SIRIUS-ly : BRUTAL BOTOX

Thi si sat hr eepar ts er i esof ac r adl et oc r adl eex pl or at i onofSI RI US

Muder aVai s hnavi Bopi ah 51 22601 Des i gnSt udi oY2/ S1 UNSW BE201 8

ON A SIRIUS NOTE

RESEARCH SUMMARY Urban Condition : A Resilient Life Design Studio 2018

BRUTALIST MASTERPIECE

HARBOUR EYESORE

SLUMS IN THE SKY

“IT WAS A FUN THING”

CONCRETE POETRY

DEMOCRATIC HOUSING

A TURNING POINT

CHICKEN BOXES

“IT’S ALIEN”

ORIGINS DESIGN SIGNIFICANCE PERSPECTIVES DEMISE NEXT

“Sirius was built to house a broad, inclusive community. The building

wanted to give people a new, dignified, life. On one of the tours, I went into the foyer and went into the gardens and here was a building that was 40 years old, that was like the day it was built. Now buildings are only like that when the community loves them. The foyer of Sirius is a remarkable work. It really is a community room for the building. Sirius is a model of how you can build public housing for society, and not just as real estate.”

— Philip Thalis opening address – This is Sirius.

ORIGINS

In a city as vain as Sydney, Sirius was always going to be problematic: it is a series of grey concrete boxes stacked one atop the other, the bruising geometry of which – right angle upon right angle upon right angle – was taken by many as an insult, even a provocation.

Sirius embodied a uniquely Australian egalitarianism, whereby poor and working-class people could enjoy waterfront views, side by side with the millionaires.

Sirius was built in response to community opposition to Sydney Cove Redevelopment Authority plans to demolish historic buildings along the western side of Circular Quay in order to build high-rise office towers. The community was supported by the 1970s Green Bans. The building was listed by the National Trust in 2014 for its architectural and social significance. Sirius has a long and strong association with past and present residents of the Millers Point and The Rocks community, including descendants of maritime workers.

ORIGINS 36-50 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, NSW COMMISSION : 1975 COMPLETION : 1980 BRIEF : Housing for people displaced by redevelopment The building is located on a site that is within a statutory heritage conservation area of predominantly single storey 19th century houses and early twentieth century warehouses and public houses. The building replaced a bond store erected in 1920. The World Heritage listing of the Sydney Opera in 2007 included a Buffer Zone and the Sirius building sits within that buffer zone.

DESIGN

Located on a 3,647sqm site, the stepped Sirius building form currently comprises 11 storeys tapering down to the north and south. The existing building comprises 79 units of varying configurations with over 70 basement car spaces.

75% of the building is 5 storeys or less. The building is constructed of concrete, with an in-situ frame and precast panels. The floors are concrete floor slabs. The Sirius building was initially intended to have a white finish to echo the Opera House, but due to budget constraints, the building remained in grey off-the-form concrete.

The design is practical and beautiful; with murals in the entrance inspired by Spanish cave paintings, a photographic mural of the city skyline captured in 1978 hangs in the community room and pictures of the Harbour Bridge in various stages of completion adorn the walls of each of the floors.

The Sirius building was designed with level security lift access and built-in distress alarms.

Its design includes public spaces that encourage interaction between residents. Its entrances, corridors and courtyards, and its rooftop gardens and communal rooms all encourage people to interact with one another. A combination of private and public spaces and a mix of different age groups have helped the residents of Sirius to form a strong and successful public housing community. The fire escapes in the main tower are double helix.

AGED UNIT

TWO BEDROOM SPLIT LEVEL UNIT

DESIGN

FOUR BEDROOM SPLIT LEVEL UNIT

Courtesy : AIA NSW Chapeter Digital Archive

SIGNIFICANCE

HISTORIC & SOCIAL EVALUATION The Sirius Apartments were funded, designed and built by the NSW State Government to house community members of Millers Point who were displaced by redevelopment. To ensure this occurred a union ‘Green Ban’ was placed on the site by Jack Mundey and the Builders’ Labourers Federation.

The construction of the Sirius demonstrated the power of the Union’s Green bans in protecting the historic built environment in Sydney. It demonstrated the process of rehousing people displaced by redevelopment, as subsequently resident displaced from Woolloomooloo were housed in the block.

The housing block has a direct, strong and special association with the Rocks/Millers Point Community of long-term residents and direct descendants of maritime workers that the public housing in the area was initially created for.

CULTURAL & AESTHETIC EVALUATION The Sirius apartment building is a rare and intact example of late Brutalist architecture in Australia as applied to late 20th century social housing.

