustainability.

Like any project of this scope, it didn’t come without its challenges and variation. A number of new initiatives were incorporated during the design and construction phases, including expanding the scope of specialist sports science AV equipment to approximately three times the original scope, the inclusion of a multi-use indoor throws and filming cage that can be mechanically raised when not in use, and the inclusion of the mechanically adjustable ramp into the indoor runway that disappears into the floor.

While they may appear excessive on paper, Karotkin rightly justifies the fact that it’s these innovations that are part of what puts the new WAIS building at the leading edge in the world for high performance sports science facilities.

western australian institute of sport

architect dwp|suters

alliance partner Sandover Pinder WA

budget $34m

total floor area 5000 m2

dwp|suters dwpsuters.com

sandover pinder sanpin.com.au

furniture

Linear executive and drafting chairs, Advanta . Office, meeting room, ‘Kruze’ waiting area, ‘Myself’ visitor, café, and lounge chairs, workstations, desks, meeting tables, café table, mobile pedestal, filing cabinets, mesh wire bins, Innerspace. ‘Howe’ meeting ottomans, ‘web’ training room chairs, Burgtec. ‘Eona’ boardroom and waiting area tables, Stylecraft

finishes

Carpet tiles, Gibbon Group. Woven vinyl, Bolon. Paint throughout, Dulux

fixed & fitted

Tilt-up doors, Mirage Doors. Towel rail, baby change table, JD McDonald. Water fountain, RBA. Washbasin, Imperial Ware. Kitchenette sink, Reece. Cleaners sink, Veitch. Toilet suite, Caroma. Paper towel dispenser, soap holder, toilet roll dispenser, Bradley. Soap dispenser, Bobrick. Boiling/chilled tap, Zip

For the full directory of supplier contacts, visit indesignlive.com/dissections65

above A unique feature of the WAIS building is the organic form entry facade, which was constructed using Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP). The light-weight panels enabled a large cantilever to the supporting slab, which was not possible using traditional pre-cast or insitu construction technologies

Claire Millett is the Perth editor of Contemporary.

Photo: Peter Bennetts

THE X-Code chair brings a sleek, comfortable fit to the workspace. With its poly membrane backrest that exhibits a striking slatted structure and integrated lordosis support, this chair allows for an active yet relaxed posture.

For more information please visit bistaples.com.au or call 1300 301 110.

opener Centred around a custom-made table from Koskela, the boardroom looks like the kind of place country squires gather to smoke cigars above Cow artwork by Harriet Goodall is part of an ever expanding collection of rural memorabilia. opposite In a meeting room, timber dividers double as shelving. Custom round table by Koskela

I’m no stranger to a velvet rope. From years of practice, I usually just slink on by. Except for one – the cordon outside Victor Churchill’s butchery on Christmas Eve. The place is packed, positively pumping, a Studio 54 for carnivores. And there’s no way the burly dude with the curly earpiece is letting me jump that hungry queue.

Victor Churchill is the high end outlet for Vic’s Meats, a big industry purveyor with a boutique operation on Queen Street, Woollahra that fits right in with its neighbouring lifestyle boutiques. Last year Vic’s decided it was time to give the mother ship a beauty makeover, to put its packing, presentation and administration facility in Sydney’s unglamorous Mascot on par with the increasingly high profile of the brand.

How do you make a company that sells dead meat look good? Firstly, you call upon the services of Simon Addinall and Ben Mitchell and their team at Those Architects. Secondly, you pair them with Geordie McKenzie at End of Work, a branding and communications agency with a knack for extracting the essence of a message. Thirdly, you sit back and let them do their magic.

“We started out by thinking, ‘What is Vic’s Meats?’,” says Geordie McKenzie. “How does it fit into the food chain? On the one hand, you have all these glamorous city eateries, like the Merivale group of restaurants. On the other hand there are these country farmers, out there raising their livestock. Two totally different worlds. We realised Vic’s Meats is the conduit, the link in the chain.” From there they came up with the idea of the headquarters as an embassy, a place that represents one culture within the context of another. An embassy of meat. Victor and Antony Puharich, sibling founders

PREVIOUS The sleek marble demonstration kitchen is designed to look like it could cater for a large family. The vintage butcher’s block and copper finish fridge add rustic allure

ab OVE The central free standing volume is intended to evoke the open ended ease of a country homestead

RIGHT The library provides a secluded oasis calm for contemplation

of Vic’s Meats, are therefore not only ambassadors of their own brand, but diplomats for an entire industry to the culture that consumes it. Vegetarians, you might like to turn the page now.

“

t here’s nothing pretty about the building,” says Addinall. “It looks like any typical commercial frontage you’d find in Mascot.” t hat is, a banal 1980s industrial block sitting right under the flight path. not a whisker of charm, not a bit of patinated brick to reclaim. Rationalising disparate floor plates and ceiling heights over four volumes, Addinall and McKenzie created 600 square metres of open space. t hey then sliced off 40 square metres of roof at one end, creating an open light well to aerate and light the space. It will eventually host a green wall that will link the interior to a lush garden area for entertaining. t hink barbecues.

Accessed from a ground floor reception, the main floor reads like a series of sets. d ivided down the middle by a freestanding, angled timber volume, the left hand side is defined by a fine marble kitchen and long timber table dressed with hans Wegner’s Wishbone chairs – ideal for showcasing guest chefs and entertaining clients. t he feel is more domestic than industrial, seating enough for a big country family. t he right hand side looks like a glamorous call centre, mammoth timber desks and roller chairs laid out in banks clearly meaning business. Looking over the space, no set is aligned, timber predominates, the feature colour is blood red.

As banal and industrial as its Mascot setting, the new interior echoes romantic, rustic outback structures. t here’s a careful haphazardness to the

“The individual areas ... flow with all the familiarity of a venerable squatter homestead.” stephen todd

whole, a cultivated sense of increment. The charm of the place is evident in this apparent ease of layout. The individual areas (library, breakout tables, boardroom, administration...) are carefully articulated, they flow with all the familiarity of a venerable squatter homestead. Anyone who’s ever slept on the verandah of a colonial house will recognise the feeling. Those who haven’t, should.

Like an outback homestead, materials are honest, mostly timber, iron, concrete and leather. But as is appropriate to a major lifestyle brand, finishes are considered, if not to say luxe. The only truly shiny element is the polished copper fridge – in its very rustic exclusivity, a snub to your standard ‘posh’ industrial number. The boardroom looks like the kind of place where country squires smoke cigars.

“There’s a strong family element to the brand,” says McKenzie. “And so we’ve been able to create a huge graphic overlay to the place.” Family portraits, rustic equipment, wacky bovine memorabilia, advertising slogans, butchery charts – all run throughout the space, screen printed onto milking stools, wall paneling and such. McKenzie sees them as Warholesque, graphic sublimations of the otherwise banal. Or perhaps as palimpsests, layered testimony to a lustrous past. Either way, the result is a company HQ that looks like no corporate headquarter. It is, after all, an embassy.

Share your thoughts on Vic’s Meats at indesignlive.com/vic’s-meats

ABOVE Hinged awnings create a sense of flow between private offices and communal spaces

OppOsitE Custom wallpaper by End of Work in the library superimposes butchery charts, family and other historical imagery

Stephen Todd writes on architecture and design.

VIC’S MEAT

ArChITECT Those Architects with End of Work

Bu IldEr Watpac

SErVICES EngInEEr Umow Lai

ACouSTIC Con SulTAnT Acoustic Logic

JoInEry Goodes Joinery

ToTAl Floor ArEA 650 m2

ThoSE ArChITECTS thosearchitects.com.au

FurnITurE

Eames moulded dining chair, Living Edge “Flynn” table, “Maggie” large chair, “Stanley” stool, “Hendrix” bar stool, “Barri” chair, “Bandy” table, Jardan. Boardroom table, skin chair, Koskela . “Wishbone” chair, Cult . Tolix Tabouret, Thonet

FInIShES

Flooring generally throughout, Tertford Carpets Gibbon Group. Wall cladding, Natures Timber Oil . Polished plaster, That’s the Finish. Paint throughout, Dulux Custom wallpaper, End of Work

lIghTIng

Custom pendant light, Harriet Goodall “Caravaggio”, “Tm Webbel Ampel” pendant lights C ult . General lighting, Masson for Light

FIxEd & FITTEd

Subzero fridges, freezer, wine fridge, wolf oven, cooktop, Multyflex Rangehood, Qasair. Wet area fixtures throughout, Caroma

For the full directory of supplier contacts, visit indesignlive.com/dissections65

Singapore Indesign

8 October 2016

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An all-new design adventure awaits Asia Pacific’s leading design event for architects, interior designers, specifiers and design lovers to discover, share and connect.

indesigntheevent.com/singapore

The effective blending of multiple functions in one place – can take in spaces and structures from the huge to the tightly focused. The success of the mix meanwhile is measured on a scale of harmony and flexibility.

above and opposite

The Antwerp home of French architect Nathalie Wolberg and American artist Tim Stokes has zones for working and living – as well as being an art gallery – all demarcated spacially, by joinery or bold colour

Arm's imAginArium

For Victoria’s largest and Fastest growing regional centre, geelong, maniF old ambitions F or their new library and heritage centre gaV e rise to a highly F lexible building ready F or inF inite types oF occupation.

architect arm architecture location geelong | vic ProJect geelong liBrarY and heritage centre

words marg hearn PhotograPhY John gollings, emma cross

The City of Greater Geelong is a municipality transitioning out of its heavy industry and manufacturing footings and repositioning as a centre of excellence for culture and learning. Alongside, its population is forecast to climb a colossal 36.51 per cent by 20361. “As the population grows we’ve got to make sure that we have state-ofthe-art facilities,” affirms Scott Cavanagh, manager of the City’s capital projects.

Strategically, the new Geelong Library and Heritage Centre (GLHC) needed to serve as a “civic anchor” for the city’s cultural precinct and a “regional attractor”; while also contributing to the region’s economic development through improved learning and education opportunities; and providing enhanced access to information and to life-long learning.