Described in magazine Concrete (Issue 11) as ‘a bold and exceptional experiment in low-income public housing’, the design was a conscious attempt to reduce the monolithic nature of most high-rise residential development.

Photograph by Tim Lebacq 2015

CANONICAL EVALUATION Sirius was also well known for a hand painted sign on a white fabric announcing ‘One Way! Jesus’ was displayed in the window of Unit 74 facing the Bridge for more than 15 years.

“The apartment is like an oven in summer,” said the tenant, Owen McAloon. Hence, he needed something to provide him with some privacy and also block out the sun.

“The sign is my way of saying thank you,” he says. “I believe that God put me here in this apartment.

The last tenant of Sirius, Myra, displayed red lights outside her window which were turned on during the Vivid festival with the ‘SOS’ sign, becoming a beacon, and an announcement for her to meet with the commission to save her house.

Photograph by Jane W 2016

Photograph by Peter Braig 2016

PERSPECTIVES : HIM

Now 77, the closet showman of the Sirius building, architect Tao Gofers jokes “my career started now.”

Gofers’s design, which is influenced by Moshe Safdie’s Habitat 67 in Montreal, “marked a turning point in public housing design with a refocus on the needs of the tenants and a commitment to providing safe and comfortable accommodation for housing commission residents.”

“This project nurtured the community.”

“You can’t look at buildings from your old perspective. You have to actually solve the problem.”

“I love the building, but the thing is – it was never a deep philosophical thing with me. It was a fun thing. But, the minute we finished the building, I regretted it.”

“I didn’t even realise that what I was doing was brutalist.”

Photograph by Alisha Gore 2018

PERSPECTIVES : HER

At the age of 91, legally blind Myra Demetriou was the last remaining tenant in the Sirius building.

She became the face of a determined Sirius, calling for government to recognize the building’s architectural and social significance. Myra joined forces with local advocacy group Save Our Sirius, spoke at State Parliament, gave interviews to the press, and opened her home to 2,000 Sirius enthusiasts eager to show their solidarity.

“There has to be room in the city for everyone!”

“I liked it even before I came into it because there are no steps. It was built purposefully for people like myself.”

“There are so many young people I have met, and they give me hope for the future.”

“All we can do is tell the story of this place and the people and hope people listen.”

PERSPECTIVES : THEM

Launched in August 2016, SOS - Save our Sirius is a campaign to save Sirius, the flats built for the community that saved The Rocks from demolition in the 1970s.

On 8 April 2017, with financial support from more than 600 people, Save Our Sirius challenged the current NSW Government in the Land and Environment Court, with the intention of blocking the sale and demolition of the housing block next to the Harbour Bridge.

“Sirius showed how high-density living can be successful.”

“An extraordinary story of survival against the odds.”

“Democracy is not a passive thing.”

“Are we to live in the only major city in the world without social housing?”

DEMISE

1980 - 2017

‘Aggressive social cleansing’ A government-driven revitalisation project is turning public housing – including the Sirius building – into private developments.

After declining to heritage-list the public housing block for a second time in October, the tower could now make way for a brand new 85-apartment apartment tower with views of the Sydney harbour.

The new owner is entitled to demolish or adapting the building in its current state for residential, commercial and retail use up to 8420 sqm of gross floor space and across two to four storeys.

The height of the building must not exceed the height of the Sydney Harbour Bridge deck.

This height restriction will ensure any building approved on the site fits in with the character of the surrounding buildings.

It also has to meet design excellence and new development at the site must include ground level street activation.

Photograph by Karin Gottschalk 2017 (Above) Photograph by Nick Porter 2017 (Below)

NEXT

FLEXIBLE SPACE

PSEUDO SIRIUS

COMMUNITY LIVING

INTERACTION

RESILIENCE

INTERGENERATIONAL LIVING

KEEPING THE MEMORY ALIVE

POETIC EXPRESSION OF LIFE

POROUS GROUND PLANE

Courtesy : Dezeen

Precedent 01

MINI’S CO-LIVING

Location : Shanghai, China Architects : MINI + Nova Property Investment Co.

The MINI living building in Shanghai will transform a disused industrial complex into apartments, offices and leisure spaces.

The MINI living complex will comprise six renovated buildings that will form a new urban neighbourhood including co-living accomodation offered on short, medium and extended tenancies.

The building will offer accomodation, bookable workspaces and services including vehicles for shared use that aim to optimise the use of space in an urban context.

Courtesy : Dezeen

Courtesy : Dezeen

Precedent 02

INSTANT CITY

Location : Manhattan, New York Architects : Beomki Lee and Chang Kyu Lee

Instant City celebrates multi-dimensional interaction between habitants and city structure, while maintaining the habitants’ daily activities within the condition of new urban life.

The design consists of a white, modular, grid-like structure built atop existing low-rise buildings. The building would contain cubic affordable housing units, combined with public spaces for community-based activities.

The public areas would occupy sloped platforms called Living Surfaces, where residents would be encouraged to interact and share their culture. The types of modules for these spots include stairs, playgrounds and gardens.

The building has a flexible configuration that responds to the varying levels of density allowed for an individual building site.

Courtesy : Dezeen

Courtesy : Archdaily

Precedent 03

ONE SHARED HOUSE 2030

Creators : SPACE10 - Anton & Irene Company : IKEA, New York

This is a playful research project presented as a website asking members of the public to “apply” for acceptance to imagined co-living community in the year 2030, outlining their preferences for the types of people they would like to live with, the way they would like the community to be organized, and the things they would be willing to share with others.

SPACE10 hopes that the research project will provide information on whether co-living could offer potential solutions to issues such as rapid urbanization, loneliness, and the growing global affordable housing crisis.

To date, there have been over 7,000 responses, from people in almost 150 countries. though there’s an equal split of men and women, 85 percent of respondents are 18–39 years old. most respondents are either single or in childless relationships.

REFERENCES ArchDaily, 2012. ArchDaily : 2 En 1 : Intergenerational House / TICA architecture. [Online] Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/583125/2-en-1-intergenerational-house-tica-architecture [Accessed 12 March 2018].

Bleby, M., 2016. Financial Review : Tao Gofers, the closet showman behind Sydney’s Sirius building. [Online] Available at: http://www.afr.com/leadership/tao-gofers-the-closet-showman-behind-sydneys-sirius-building-20161007-grx54i [Accessed 12 March 2018].

Boyd, N., 2016. Architecture Bulletin : Saving The Sirius is Hard to do. [Online] Available at: http://architecturebulletin.com.au/winter-spring-2016/saving-the-sirius-is-hard-to-do/ [Accessed 12 March 2018].

Central Sydney, 2017. The Daily Telegraph. [Online] Available at: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/central-sydney/sirius-building-architect-tao-gofers-vows-to-keepfighting-nsw-government-over-knockdown/news-story/591c21fe56cf48129dd1cbfead8e2c03 [Accessed 9 March 2018].

Cheng, L., 2017. Architecture AU : Tour Sydney’s Sirius building with Tao Gofers. [Online] Available at: https://architectureau.com/articles/tour-sydneys-sirius-buidling-with-architect-tao-gofers/ [Accessed 9 March 2018].

Cummins, C., 2017. The Sydney Morning Herald. [Online] Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/start-of-a-new-era-for-sydney-s-sirius-building-20171207-p4yxib. html [Accessed 15 March 2018].

Frearson, A., 2011. Dezeen : City in the building. [Online] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2011/11/18/the-city-in-the-building-by-adept-and-luplau-poulsen/ [Accessed 15 March 2018].

Gore, S. S. a. A., 2016. Assemble Papers : This Vertical Life. [Online] Available at: http://assemblepapers.com.au/2016/11/18/people-power-saving-sirius/ [Accessed 14 March 2018].

Green Bans, 2014. Green Bans. [Online] Available at: http://greenbans.net.au/actions-now/sirius-building-the-rocks [Accessed 14 March 2018].

John Dunn, B. P. A. P., 2017. Sirius. Sydney: Piper Press.

McKnight, J., 2017. Dezeen : Instant City. [Online] Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2017/04/20/beomki-lee-chang-kyu-lee-envision-instant-city-living-air-right-affordablehousing-for-abandoned-airspace-new-york/?li_source=LI&li_medium=bottom_block_1 [Accessed 15 March 2018].

Millers Point Community, 2014. Save our community. [Online] Available at: http://millerspointcommunity.com.au/save-our-community/ [Accessed 14 March 2018].

Neustein, D., 2017. The Monthly. [Online] Available at: https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2017/june/1496239200/david-neustein/sos [Accessed 14 March 2018].

Rodrigo, R., 2015. Aesthetics as a practical ethic. Fabrications, 25(2), pp. 234-261.

Save Our Sirius, 2015. Save Our Sirius. [Online] Available at: http://saveoursirius.org/why-sirius-matters/ [Accessed 14 March 2018].