As a city centre with densification and revitalisation afoot, “we’re trying to get more people into these spaces – facilities like GLHC help with that and the changing demographics,” says Cavanagh. The design brief’s call for design excellence and an icon building made it clear that “something special” was needed. Something, says Cavanagh, that trumpeted: “This is Geelong, we’re here and we can deliver this kind of stuff.”

Ian McDougall, founding director of the appointed design practice, ARM Architecture, says much of the design springs from the building’s location. “It’s essentially a concrete column and slab building with the services to one side, then it’s clothed in this historic futuristic form – the dome – which attempts to reconcile all of the elements of the historic precinct. The building also captures the tradition of the great libraries or great civic buildings of 19 th Century cities but at the same time it nods towards the future.”

The surface of the building’s partially buried sphere is “cut or eroded away to slot in between its neighbours”, and on the western wall crystallised shards and stalactites “recall a Renaissance grotto,” McDougall says.

oPeneR “Vantages, outcrops and crags” connect the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre with Johnstone Park leFT The domed façade is made of 332 large glass reinforced concrete panels and comprises 18 different standard hexagonal tiles and one standard pentagram below No ceilings and good service reticulation keep spaces flexible

Maximising the building’s proximity to Johnstone Park evokes a “sense of the city and the building being in and directly connected to the landscape”. Conceptually that draws on the idea of Geelong being about its hinterland – referencing its identity as the capital of Victoria’s western district.

Design for supreme flexibility was “really important for the library’s day-to-day operations and how spaces may change as the library’s needs change or grow over time,” says Cavanagh. He adds: “A thorough business case process” informed the type of areas GLHC provides.

In addition to the library floors these areas include a café off the news lounge, an exhibition space shared with and connected to the adjacent art gallery, a workplace, a vibrant Heritage Centre and a spectacular events venue.

Geelong Regional Library Corporation, led by chief executive officer Patti Manolis, manages the library services network on behalf of the City of Greater Geelong – the project owner and one of the major funding partners of GLHC along with the Victorian Government and the Federal Government.

While the organisation’s function of “providing information services and ensuring access to that information and reading material for everybody is still at the heart of what we do,” describes Manolis, “the diversity of formats has increased and is continuing.” Different spaces therefore provide for both reading and “increasingly” digital-literacy development. Some pockets within the region have “significantly lower-than-average access to the internet so making sure that’s all available in a public library is really important,” she says.

Spaces cater for everything from “quiet enjoyment or intense research, to recreational usage, to a social space where you can meet with friends or share skills”.

Ready to support many and varying programs now and later, ARM Architecture interior designer Andrea Wilson says emphasis was placed “on juxtaposing silence and noise and flexibility”. Reticulated services and loose furniture elements in place of built-in joinery and booths ensure the library floors are the most flexible of the building’s five public levels.

aBOVE The ground floor is an informal gathering place that’s also explicitly about information and texts RIGHT Authentic designer furniture in some instances becomes “the striking thing” in the “stripped back” interior

“It captures the tradition of the great libraries or great civic buildings of the 19th Century ... but it nods towards the future. ”

Ian Mcdougall

“Our buildings are really about provoking a response and encouraging a discussion ...”

Ian Mcdougall

The multi-purpose 6000 square-metre facility is “divided into a series of horizontal zones – and coloured using the idea of Goethe’s Colour Wheel –forming a spiral through the building starting with blues, becoming more turquoise green then moving into the reds and finishing with a burnt orange,” Wilson says.

“Heavy investment” was made in sturdy designer furniture with “an iconic design value” befitting of particular programs. Acoustic PROOFF EarChairs on level two’s quieter ‘inspiration space’, for example, “describe the idea of personal space and quiet”. This in contrast to the Fatboy bean bags on level one’s noisier youth ‘cave’.

“It’s a building that has got people talking,” avows Mayor Darryn Lyons. Wilson is of a similar mind: “Our buildings are really about provoking a response and encouraging a discussion, but they’re not about ascribing an aesthetic, they’re about describing an idea and the possibility of an idea.” Ideas, McDougall adds, that are there for all people to discuss and engage with.

For the library, “It was really important to us that the ground floor, the most public zone, was welcoming and open and noisy, a bit of a gathering place,” says Manolis. Noise and interaction is also invited, one floor up in the children and young adults spaces – and then reduces as you transition through the building, reflecting other uses.

GLHC is the first 5-Star Green Star-rated building delivered by the City. “Part of the aspiration was that we wanted to drive that and show you don’t just have to build plain boxes,” impassions Cavanagh. As to the potential of amenities like GLHC to help attract people to live, work and invest in a city, McDougall says: “The City’s attitude to the library as a community space and the library’s own innovative program are equally important to the architecture, as a symbol of Geelong’s civic pride.”

[1] Up from 234,999 to 320,791. Source: forecast.id.com.au/geelong (accessed 27 January 2016).

Previous The application of eight different reds makes the Heritage Centre on level 3 warm and inviting. It speaks to the history in the idea of red, while pulling it forward into something more “exhilarating” leFt Burnt orange tiles on the domed ceiling of the fifth floor’s multi-purpose event space aBove Muted tones of the dome link the new GLHC with the historic neighbouring buildings

Marg Hearn is a Melbourne-based writer on design, architecture and property.

geelong library and HeriTage cenTre

arcHiTec T A RM Architecture

main conTrac Tor Kane Constructions

sTruc Tural engineer Irwin Consult QuanTiT y surveyor Slattery building surveyor Mackenzie Group acousTic engineer Vipac l andscaping TCL

ToTal Floor area 6500 m2

budgeT $45m

arm arcHiTec Ture armarchitecture.com.au

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in discussion

ARM Architecture founding director Ian McDougall discusses the broader role public architecture like GLHC can play.

Ithink it behooves all buildings to be things of wonder and enjoyment – to engage in discussion with the communities they sit in. Too often, particularly in local government and government sponsored community facilities – there’s a tendency to be under ambitious. Through the intervention of project competition this kind of thinking has dumbed down the quality of institutional and community buildings. That’s to the detriment of public architecture because the buildings just become discardible.

The City of Greater Geelong straight away chose the most exciting scheme (of the three ARM presented), which was the one we wanted to do. The building accommodates its functional requirements inside an armature that is flexible to some extent. GLHC was never designed to be an office building, but it could be converted to one. You can turn an office building into an apartment block – so somehow

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the architecture has to be about something other than the building’s function, and therefore GLHC is about those ideas and conjectures that make people think.

A building should pose questions. How did they do that and why do they do that? It’s like a good book. It’s not just words on a page, it’s actually a story.

We see civic buildings as representing the collective: they must speak at a broad level and capture the energies of the community. In some instances people think buildings should be low key and fit into a context. But we view fitting into context as a much wider issue than just a building’s physical size.

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leFT Redevelopment of the existing Geelong Library and Geelong Heritage Centre was a key component of the city’s Cultural Precinct Masterplan 2007 and was completed in November 2015

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Learning in motion

A new c A mpus in s outh Auckl A nd integr Ates A m A jor tr A nsport hub to bring the community into the educ Ation spA ce, bre A king down b A rriers to higher le A rning.

architect Warren and mahoney location manukau | nZ ProJect manukau institute of technology and transPort interchange

Words andrea stevens PhotograPhy simon devitt, Patrick reynolds

OPENER With direct access to Hayman Park (which is about to be re-landscaped) commuters, students and staff have extensive green space to enjoy RIGHT A colour story runs through each floor, from earth colours through forest and sea, to sky colours on the top floor

Auckland’s rapid population growth is seeing the development and rejuvenation of urban centres outside its CBD. Manukau City Centre, a 1960s-planned office park and administrative hub for South Auckland, is turning over under-utilised land for more intensive mixed-use development and public transport. Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) has established a major new presence, opening stage one of their Manukau campus with a 20,000 square metre facility overlooking Hayman Park.

The site was carved off the southern edge of the park to bring in the new Manukau railway and station, with MIT allocated the land above. The co-location project, which will soon include the adjacent bus interchange, was envisaged by Auckland Transport, Auckland Council and MIT as “essentially a creative application of institutional and local government investment to kick start the transformation of the Manukau CBD,” says architect Blair Johnston.

The station has been embedded into the heart of the building, with the main entry, atrium and teaching floors all sharing the same airspace with maximum openness between public and education floors. “It’s about welcoming community into the learning space,” explains MIT Chief Executive Dr Peter Brothers, “letting people see, every single day, that education is a real possibility for them.”

The single biggest challenge facing MIT is that the people of South Auckland take part in vocational education at a rate only half the national average. The building and its programme attempt to break down the geographical, societal, and personal barriers currently

“It is more than a building project – it is an institutional project that aims to make a shift in the perception and position of the learning institute in the region ...”

BLAIR JOHNSTON

preventing more members of their community participating in higher learning. “A generation ago you could have made a career out of unskilled or semi-skilled labour,” says Dr Brothers, “but these days, everybody needs post-secondary-school skills to have a good life.” It is more than a building project, the facility acts as a catalyst for social change and empowerment by influencing people’s perceptions.

By weaving the train station and education institute together, people pass through the space daily and see friends and members of their community studying and socialising, showing them that education is a real possibility for them too. Visual and physical barriers have been reduced to a minimum, and the public entrance and atrium spaces are programmed for both institute and community events open to all. As a highprofile railway station, cafés and amenities at ground floor serve both the commuter population and student population. The two activities overlap and merge around the atrium and in the public space overlooking Hayman Park. And with a major redevelopment of Hayman Park planned, the interaction space will extend even further out.

To cater for the train station, the 20,000 squaremetre building had to depart from conventional education design. “Instead, it knowingly ‘blurs’ public space and education space to express openness and informality,” explains Johnston. “It is an invitation to the community to freely enter, a neutral framework hung with the life of MIT and its surrounding community.”

The soaring six-storey atrium – which had to span the railway trench below – offers a programmed space for MIT and its community. Student fashion shows, secondary school art exhibitions and community days are some of the events held. Like a modern amphitheatre, students and staff can overlook the activity from balconies above, bringing the building to life with people and interaction. The 250-seat performing arts theatre on level two adds a further dimension, bringing local life and culture into the building with theatre and performance.

With the atrium at its centre, the building layers vertically with open, flexible learning floors setup for emerging teaching practices and technologies –adaptable spaces to accommodate inevitable future changes in pedagogy. With its vocational focus, it was important that the environment feel and operate like a commercial workspace, so while there are some closed classroom spaces, mostly, it is set out as openplan with a mixture of seating types, arrangements and meeting places. Atrium bridges offer light-filled spaces for students to study and socialise in between classes. As part of the Manukau City Centre precinct, retail, medical and other community facilities are easily accessible to support student life.

Beyond its functional design, the building works aesthetically to reflect the cultural diversity of the local community through form, materials and decorative patterning. On the exterior, a ‘diamond brace’ column lattice combines with horizontal beams and sunshades to produce a complex repeating pattern reminiscent of traditional building and weaving craft of the South Pacific. Inside the building, colour, pattern and texture are used to enliven floor, ceilings and walls, with timbers used throughout the public spaces for familiarity and warmth. Around the atrium and balconies there are fittings to hang banners and artwork by MIT students and commissioned local artists.

“It is more than a building project – it is an institutional project that aims to make a shift in perception and position of the learning institute in the region by bringing education to the people,” reflects Johnston. “And to do this, the community has to be able to adapt and co-opt the building as a community space, to make it their own.”

left and above The atrium spans the rail trench below, achieving incredible lightness at the edges with its hanging staircases and balconies

Andrea Stevens is Indesign magazine’s New Zealand contributing editor, based in Auckland.

top Access down to the train terminus is situated at the north-east corner of the atrium. Cafés at ground floor allow commuters to linger and see the education space in action

aBove Inside the theatre, timber craft and abstracted cultural motifs are explored in the acoustic panels

manukau institute of technology and transport interchange

architect Warren and Mahoney Architects

contractor Hawkins

structural engineer Holmes Consulting Group hydraulic, mechanical and electrical engineer Aurecon l andscape Boffa Miskell

total floor area 65,000 m2

Warren and mahoney architects warrenandmahoney.com

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SYMBOLIC GESTURES

An innovAtive project in South Au S tr A li A build S on the S keleton of A former c A r m A nufA cturing pl A nt to cre Ate A vibr A nt A nd S u S tA in A ble community hub.

architect Woods Bagot With tridente architects location adelaide | aUs ProJect tonsley Main asseMBly BUilding and Pods

Words rachael Bernstone PhotograPhy saM noonan

“Tonsley has created an environment that fosters innovation… it is a symbol of the knowledge economy.”

Thomas m asullo

After Mitsubishi announced it would stop building cars in Australia in 2008, the South Australian government acquired the company’s 61-hectare manufacturing plant at Tonsley, 10 kilometres south of Adelaide, and announced plans to kick-start a new science and technology precinct on the site.

“At the beginning of 2013, when we started working on the masterplan, the government wanted to get rid of all the Mitsubishi infrastructure,” recalls Woods Bagot principal and design leader Gavin Kain. “The slow decline of Mitsubishi was such a saga that when it finally happened it was seen as all bad news and those physical remnants were a connection back to those bad times.”

But Kain saw promise in the giant steel-framed saw-toothed roof of the old Motor Assembly Building (MAB), and an opportunity to capitalise on its location at the heart of the site. He proposed turning the shed into a giant lightweight umbrella to shelter a new mixed-use precinct that would attract visitors from across the expansive precinct, and beyond.

“The government was keen to replace the lost manufacturing jobs from Mitsubishi with new hightechnology and manufacturing jobs, and had a plan to divide up the site to build big box sheds on it,” Kain recalls. “We thought the shed could be repurposed to attract young people who want cafés and bars, who might still be studying, who may choose to live there, socialise there, and play sport there. We had to create a new story for the government clients, but to their credit they turned around really quickly to embrace that story.”

As well as preserving the existing structure, Kain’s vision of a bustling village within the MAB aimed to draw people and activity into the middle of the site. “We could easily imagine offices and industrial buildings along the South Road edge, but it was more difficult to imagine why businesses might want to come into the centre of the site,” he says. “We realised that if we could bring energy into that centre, we could turn the lowest value land into the most valuable, with businesses aiming to cluster around it.”

In their analysis of surrounding suburbs, Kain and his team noted the absence of a traditional town centre or an iconic thoroughfare within close proximity. “Whilst there are big shopping centres, and a hospital and university campuses, that part of Adelaide didn’t have a traditional focus or a main street like King William Road with its character and older-style shops,” he says. “We wanted to create a new version of a main street with anchors at each end, a type that wasn’t already available in that community.”

One of the main challenges during early design was securing community agreement to retain the Mitsubishi infrastructure, Kain says. “But during an open day for the local community, 80 per cent of people were quite comfortable with keeping the old buildings there, because everyone knew someone who had worked there,” he says. “It was seen as comforting for them to consider coming back into the site in the future, or that their kids might eventually work or study there. That sealed the deal in terms of realising that the negative legacy wasn’t there: it was actually a positive legacy.”

So Woods Bagot’s masterplan repurposed the 80,000 square-metre MAB shed as a mixed-use precinct, book-ended by two tertiary institutions. Flinders University built a new tower at the northern end to house the School of Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics (CSEM) and other activities, while a purpose-built TAFE for construction trades – the Sustainable Industries Education Centre (SIEC), which attracts 800 students a day – was inserted at the southern end.

le

rig

opener Architect Gavin Kain aimed to create a mixed-use precinct at Tonsley that would appeal to all ages, and foster a sense of community among workers and local residents

FT The Thermal modelling determined that more open-sky courtyards were needed to bring fresh air and prevailing breezes into the spaces below the canopy

HT The main circulation spaces were carefully mapped to determine daylighting requirements, which were achieved with a mix of clear and solid roofs

Between these anchors, tenancy Pods are arranged within a grid defined by pedestrian streets and lanes that are interspersed with public open spaces – or ‘urban forests’ – which are open to the sky. The Pods are built to order and sized according to tenants’ needs, ranging from 50 square metres for food and beverage and retail outlets, to 1000 – 2000 square metres for commercial tenants and high-tech manufacturing businesses.

Since Tonsley opened in 2014, momentum has continued to build beneath the giant saw-tooth roof: new Pods and businesses will be added as the precinct – which has a projected 20-year rollout – grows and develops. According to the masterplan, the site will be home to 6300 jobs and 2000 new medium- and highdensity dwellings by 2031.

Delivering the MAB and Pods project was key to achieving the overall vision, although the project architects – Woods Bagot in association with Tridente Architects – needed to resolve key issues along the way. “We realised that it was not going to be a simple main street: it needed to be a more complex urban environment with a series of streets and laneways for services and equipment, and a series of squares, so that everyone under the shed would have access to open sky,” Kain says.

“We also conducted complex thermal modelling around the way prevailing winds would move through, and determined that we would need more openings in the roof to allow air to move around more readily,” he explains. “In considering day-lighting, we mapped the main circulation spaces to create a mix of clear and solid roofs.”

Nick Tridente, director of Tridente Architects, said the project was unusually challenging because of its vast scale; it’s one of the largest mixed-use adaptive reuse project in the world.

“Because this was a new idea, it required a different level of thinking, but it was a collaborative approach: there were a lot of experts involved,” Tridente says. “The concept is the culmination of a lot of brains; the architects were just one component of the whole giant team, which also included the government – Renewal SA was pivotal in all of this – and urban designers and engineers.

“We also conducted community consultation and liaised with local councils to make sure this would foster a sustainable community,” he continues. “There was a lot of research and work done in the early stages to get it right.”

The project is far from complete – the roll-out of new Pods will continue as new tenants move into the ‘clean tech hub’ – but the MAB is already operating as the architects envisaged. “The project has maximum flexibility going forward,” Tridente says. “It’s a world class example of adaptive reuse.”

As if to underscore that point, Tonsley MAB and Pods won the 2015 World Architecture News (WAN) Award for Adaptive Reuse, beating 60 international entries (including a project by Foster + Partners in New York), and shining a global spotlight on Adelaide’s design smarts.

“The Tonsley redevelopment represents another South Australian project that is world class in its ambitions, setting a new benchmark for sustainable urban regeneration projects,” says Woods Bagot director Thomas Masullo. “Tonsley has created an environment that fosters innovation co-located with industry, universities, TAFE and SMEs – it is a symbol of the knowledge economy.”

tonsLey MAin AsseMbLy buiLding And pods

Architect Woods Bagot and Tridente Architects

contr Actor Lend Lease

L AndscApe Architecture And coLLAbor Ative

design pArtner Oxigen

structur AL And civiL engineering KBR

services infr Astructure WSP | Parsons Brinckerhoff

cost consu LtAnt Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB)

survey consuLtAnts Alexander Symonds

totAL fLoor AreA 47,000 m2

Woods bAgot woodsbagot.com

tridente Architects tridente.com.au

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Rachael Bernstone

AB ove The initial masterplan was adjusted to allow for multiple ‘urban forests’, which are interspersed within the grid of pedestrian streets and lanes

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When Paris-based couple Nathalie Wolberg (a French architect) and Tim Stokes (an American artist) began to look at Antwerp as a potential home, it was space they were after.

“We wanted a studio each, as well as living space,” says Wolberg. “That just wasn’t affordable in Paris.”

They decided to look further afield and were quickly converted to the idea of moving to the Belgian city when they discover a dilapidated old office in a former warehouse – 500 square metres of ground-floor space.

“We realised we could do even more,” says Wolberg. “Tim wanted a gallery to show his work, and here we had room to create one. In fact, the space seemed made for that.”

The biggest obstacle to their dream was the lack of light: “Even with so much space, I had trouble making the design work. Eventually we worked out that the solution was to add two new skylights and open up the inner courtyard by replacing the brick walls with glass sliding doors on three sides.”

These interventions allowed light to pour into the building, and gave it a green heart, in the form of the tropically lush courtyard garden. The other spaces – Tim’s studio, Nathalie’s studio, and the kitchen and living space cluster naturally in, and the gallery benefits from the view outside. The garden even flows into the kitchen and living area, in the form of a large tree growing out of a hole in the concrete floor.

“We wanted the same quality of space throughout the building, and the courtyard garden really helped to achieve this,” says Wolberg. “I didn’t want to shut off the different activities from each other, and so we don’t have doors – just curtains made from plastic strips or blue felt.” Painted areas also help to define certain functions in the space. Because there are few physical partitions, the distribution is flexible, and Nathalie has already added a (possibly temporary) workshop for making a series of furniture – which she will shortly show in the gallery.

In terms of aesthetics, the challenge was to return to the original material of the space, which had been badly renovated during the 70s. “We stripped it bare to reveal

opener Architect Nathalie Wolberg and Artist Tim Stokes’ Antwerp studio-gallery-home is a former dilapidated warehouse extensively renovated to open it to the light and the outdoors leFT Tropical plantings are an important element in the design – to the extent that they’ve planted a tree in a hole in the kitchen/ living room floor ABove Elsewhere generous openings contriubute to a powerful indoor/outdoor dialogue

“We wanted the same quality of space throughout the building and the courtyard really helped to achieve this.”

Nathalie Wolberg

the brick and concrete structure,” says Wolberg. “I then had to integrate my own architecture – which is very intimate and features bright colour and soft textures –with the industrial shell.” The contrasting styles lend the finished space a certain freshness and vibrancy.

“For creative people, working at home is a huge advantage – you can work whenever the mood takes you,” she enthuses. “Creating the gallery turned out to be a huge plus. As we are both foreigners in Antwerp, the gallery became a great way of meeting people and integrating ourselves into the local environment. We’ve made lots of friends this way. Also, the gallery adds something new to Antwerp – artists have autonomy in our space, and there was nothing like this in the city before.”

When not travelling, the couple spend all their time working and living in this space (although they sleep in a separate apartment upstairs). Doesn’t it get claustrophobic? “Not at all,” says Wolberg. “In fact, if anything I get a bit agoraphobic! I sometimes don’t go outside for a week. We have everything we need here.”

Iona Roberts is a European-based writer on architecture and design.

PARisAnTWeRPTeXAs

ARTisT Tim Stokes

nATHAlie Wolbe Rg nathaliewolberg.com

Tim sTokes tim-stokes.com

ToTAl FlooR AReA 500 m2

PRevioUs Huge sliding doors allow the spaces to open to the internal courtyard when the weather allows beloW Abundant natural light spills into Tim Stokes’ yellow-walled studio

ARcHiTec T Nathalie Wolberg

History repeats

With no intention to fit the mould of the existing hotel and hospitality market in p erth, the objective for como t he t reasury Was to do something ne W and of a truly international standard. mission accomplished.

words claire millett PhotograPhy varioUs

architect Kerry hill architects location Perth | aUs ProJect como the treasUry

When asked if he is a regular visitor to COMO

The Treasury hotel since opening its doors in October 2015, FJM property director Adrian Fini’s quick response of “almost every day” may come as a surprise, until you make the visit yourself. In all of its opulent glory and old-world charm, COMO is simply magnificent.

Perth’s 19 th Century heritage listed State Buildings have played an important role in the city’s history over the past 140 years, previously serving as the Lands, Titles and Treasury departments, Immigration offices, and the office of the Premier and Cabinet amongst others.

Laying dormant since 1996, the extensive restoration of the buildings, overseen by Kerry Hill Architects, paved the way for Perth’s most luxurious hotel: one that has accomplished the fundamental balance between traditionalism and modernity.

“Initial planning studies with the conservation architects lead to the decision to retain all the original government office rooms, and pair them via interconnecting doorways so that each pair would comprise a bedroom and a bathroom,” explains Kerry Hill. The result sees 48 modern rooms spread over the hotel’s four floors, with each one unique in size and appearance.

Bathed in natural light and clothed in creamy whites and the grey-greens and bronzes found in West Australian native foliage, all rooms offer views of either Perth’s cityscape, The Treasury courtyard, Cathedral Square, Stirling Gardens, St Georges Terrace or the Swan River.

Guests enjoy architectural features that would have been used a century ago, including bold columns and neo-Renaissance style cantilevered balconies that look over the plaza, while many rooms feature extremely high ceilings carved from roof spaces.

In contrast to the light-filled guestrooms, corridors are softly lit with moody lighting that exudes an intimate and private ambiance. Completing the guest floors is a sitting room, library and a private members club.

Finished in rich tones of dark wood and travertine and softly lit bronze ceilings, COMO Shambhala Urban Escape is open to hotel guests and Perth residents looking for a wellness sanctuary. A full selection of massages and purifying body detoxifications is offered in four treatment rooms, with a range of COMO’s own products and more by Western Australian skincare company Sodashi.

opener COMO The Treasury’s gym and 20-metre indoor swimming pool take in the buzz of the city and its spectacular lights through louvred glass wall ABoVe Guest bathrooms have been designed with the utmost luxury in mind, with an abundance of natural light and opening windows, deep-form Kaldewei Duo freestanding bathtubs, and heated travertine stone floors right At the heart of the State Buildings lies the iconic Postal Hall. Kerry Hill retained all the interior’s grandeur with an inspiring, mood-lifting feel, giving Western Australians an opportunity to celebrate their history

The gym, with state-of-the-art equipment and a 20-metre indoor pool, enjoys uninterrupted views of surrounding CBD buildings through louvered glass walls.

A steel-framed glass box with views over the city from the fourth floor terrace was crane lifted onto the hotel and is now home to the popular Wildflower restaurant. Seating 80 guests in the dining room and another 30 in the bar and outside terrace, executive chef Jed Gerrard serves contemporary European dishes revolving around the indigenous ethos of six seasons, and produce-driven menus that rely on local farmers and foragers.

To say that the project didn’t come without its unique set of challenges would be an understatement. However, the re-installation of dormer windows and Victorian roofs with copper trimmings contributed to the project returning an impressive 95 per cent of the buildings to their 19 th-century origins.

“We went to the original quarry in Wales to obtain the slate for the roof, and we recycled all of the timber that we had to pull up,” says Fini. “To stay true to the building, we also bought extra 100-plus year old Jarrah so that we could re-mill and only use Jarrah of this vintage in the works.”

Senior development manager with FJM Property, Kyle Jeavons, adds that all 565 windows in the buildings were replaced with new windows, based upon the originals. “To achieve this, an internal frame was created that had higher performing seals compared to the originals, which allowed the buildings to achieve some of the highest acoustic ratings in the country for a hotel,” says Jeavons.

With the number of hotel rooms and spaces established, the project team turned their focus to the ground floor and basement level. “From day one our desire was to make sure that the building was permeable for everybody,” says Fini.

Bespoke furniture, large hand-knotted rugs, custom light fittings and carefully selected artwork create an energised atmosphere on the ground floor. Here, a range of restaurants, wine bars and late lounge bars offer inner-city dwellers a plethora of temptations for all times of day, and night.

The work of local artists is seen throughout, including a brass wall sculpture by David Brazier in the Reception Lounge, Cape Arid flora and fauna artworks by Philippa and Alex Nikulinsky, a neon wall sculpture by Brendan van Hek, bespoke light fixtures by Perth-born, London-based designer Flynn Talbot, and plenty more.

When it came to determining what independent stores would reside in the hotel, it all came down to showcasing unique West Australians and their individual offerings.

“It was about making sure we had a balance that addresses the city and what we thought people would want in the CBD, and one that tourists would respect and be able to gain an understanding of what Western Australia is all about,” explains Fini.

The diverse range of operations allows something for everyone. Between the basement and the ground floor, hotel guests and the general public will find Aurelio Costarella’s flagship store, a chocolatier, a coffee shop that incorporates a 135-year-old crank wheel that was salvaged from the State Buildings, a boutique dessert shop, and a natural skincare store amongst many others. “You could happily spend a full day in the buildings and still not touch the sides,” says Jeavons.

Each morning, as the floristry and coffee shop open their doors to the early pedestrians, it is reminiscent of what one would see wandering the streets of Europe. Injected with the Western Australian influence of product, personality and historical surrounds, COMO is a place that encourages people to stop, to interact with one another, and to ultimately engage with what is undoubtedly one of Perth’s most iconic buildings.

Claire Millett is Perth editor of Contemporary

como The Treasury

archiTecT Kerry Hill Architects

developer FJM Property

projecT manager Johnson Group WA

QuanTiTy surveyor Rider Levitt

Bucknell WA

sTrucTural engineer Robert Bird Group

elecTrical engineer Best Consultants

ToTal Floor area 113,845 m2

Kerry hill archiTecTs kerryhillarchitects.com

FurniTure

Cabinets throughout, Frontline

Finishes

Tiles, Duratec. Metalwork, Plummers Industries

Fixed & FiTTed

Doors, Parker Black & Forrest Tapware, VOLA. Bathtubs, Kaldewai Basins and toilet pans, Duravit

For the full directory of supplier contacts, visit indesignlive.com/dissections65

Emporio GEsualdi

The new emporium-s T yle s T ore, mondopiero, by designer piero gesualdi is populaT ed wi T h some of T he finer T hings sourced from many corners of T he world.

words stePhen crafti PhotograPhy James broadway

opener Designer Piero Gesualdi brings his own world ‘ Mondopiero’ to Brunswick Street. Fitzroy. The designer homewares emporium is delivered with an ‘Italian touch’, with products sourced from Italy and Europe

leFT A taxidermy giraffe displayed on a gold leaf wall is one of the more unusual exhibits rig HT Black mild steel shelves in the centre of the warehouse-style emporium provide a nook for books, furniture, homewares and other unusual finds that capture Gesualdi’s imagination

Designer and entrepreneur Piero Gesualdi can’t bear to be without a project. In the 1970s, Gesualdi – then a graduate architect – started Masons, a set of fashion boutiques in Melbourne and Sydney. In the late 1980s he opened Rosati’s, an Italian-style bistro in Flinders Lane, Melbourne.

It proved a precursor for the transformation of the city’s laneways through the 1990s and into the new millennium.

But it was from as early as a new graduate in the mid-1970s, that Gesualdi had also harbored a dream of having a homewares store – “an emporium-style store filled with things that deeply resonate with my aesthetic,” he admits.

Gesualdi, along with his colleague Paolo GnecchiRuscone, project director and product developer, have been searching the globe for some of the most innovative and unique products. Scents from Florence, fashion from Milan courtesy of Alberto Aspresi and linen from Italian company Busatti (a family-run company that once dressed Napoleon Bonaparte’s troops).

Gesualdi can’t exactly define why one product –such as an outdoor chair made of resin in the mould of an Eames armchair and ottoman makes the ‘cut’ – yet another design fails to excite. Then again Gesualdi does have an extremely fine eye for spotting talent. He was the first to import Jean Paul Gaultier’s fashion into Australia well before JPG could be identified by his initials alone. Gesualdi’s first order from Gaultier was made from the designer’s kitchen table in his apartment in Paris.

Mondopiero, Gesualdi’s new venture in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy was formerly the showroom of La Pe Ge tiles. With this now located on the first floor of the Victorian-style building, Gesualdi was able to create his own “emporium-style” world at ground level. The store has been carefully crafted into separate functions. Front of house, contained within the original Victorian shop, now has a florist on one side and – eventually – a champagne bar will find its place on the other.

“What could be more pleasurable than the smell and sight of flowers as soon as you enter, along with people enjoying an aperitif?” says Gesualdi. Gesualdi’s gift for identifying and sharing unique design is matched by his knack for creating fitouts where past and present beautifully fuse. The rear

“It’s about creating an experience, as much as searching the world for some of the finest things.”

PIERo GESuALdI

warehouse, for example, still retains the original timber ceiling trusses and highlight windows. But there’s a fine contemporary overlay at ground level. Curvaceous mild-steel bookshelves, designed by Gesualdi, create a centerpiece for the new emporium. Between the shelves will be a revolving ‘feast’ of designs, whether taking the form of a chair, an objet d’art or even some taxidermy.

“It could be a one-off chair by Gio Ponti or this great outdoor chair and ottoman designed by Mal from the Netherlands,” says Gesualdi.

While furniture is displayed like art in some instances, linen, including towels and bed linen, is showcased on the half-sphere mild-steel shelves on one bagged brick wall. Other items, such as knives, sunglasses and smaller objects – wallets from Tokyo, for instance – are arranged in glass-fronted cabinets, also designed with steel legs.

“I love designing furniture. It’s something that’s been integral to many of the houses that I’ve designed for clients,” he adds. Because Mondopiero boasts two street frontages it also seemed appropriate to include a café at the rear of the store that would cater for both customers and locals to use. “It’s about creating an experience, as much as searching the world for some of the finest things,” explains Gesualdi, “ones that I’ve always wanted to have myself.”

Mondopiero is at 28-30 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy, Victoria, mondopiero.com.au

mondopiero

architect MOS Architects

concept, interiors Piero Gesualdi

builder Circa Constructions

budget $2m

total Floor area 340 m2

mos architects mosarchitects.com.au

Furniture

Ikebana, Shoso Shimbo

Finishes

Floor surfaces and walls throughout, Lapege

lighting

Spotlights, Darkon. Lighting design, Dean Philips

For the full directory of supplier contacts, visit indesignlive.com/dissections65

Stephen Crafti is Indesign’s Melbourne correspondent.

above The outdoor Eames style furniture made from resin creates a ‘welcoming mat’ for those entering the emporium

NATURAL STYLE

Uneven edges, a natural play on colors, tangible life and visible age- accentuated NATURAL STYLE exudes real character at your feet. paveezzi.com.au

Green: the new black

Catalano proves that green goes with everything.

left Catalano’s latest washbasin collection, green, presents seven elegantly ergonomic designs offering a variety of installation options

Right Catalano’s environmentally friendly factory in rome, Italy

Whether designing for commercial, residential or hospitality projects, there are universal considerations when specifying bathroom products. Budget, timeframe and quality are always key concerns, but another feature has become just as integral to every specification: sustainability.

As environmental concerns continue to increase, so does the need for every product to have a sustainable core – not just a paid-for certification. With a highly sustainable philosophy underpinning every business and design decision, Catalano is the perfect fit for environmentally minded projects in commercial and residential settings, and everything in between. Of course, their production processes are as energyefficient as possible. But the green streak goes much deeper than this.

The company has implemented strategies for the reduction of environmental impact and resource consumption, reduction of energy consumption and elimination of toxic substances or pollutants released into the environment. This is bound in the ‘Think Green’ campaign launched in 2013; since then it has been a core tenet of its production model and philosophy. As a progressive, forward-thinking organisation, Catalano is always striving to improve the performance of pre-production, production, transportation, use, and recycling phases in the production cycle, and ‘Think Green’ was their catalyst for putting words into action.

One of many significant achievements to grow from ’Think Green’ is Catalano’s ongoing investment in solar energy. In October 2015, Catalano installed an additional 3000 PV panels to its already substantial solar investment, raising its independently produced energy from 3% coverage to 25% coverage of Catalano’s total energy requirements. Catalano is looking to extend this output to 49% in the near future.

Recyclability, reusability and reduction of resources, are the core principles of the ‘Think Green’ philosophy. In line with this mission, Catalano’s ceramics also incorporate Cataglaze technology to extend the life span of the product, as well as the latest water-saving technologies to lessen environmental impact. At 1250ºC, the glazing agent blends with the ceramic itself – making it 100 per cent inpenetrable and 100 per cent bacteria-proof. This facilitates quick and easy cleaning, which reduces the amount of harmful detergents released into the environment. In recognition of their unrelenting commitment to thinking green, Catalano have qualified for the vigorous ISO 14001 Environmental Management Certification, and in 2014 they garnered the GrandesignEtico International Award for the Green Collection – an honour bestowed to ground-breaking, innovative design with an ethical and eco-friendly production process.

Catalano company policies extend to corporate ethics and landscape preservation – demonstrating a commitment to ethical business in a holistic sense, which runs so much deeper than a throwaway claim to ‘sustainability’.

NEW Naturally Drawn collection

From the artist’s studio, creative minds have joined to create three designs drawn from nature and reinterpreted through artistic expression.

ontera.com.au

WoRds kATH dolAn PHoTogRAPHy mARk duffus

ARcHiTecT gRAy PuksAnd locATion melbouRne | Aus PRoJecT AusTRAliAn PosT

Game ChanGer

Austr A li A Post’s new Melbourne he A dqu A rters unites long-ter M A nd tr A nsient stA ff froM three loc Ations. it ’s A lso A s etting t h At tAK es seriously eMP loyees’ requests for wellbeing A nd fun.

“People have moved in here and don’t want to leave. Everyone sees something different that they love about their workplace.”

Sandra maltman

Public perceptions of Australia Post are largely shaped by the organisation’s ongoing efforts to adapt its mail service and massive retail network to the changing needs of customers in an era of digital communication, ubiquitous social media and online shopping. It’s heartening, then, to discover in this more than 200-year-old company’s six-floor, 11,000 square-metre refit at 180 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne by Gray Puksand, a diverse workforce wholeheartedly embracing fundamental change with substance, style and a focus on staff health and wellbeing in the workplace.

The new office unites close to 1000 Australia Post employees from three very different locations including a Mount Waverley call centre: pre-activity based working (ABW) environments in which it was easy for people to become “set in their desks and in their ways,” according to Australia Post’s project director of the 180 Lonsdale Street refurbishment, Sandra Maltman. By consolidating departments as diverse as real estate, procurement and marketing in an activity-based environment designed to encourage flexibility, spontaneous collaboration and creative problem solving via shared spaces that adapt easily to users’ needs, Australia Post was keen to co-locate relevant groups, promote fresh ways of working, and adapt to changing needs, (call centre staffing increases to manage the annual October-January peak season, for example). Ultimately, of course, the aim was better customer service from happier, more empowered staff, which would reduce turnover and absenteeism in the process.

A veteran of multiple moves, Maltman knew skilful change management and internal communications would be essential in allaying fears about losses like car parking, assigned desks and offices and achieving genuine buy-in. She was delighted to discover that when diverse groups from executive teams to young, transient call centre workers began discussing their vision for the new environment, key aspirations were

shared. “Productivity, collaboration, interaction, the ability to have those in-the-moment discussions rather than, ‘Oh, let’s get back to that in an hour when the meeting room is free’ … we found that really important,” Maltman says. “We were really impressed that the management and what they were looking for was exactly the same as what staff wanted from a workplace, and we found [it] really invigorating to be able to [provide it].”

Heidi Smith, project leader and partner at Gray Puksand, says remarkably informed, enthusiastic staff engagement shaped a design that’s now widely understood and effectively used. At its core are a host of wellbeing initiatives including a games room housing Fussball and a Playstation, a creative lounge where jigsaws and colouring books are forever on the go, a lending library of magazines and books, and a winter garden complete with white wicker furniture, expansive views and a lovely sense of space provided by a triple-height void.

“A lot of the basics, the fundamentals, staff already know they get from Australia Post,” Smith says. “For us the underlying theme that came on top of that was what we feel is the next step for workspace, which is the whole wellbeing piece – how do you support people’s hearts and souls in the working environment to encourage them to stay and to flourish and to really

opener Centralised lockers are card- rather than key-activated, a small detail Maltman says has a big impact on productivity opposite The colour scheme of the swarmthemed floor, reflected in everything from furnishings to opaque window graphics, was inspired by butterflies above The relaxed waiting area at reception features gorgeous Pearl armchairs by Jardan, Tretford carpet, and KlikLED+ Linear Extrusion lighting

LEFT Wooden tables, planting and a transparent wall make the winter garden popular for informal meetings, social gatherings, relaxation and retreat RIGHT Striking custom feature lighting was inspired by postal tubes, designed by Gray Puksand and made by Darkon Architectural Lighting

build on that whole idea around collaboration and creativity? That’s all very well but if your staff aren’t really at peace and happy then those things can be a little strained no matter what the space looks like.”

The refit uses the metaphor of weaving disparate groups and working styles into a strong, dynamic tapestry, assigning a theme to each floor that reflects its focus and informs a distinctive palette of colours and materials as well as striking furniture and lighting designs by Australian outfits including Jardan, Derlot and Satelight.

Level 21, for example, is centred on Community. Employees and visitors are warmly welcomed via natural timbers, vibrant plants and a casual reception with a communal table for spontaneous meetings and a lighting installation by Buildcorp and Steel Stylist with Ballboy pendants by Dean Phillips Lighting. Level 24, by contrast, is dubbed Swarm – a high energy space where groups can gather quickly to solve problems. It’s distinguished by brightly contrasting colours, circular motifs and swirling, woven pendant lighting.

Colour palettes intensify in the centre of each floor, around shared facilities like kitchens, ID-card activated lockers, walk-through utility bays and interconnecting stairs, and cool towards individual workstations at the edges. In corners to the east and west are formal, glass-walled meeting rooms surrounded by well-used ‘found spaces’ featuring banquette seating by Borcor, moveable ottomans

and tables, and panoramic city views that Smith proudly observes “belong to everyone”. In between are meandering paths to a mix of similarly adaptable spaces designed for interaction or retreat – standingheight collaboration areas, for example, and sit-tostand desks with Wi-Fi enabled AV facilities for group discussions. Even social spaces like the garden retreat or creative lounge can be used for work when a casual, playful setting feels right.

Subtle nods to Australia Post’s retail operations abound in detailing like tubular copper lighting custom-made by Darkon and inspired by cylindrical post packs, and graphic signage that echoes the distribution maps of posties.

For Maltman, the constant varied use of these myriad spaces (down to features like writable wall surfaces) is sign of employees no longer constrained by old layouts and behaviours and a measure of the project’s success. “People have moved in here and don’t want to leave,” she says. “Everyone sees something different that they love about their workplace.”

Kath Dolan is a Melbourne-based freelance writer, blogger and illustrator.

ABove Colour themes on each floor heat up in collaborative, social spaces and cool down in areas designed for independent activity

Austr AliA Post

Architect Gray Puksand

Builder Buildcorp Contracting

Project mAnAger

Savills Project Management

QuAntity surveyor

Slattery Australia

structur Al engineer Bonacci Group

totAl Floor AreA 11,000 m2 gr Ay PuksAnd graypuksand.com.au

Furniture

Furniture throughout, Zenith Stylecraft Jardan Cult Feelgood

Designs Living Edge Space Furniture. Planter boxes, ReBoxCo. Lockers, Schiavello. Storage units, Rack + File

lighting Lighting throughout, David Trubridge OSRAM Satelight

KE-ZU Space Furniture

Dedece ISM Objects

Inlite About Space Cult

Artefact Industries

Finishes Wall finishes throughout, Dulux Wattyl Baresque. Wall

panelling, Instyle Woven

Image Elton Group Kvadrat

Maharam Laminex Instyle Ceilings, Armstrong Elton Group. Upholstery throughout, Pelle Leathers Instyle Kvadrat

Maharam Knoll Textiles

Mac Textiles. Rugs, The Natural Floor Covering Centre Tretford.

Fixed & Fitted

‘Niagara’ doors, Criterion Industries. Kitchen fixtures, Zip Miele Fisher & Paykel Smeg Häfele

Electrolux Caesarstone

For the full directory of supplier contacts, visit indesignlive.com/dissections65

INNER VIEW

One MelbOurne Fa Mily’s Ol D V iCTOrian HOMe H as been renOVaT eD anD ex T enDeD TO CreaT e a Pri VaT e, PrOT eCT eD a nD ligHT- F illeD wOrl D.

architect matt gibson architecture + design location melbourne | aus ProJect courtyard house

Words mark scruby PhotograPhy shannon mcgrath

Opener Natural light floods into the living zone through large roof windows, the sense of brightness emphasised by white joinery and light timbers

ABOVe Concealed LED strip lighting is integrated with joinery, adding a contemporary sense of drama when the sun goes down right The powder room offers a view onto a small Japanese garden. Mirrored surfaces have been used throughout the house to expand the sense of space

FAr right Glass bi-fold doors open up, to create a direct connection between the central courtyard and the master bedroom

As appealing as the word “innovation” might be for a prime minister seeking a mediafriendly buzzword, original thinking is a lot more complex than saying “Now I’m going to think outside the box!” At least, it is usually. But at this house in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, recently renovated and extended by Matt Gibson Architecture + Design, you could be forgiven for thinking that that’s exactly what they did. For instead of viewing the original single-fronted Victorian home as an existing structure to be appended with a new structure at the back – the familiar “bedrooms at the front, living box out the back” model – the architects have reinvented the entire block of land as a series of connected indoor and outdoor spaces that can be opened up and closed down in myriad combinations, and through which its occupants can flow in almost any direction.

Not too much remains of the old house – three bedrooms and a dark hallway at the front have become two bedrooms, a modern bathroom and a wonderfully bright hallway punctuated by a full-height sliding glass door that opens out onto a small garden. The bedrooms have been beautifully renovated, the bathroom is a delight, and the air and light that flow in through the glass door breathe new life into a previously stale Victorian entrance arrangement. Nevertheless, regular visitors are encouraged to use a new entrance, down the side of the house, that delivers them through a narrow gap between the old house and a new study, directly into the heart of the home, an expansive living zone complete with kitchen and dining area.

Interestingly, despite the obvious differences between the formal old entrance and the more casual new one, they both create a sense of compression that, by immediate contrast, intensifies the sense of openness in the living zone. Passing over either threshold, space expands in all directions – the floor steps down; the ceiling has been removed to expose the recycled timber beams of a vaulting gabled roof, with expansive roof windows extending the view to blue sky and clouds; and depending on the weather, the far wall is either transparent (with bi-fold doors closed) or nonexistent (when the doors are folded back).

From here, the visitor’s journey can go in many directions. Hooking around to the left, we find a small study – the only piece of contemporary architecture visible from the street, it occupies a small “Miesian box” of glass and steel at the end of the driveway; occupants look out through floor-to-ceiling windows into the leafy front yard and onto the lush green vines slowly advancing up the old house’s red brick wall. Walking

A mind trying to map the house as a traditional collection of rooms and gardens is perpetually confounded.

M A rk scru By

leFT A small but immaculate Miesian box of glass and steel that peeks out from the side of the house is the only element of modern architecture visible from the street

courTyard house

archiTec

across the living zone, we head out onto a timberdecked central courtyard, with a shade tree planted in the middle and a lap pool down one side, and on further through another retractable glass wall, into the master bedroom. Or alternatively, we reach the master bedroom by following an indoor corridor that skirts the courtyard to the right and then hooks around into the bedroom, completely the square C-shape of the new addition. Beyond the bedroom is another small courtyard, right at the back of the property, and a bluestone-clad ensuite and walk-in robe.

Interpreting the floor plan in the most simple way, we see a familiar strategy for a family home – kids’ bedrooms at the front of the house, parents’ retreat at the back, and shared living spaces as the buffer between the two – but the flexibility of these spaces, and the different feelings they invoke, are unique. Even with the glass doors at either end of the courtyard folded back, so that the living zone, courtyard and master bedroom become one continuous space, the arrangement of walls and apertures, foliage and mirrored surfaces makes for an intriguing and surprising journey. Materials continue from inside to out, defying clear boundaries, so that a mind trying to map the house as a traditional collection of rooms and gardens is perpetually confounded.

And by pushing the building out to the side and rear boundaries, all of the new interior, including the central courtyard, is encircled and protected. For all of the glass here, no windows look outside the property, so pedestrians taking a shortcut along the laneway that wraps around the side and rear of the house could only imagine what lies behind the walled perimeter. They can see the old house at the front, and the old roofline extending back from the street, but the new addition, inserted neatly underneath the existing roofline, reserves its secrets and pleasures for those within. This is always something of a shame – a fantastic new insertion in the built fabric but not the urban landscape – yet in this case, essential to the objectives of maximising amenity, obeying planning protocols and create a wonderful private world for the building’s owners.

Melbourne-based Mark Scruby is a freelance writer specialising in design, architecture, food and music.

T Matt Gibson Architecture + Design maTT gibson archiTec Ture + design mattgibson.com.au

FurniTure & Finishes Arflex coffee table in living room, Poliform. Dining room chairs, kitchen stools, Great Dane Furniture. “Mangas Space” rug in living room, Hub Furniture

FiXed & FiTTed Kitchen white goods, E&S Trading. Tom Dixon dining room lights, Dedece

For the full directory of supplier contacts, visit indesignlive.com/dissections65

DEKTON. UNLIMITED.

BEYOND THE WALL by DANIEL LIBESKIND

“My first thought about Dekton was that it was full of character, an intrinsic character that is as deep as natural stone but with a totally innovative shape and with improved properties in compacting, resistance and also of course, extra big size.”

Daniel Libeskind

design . dimension . beauty

Bronze Florentine Ingrain and brick graphic Miro glass by The Uncarved Block and Axolotl.

ABOVE Design superstar Giulio Cappellini visited Australia recently to launch the Haworth Collection in our region. The collection combines key pieces by Poltrona Frau, Cappellini, Cassina and Haworth

Impeccably suited, charming, enthusiastic, and imbued with an unrivalled reputation in design canon, it is hard to imagine a better brand representative than Giulio Cappellini. As he artfully inhabits various iconic Poltrona Frau Group’s (PFG) pieces across a series of tableaux at Haworth’s The Porter space in Sydney, it is hard to imagine Haworth were unaware of Cappellini’s magnetism when the American office furniture giant bought a majority stake in PFG two years ago.

i ndeed, Glen Foster, managing director of Haworth in Asia Pacific, refers to a “halo effect” gained by joining with PFG, and Cappellini himself observes that “Haworth in the arc of three years has revolutionised its image from classical producer of office furniture to a point of reference in the design industry.”

The benefits, however, are mutual; while perhaps not as sexy as decades worth of industry-shaping designs, Haworth has refined a mass-production model that creates efficiencies the boutique, artisan-based italians could never access. not to mention PFG’s piggy-backing on Haworth’s direct

presence across the globe, and in particular in the dynamic Middle e ast and Asia Pacific markets.

Thus it is no surprise that the union of the two brands is not simply a takeover or an expansion, but rather a meaningful integration of disparate but complementary design, industrial and commercial cultures. All of which is evident in the launch of Haworth Collection, which combines the design legacies of Poltrona Frau, Cappellini, Cassina and Haworth to present a curated selection of heritage and modern designs tailored to local markets.

“The concept for the Haworth Collection is constantly evolving,” comments Cappellini, when asked about the origin of the concept. “The starting point was always the north American market, but it is steadily expanding to include the Middle e ast and Far east.” (Cappellini’s crisp, Milanese italian is punctuated with words and phrases in english, including vaguely nostalgic references to the ‘Far e ast’).

i n terms of the selection process for products to include in the Collection, “[it] reflects the international bestsellers of the catalogue, and is tailored to local markets. But many products,

On the eve of Haworth Collection’s launch in Asia-Pacific, Godfather of design GiuliO CAPPellini speaks of how Poltrona Frau Group’s union with Haworth will affect design around the world.

such as Morrison’s and the Bouroullecs’ work, are very international,” Cappellini explains. The Collection has been designed to be highly responsive to local demand, so while the initial offering in North America included a relatively limited number of Cappellini products, it has since doubled to 50.

“I would expect that already by the end of 2016 – beginning 2017 there will be an increase in the products available in the Far East market,” he adds.

Beyond distilling a terrific crosssection of PFG and Haworth products into a very neat package, the Haworth Collection has been carefully curated to support each brand’s repositioning – Haworth in the high-end loose furnishings sector, and PFG as a contract supplier. “Fundamentally, for PFG the Haworth Collection follows the evolution of the market,” Cappellini explains. “Haworth was born as 100 per cent contract, the PFG brands 100 per cent residential, but the market is changing dramatically, shaped more and more by large projects … The collections complete each other –Haworth, whilst it has now expanded to include lounge systems also, is specialised on the components of office furnishings. Whereas [PFG] have always specialised on the lounge, so the union works well, and the products integrate well.

“This is also good in terms of our relationship with architecture studios,” Cappellini adds, “as we can present a much more complete offering. For top management, which usually prefers a more classic feel, we offer Poltrona Frau, whereas the other, more playful areas are better suited to Cassina and Cappellini. And throughout, Haworth provides a functional foundation.”

It is also no accident that Haworth brought Cappellini in person to launch their collection at events in Shanghai and Sydney, as the brand has a strategic focus on Asia Pacific, and Cappellini himself is confident that a new generation of talent is budding in the region.

“In this moment I’m very interested in discovering new young talents here in the Far East,” he says, “because I find less contamination, and a series of fresh ideas, and before long we plan to insert into the catalogue a few designs by designers of the Far East.”

With regards to the Australian market specifically, Cappellini observes that: “I notice a great attention to design and contemporary art, and so this is fertile territory for us.”

This is backed up by the unfolding professional design competition, which offers one winning designer from the region a career-defining first prize of working with none other than Patricia

Urquiola to finesse their design, and then have the product prototyped in Italy and possibly even taken to market. Changing markets, global strategies and collaborative synergies aside however, on a fundamental level, Cappellini is thrilled that the union with Haworth gives him a powerful new tool with which to promote design and connect with people.

“People are still intimidated by design,” he admits, “they’re used to seeing design items in showrooms or in glamorous settings, but they are reluctant to consider them for their own homes and offices. So the fact that we can promote design products in public spaces is a good way to promote design – as I always say, I am happy when a Cappellini piece is added to a museum, but I’m even more happy when it enters somebody’s home.”

Lorenzo Logi is a Sydney-based writer and editor.

Left Giulio Cappellini Righ t Cappellini’s flying visit took in Shanghai and Sydney, where he hosted a breakfast for media

giulio cappellini

BoRn Milan, Italy

lives Milan, Italy

BackgRound Art director of Cappellini cappellini.it

“I am happy when a Cappellini piece is added to a museum, but I’m even more happy when it enters somebody’s home.”

GiUlio Cappellini

As i write, Westfield corporation has announced it will build residential apartments above its new shopping malls in the US – a clear indication that mixed-use is where it’s at. a s one architect said to me recently: “There is no more single-purpose spec office being done – it is all mixed-use.”

Mixed-use – the co-location of residential, commercial, retail, hospitality and more or less any amenity you can think of – represents a coalescing of a number of drivers in the evolution of our urban identity. Those drivers are the need for greater density, new integrated approaches to planning, the merging of life and work and a broad sense of urban renewal.

i n particular, large mixed-use developments are seen as supporting the ‘cities-within-cities’ philosophy which sees urban hubs radiating out from the cBd both within the inner suburban ring of post-industrial urban renewal and in the mid-suburban areas, (such as Parramatta, Liverpool and Rouse h ill in Sydney).

in New South Wales, the design Excellence process sees developers able to trade off quality design against added floor space. This has liberated architects,

words Paul mcgillick PorTraiT george FeTTing

like Sydney’s Koichi Takada, to innovate, and alerted developers to the value of design as a point of difference. according to Takada, this has led to a “renaissance of new architecture in Sydney. i think we have that sense of optimism before we even compete… we can actually push the boundaries harder,” he says.

Mixed-use is an added stimulus and Takada is one architect who has seized on it as a creative challenge. Taking the tower and the podium as the basic elements, he typically sets out to blur the distinction between the two. While we are used to residential towers offering amenity in order to create a sense of community, what is new – especially in Takada’s work – is the agenda to create a wider community by bringing the residents of the tower and the public using the podium (or ground plane) space together.

For the residents, says Takada, it represents “the heart of activities – an opportunity for genuine street activation and sharing the mixed-use experience with the public”.

apart from the convenience of having everything you need just a lift-trip away, it is an opportunity to escape from the confines of apartment living.

Mixed use is very much about connection. it is people connecting, but it is also physical connection, as the mixed use complex links with its surrounding urban context.

in North Sydney, Takada’s Skye by crown Group sits on the edge of the town centre and on a sloping site, making it a mixed-use challenge. The building does not have a podium, so in order to activate the street frontage the architects lifted the building up and created a link between the Pacific highway and a ngel Street behind. Lifting the building up has generated high ceilings and has the effect of creating transparency and thus inviting the public in. it provides more retail space, while a mezzanine offers commercial space.

Getting more people to live in the cBd of Sydney (unlike Melbourne) has been inhibited by the lack of after-hours amenity. World Square on the edge of chinatown is an earlier example of mixed-use, while Barangaroo and the

Mixed-use symbolises the city of tomorrow and architect Koichi Ta K ada’s designs presage a vertical village approach to cBd living that is already taking root in Sydney.

Quay Quarter project at Circular Quay will help further ‘urbanise’ the city. But Takada’s Arc by Crown Group is right in the middle of the CBD, embraced by Clarence, Kent and King Streets, and bringing a three-metre floor level change between Clarence and Kent Streets.

The podium offers an eight-storey atrium with an arcade of retail and hospitality with a three-way link to the surrounding streets. The building itself is characteristically curvilinear – something Takada sees as a point of difference for his practice. He explains: “We draw a lot of inspiration from nature and in nature nothing is straight – every tree has a different shape. We see architecture as being very similar to nature.”

Infi nity by Crown Group at Green Square – Sydney’s most exciting urban renewal project – takes the curvilinear inspiration even further. Sitting on an intersection opposite Green Square railway station, it is a monumental amoeba-like structure (or, if you like, the infi nity symbol with looping form). The building is cut through with public thoroughfares and within it is an expansive garden courtyard. Retail is on both the outer and inner loops of the building (Takada says it is 720 degrees – 360 degrees inside and 360 degress outside) which, given its flowing form, offers ideal exposure for all the retail outlets – especially as the residents of the apartments above have to pass through the courtyard to the residence entry lobby, while many commuters will be expected to use it as a short-cut to the station. A captive market, as they say.

Takada says they are trying to create a sense of human scale. “So, we created what we call a landscape tower,” he says. “The loop brings sunlight into the soft landscape mound, the heart of architecture. Landscaped terracing reduces the experience of the height and softens the bulk of the residential tower, gradually bringing its experience down to a human scale.”

Like other projects he has worked on, such as One Central Park East and the urban marketplace underneath East Village, it illustrates how one can live in a high-rise residential tower.

“A vertical form of convenient and efficient lifestyle, all stacking on top of each other: supermarket, take-away food, pharmacy, newsagent, bank, fashion store, pool and gym etcetera – all that is essential to your city living is accommodated within the residential complex,” says Takada.

He refers to this as “breathing space”, a part of his integrated approach to multi-residential design (his practice is a one-stop shop providing architecture, interior design and documentation). It is an approach summed up by what he calls, “quality over quantity” – architecture with character, liveable interiors and immediate access to everything you need for “living efficiently”.

BORN Hong Kong to Japanese parents

LIVES Sydney

BACKGROUND Architectural training at University of New York and Architecture Association, London koichitakada.com

KOICHI TAKADA

Paul McGillick is a Sydney-based freelance writer on architecture, art and design.

PREVIOUS PAGE The rooftop pool at Koichi Takada Architects’ Skye by Crown Group in North Sydney RIGHT Infi nity by Crown Group in Sydney’s Green Square will have 400 apartments, mixed-use retail and a convention facility

London architect A Lex de Rijke

is a champion for engineered timbers to help densify our cities without needless demolition.

above dRMM architects and Arup engineers introduced cross laminated hardwood – an entirely new material – with the sculpture/research pr0ject Endless Stair at the London Design Festival in 2013

The history of construction has been defi ned by the availability, discovery and use of different materials: from clay and vegetable fibres, through timber, stone and iron, and most recently steel, glass and concrete.

For founding director of Londonbased architecture fi rm de Rijke Marsh Morgan Architects (dRMM), Alex de Rijke, the time is ripe for a new chapter.

“There’s a kind of industrial revolution happening now equivalent to that one in the railway age of steel,” he says, “I think this [century] is going to be about timber, and particularly engineered timber.”

Visiting Australia last November for a series of seminars, sponsored by Wood Solutions, Rijke campaigns for a new generation of engineered timbers, such as cross-laminated timber (CLT). CLT offers a host of benefits over the current steel/concrete structural equivalent.

Chief among these is the material’s environmental sustainability. It swings the carbon needle from the red zone

of concrete and steel into the green –timber hoards six tonnes of carbon per tonne of timber.

Concrete is the “second most used material in the world, after water,” explains de Rijke. “There’s a cubic metre of concrete for every person.” Replacing it with engineered timber could have an enormous impact on global carbon emissions.

Predictably, the knee-jerk reaction – and the reason concrete is still as popular as it is – is cost, however de Rijke has done his arithmetic. The bottom line is promising.

“We [have] to make it the same, equivalent to steel frame construction,” he explains, “the way we do that is by making [the construction process] faster and [the building] lighter. Speed helps onsite costs, lightness helps foundation costs. The material itself is not cheaper, but the construction process is cheaper.”

The engineered timber greatly simplifies construction; it has no frame to infi ll or clad and one material does the job of many. “It is load-bearing, so the structure is the fi nish,” de Rijke enthuses. “Literally, one process gives you a beautiful interior with a fi nish and the structure in one day.”

Engineered timber also offers unique opportunities to densify without demolishing – a heated issue in many of the world’s cities, including our own.

De Rijke explains: “City development needn’t rely on demolition and just replacement, there is a role for recycling of existing stock which is relevant to this material, because you can add it. It’s light enough to superimpose on top of existing buildings.”

Even with regards to fi re hazard –“timber’s had bad press with fi re since the Fire of London,” he says – engineered timber passes with flying colours.

“Vulnerability to fi re is about frame rather than mass timber,” de Rijke explains, “in a mass timber construction, timber actually outperforms steel frame quite easily. Have you ever thrown a tree trunk on a fi re? It’s not going to burn is it? It’s going to char –and the charring protects the structural integrity of the interior.”

But beyond environmental and technical accolades, de Rijke

is passionate about the inherent artisanship of timber – its expression, and the way it rewards careful craftsmanship.

“There’s a tactility to the material, there’s range. It can be charmingly inert or it can be expressive, depending on how clever you are with the process of shuttering it and boarding it,” he muses. For instance, dRMM’s Kingsdale School Music and Sports Building in London displays the kind of rhythmic, fi nely detailed carpentry/ joinery –on a macro scale – for which local practices such as John Wardle Architects are renowned. And it’s achieved with cross-laminated timber.

Another notable example, the Endless Stair project unveiled at the 2013 London Design Festival, combines de Rijke and the American Hardwood Export Council’s ongoing experimentation with laminating fast-growing hardwoods to create a modular, Escher-esque structure . It can be disassembled and transported.

Projects like these have given crucial media coverage to engineered timber, and helped spread the word about its objective merits, to the point that “now, people are coming to us and asking for it specifically,” says de Rijke. “Whereas, historically, we’d have to go through this process of comparison and persuasion.”

Even Lendlease has jumped on board with the Forte building – Australia’s tallest engineered timber apartment block – in Melbourne’s Docklands, and Library at the Dock.

The tide is turning, and hopefully de Rijke’s vision of a post-concrete future will soon become reality. That said, de Rijke hedges optimism with a healthy scepticism: “When push comes to shove, it’s about money, rather than about the environment, which is very shortsighted. But I think that paradigm is being challenged, isn’t it?”

For the sake of our planet, and our cities, let’s hope it is.

ALEX DE RIJKE

BORN The Netherlands

LIVES London

BACKGROUND Founding director of dRMM. Occasional critic, photographer and lecturer. Dean of Architecture at the Royal College of Art, London, 2012-2015 drmm.co.uk

WORDS LORENZO LOGI PHOTOGRAPHY ALEX DE RIJKE

Lorenzo Logi is a Sydney-based writer and editor.

ISSUES AND IDEAS AROUND DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE

188 Frank lloyd wright in aUstralia

ABOVE AND RIGHT

Architect Peter Muller’s Richardson House at Palm Beach is unmistakably Wrightian. Muller sited the house on a waterside sandstone cliff face. The work is characterised by circular geometry throughout

Frank Lloyd Wright radically changed Western architecture. Up until then it was inverted and centripetal. Whether it was the sheer immensity of America, the power, scale and variety of its landscapes, Wright turned architecture around and made landscape the driver for his architecture. In contrast, European Modernism, in reaction to the jingoism of the First World War, became international and placeless.

Although he never visited Australia, Wright’s ideas and example would profoundly influence a new engaged generation, among them, Peter Muller, Bruce Rickard, Neville Gruzman, Ian McKay, John James, Ross Thorne and Philip Cox in Sydney.

To varying degrees, they came under Wright’s spell.

At that time in the 1950s, Australia was emerging from austerity. People were getting back on their feet and recovering from the shock of the Japanese invasion threat. For the first time, Australians turned their backs on England and looked to America as Australia’s saviour. It was the beginning of a great love affair with American culture. Wright became part of it. During the 1930s, ideas on Modern architecture emanated from Europe. Sydney Ancher and Morton Herman cycled through Nazi Germany in 1932 to see the new architecture first hand and discovered an intensely rational architecture geared to industry based on an abstract machine aesthetic. Gone was William Morris’ Arts and Crafts medievalism.

Australia was still quite agricultural and earned its way on the back of its rural industries, though the war forced rapid industrialisation. Our outlook remained stubbornly rural. This was crucial to Wright’s reception in Australia.

His Welsh ancestors had established themselves around Spring Green in Wisconsin, in the United States’ Midwest isolated from the east and west coasts and insulated from international influences from Europe in the East, or Japan and China in the West. Americans inherited a distinctive democratic agricultural tradition.

Australians still struggled with their identity as cast-offs of England and were unsure. Writers, notably Patrick White and George Johnson, painters like Russell Drysdale and Sidney Nolan, explored what it meant to be Australian largely in terms of the landscape experience. Wright’s reliance on landscape appealed to these Sydney architects.

It never occurred to Wright’s Australian followers to question whether a style originating in Chicago’s snowbound Oak Park, expressing the boundless horizons of the Prairie, was appropriate to the scrubby woodlands and heaths of the North Shore’s dissected sandstone plateaus.

Wright’s stylistic evolution showed how landscape character demands a specialised response. Over more than 60 years, Wright had explored diverse landscapes across America. Before 1910, it was the early Prairie houses, later came the texture block Mayan style of Los Angeles followed by the Taliesin West desert mode of Arizona

words PhiliP drew PhoTogrAPhY mAX dUPAin

and Indian tepee themed houses. The arrival in the late 1930s of Mies van der Rohe and Gropius, resulted in a series of masterpieces in reinforced concrete such as Fallingwater, the Johnson Wax headquarters and research tower, and the Guggenheim museum.

The Australian response to Wright is interesting with respect to what was ignored. Wright’s Australian acolytes concentrated on his early Prairie houses and were little interested in his later work. Muller, in particular, absorbed the romantic Wright of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead , of the rugged maverick retreating into nature beneath heroically cantilevered roofs, rooms with mitred corner windows that exploded the box and whizzed interior space into the never-never outside.

A magnificent new Taschen book Frank Lloyd Wright with text by Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer, director of

FRANK LLOy D W RIGHT’s Australian imitators might have often missed the cultural underpinnings of Wright’s original work – but they helped inspire an awareness of landscape nevertheless.

the Frank Lloyd Wright archives in Arizona, demonstrates how varied and tuned in Wright was to individual landscapes. It also makes clear how Wright’s outlook was shaped by 19th Century transcendentalist American writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, and Henry David Thoreau, who have no counterparts in Australian literature. Wright was anchored in the American tradition, and his architecture is consequently inimitable. This is confirmed by attempts to repeat him. The Sydney School affected a confused amalgam of bush carpentry, Colonial Georgian and Modernist influences. The clientele in Australia was less affluent and less sophisticated and could rarely afford the extravagant details of Wright’s indulgent wealthy patrons.

The Audette House in 1952 is explicitly Wrightian. Muller’s own house on Bynya Road, Whale Beach, two years later, is less so. The Richardson House at Palm Beach, 1956, is demonstrably Wrightian to even the most uninformed observer. Designed to disappear into nature, Muller’s Whale

Beach house aspired to chameleon-like invisibility achieved by a pair of flooded roofs that mirror the surrounding trees and bush. Its diamond trusses were borrowed from the 1951 Jack Hillmer house on Belvedere Island in San Francisco’s Upper Bay in Marin County.

This is typical: Wright copies are so obvious. Bruce Rickard’s house at Warrawee in 1959, is conventionally Wrightian, it has a fireplace core, extended intersecting wings – all the characteristic signature features are there. Many neo-Wright imitators were working from publications and had not seen a Wright original; consequently they failed to sense the cultural underpinnings activating Wright. The Sydney houses are straight transplants, not genuine natives feeding on local nutrients. To see a Wright house in its landscape is to recognise Wright’s extraordinary talent to express the character of a site.

If he did little to strengthen selfconfidence, at the very least, Wright in Australia inspired awareness of landscape, which in turn, began the journey of finding forms that matched, rather than disregarded, realities such as climate, geology, materials, flora, and lifestyle, leading to an architecture that was emotionally responsive to the peculiar exoticism of physical Australia. Architecture, one is justified in calling Australian, done the Wright way.

It would be decades before the novelist E.M. Forster’s epigram, “Only connect”, bore fruit. Wright made us aware that architecture is not an act in isolation, a product solely of culture, but must also reach out and affirm its surroundings.

Philip Drew is a Sydney-based architectural historian and critic.

ABOVE AND RIGHT One of the most striking and celebrated features of Peter Muller’s Richardson House design is the circular skylight in the roof. The element – UFO-like when illuminated at night –admits daylight to a living space below that includes curvaceous banquette seating and joinery

The Australian response to Wright is interesting in respect to what was ignored.

PhiliP drew

One last thing

design ben van berkel of unstudio project ellipsicoon retreat pavilion contact revolutionprecrafted.com

As part of the ambitious Revolution Precrafted project, Ben Van Berkel of UNStudio has created an architectural delight in the Ellipsicoon Retreat Pavillion. Its open design, continuous curves, and varied elliptical openings pave the way for sunlight to filter into the sunken seating area at its heart, as well as simultaneously creating a sense of being both inside and outside. Crafted from completely recyclable high-density polyethylene, the pavilion is designed to be a secluded hideaway where users can find a moment of solace and relaxation from the everyday.

text Christina rae

image COUrtesY OF Unst UdiO

Design by Jon Gasca