Tan, S.-L., 2017. Financial Review : Sirius apartment building for sale. [Online] Available at: http://www.afr.com/real-estate/sirius-apartment-building-at-sydneys-the-rocks-for-sale-20171207-h00d5r [Accessed 15 March 2018].

WMF, 2018. World Monuments Fund : On my watch. [Online] Available at: https://www.wmf.org/blog/my-watch-last-resident-sirius-myra-demetriou [Accessed 12 March 2018].

WHY SO SIRIUS ?

SITE ANALYSIS Urban Condition : A Resilient Life Design Studio 2018

CONCRETE JUNGLE

FIGURE GROUND

NEIGHBOURS

LAND USE RESIDENTIAL

RETAIL

COMMERCIAL

RECREATION

HOTEL / LODGING

PUBLIC / CIVIC

SUNNY EDGES

NORTH-WEST WINDS IN THE MORNING

SOUTH WINDS IN THE AFTERNOON

SUN AND WIND ANALYSIS

HOW DO WE GET THERE ?

B

P

B

P

B B

P B

P F

T

F

F

F

F

P T B

B

B

BICYCLE FRIENDLY ROUTE SYDNEY METRO LINE OPTIMAL WALKING DISTANCE FROM SITE TO CIRCULAR QUAY PUBLIC TRANSPORT (10 min.)

B

BUS STOPS

F

FERRY TERMINALS

P

PARKING FACILITY

HOT WHEELS

ON

KS

HIC

RD

ST

D

NR

SO

K HIC

OR

GE

AN ERL MB CU

CA

HIL

LE

XP

RE

SS

DS

T

WA Y

LO W

ER

ST

FO

RT

GE

ARGYL

E ST

HIGHWAY PRIMARY TRAFFIC FLOW SECONDARY TRAFFIC FLOW

WE DONT WALK AS THE CROW FLIES

ON

KS

HIC

RD

HIC

ST RT FO

MB

TE

R

W AL

K

CU

CA

HIL

LE

XP

ERL

RE

AN

SS

DS

T

WA Y

LO W

ER

ST

PLAY FAIR S

T

ES UC GL O l llll llll l llll llll

TRAFFICKED FOOTPATHS POTENTIAL FOOTPATHS FORESHORE WALK

RD

GE

E ST

ON

KS

OR

GE

ARGYL

7

F

G

D 6

8 E 9

PLACES OF INTEREST

1. SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE 6. GLENMORE HOTEL

PUBLIC OPEN SPACES

A. ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS F. BARANGAROO RESERVE

10

2. CUSTOMS HOUSE 7. ROSLYN PACKER THEATRE B. FIRST FLEET PARK G. H. DAWES POINT PARK

3 8.

POPULAR KIDS H

K

100m

300m

500m

700m

1

4

3 5 C

A B

2

3. OVERSEAS PASSENGER TERMINAL . SYDNEY OBSERVATORY C. BARNEY & BLIGH RESERVE K. HICKSON ROAD RESERVE

4. TORRENS UNIVERSITY 9. SYDNEY HARBOUR YHA

D. FOUNDATION PARK

5. CADMANS COTTAGE 10. SUSANNAH PLACE

E. OBSERVATORY PARK

8m slope

CONTOURS

1

2

3

3

RL 45.810 RL 44.310

SITE BOUNDARY

2

1.5m

1

SITE BOUNDARY

EXISTING BUILDING HEIGHT RL 61.700

EXISTING BUILDING HEIGHT RL 45.160 SHB WALKWAY HEIGHT PLANE

EXISTING BUILDING HEIGHT RL 32.750

RL 23.810

RL 18.672

SHB PATH WALK

CUMBERLAND ST

PATH

SITE

GLOUCESTER WALK

THIS IS SIRIUS

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Urban Condition : A Resilient Life Design Studio 2018

GENESIS PEOPLE SPACES PROPOSAL

GENESIS When ‘Sirius’ first came about, it became the definition of public housing in Sydney. The new design brief will explore new models of intergenerational living co-living and co-working : creating a life-cycle of a self sustainable community - A Resilient Life.

HOMAGE

To keep the memory of Sirius alive, a few of the Brutalist boxes will be retained with the same internal layout and converted into co-working spaces. The new functional boxes will be designed on either side of the concrete boxes to create a sense of historic continuum Pseudo Sirius / Myra’s Home.

RESIDE

A place of residence ; of living spaces overlooking social spaces, with the interaction between different age groups.

COMM:UNITY

The ground floor plane will be pedestrianised consisting of spaces for congregartion, intercation and recreation. The porousity of this plane will allow thoroughfares creating crossovers through the site.

Community gardens, community kitchens, produce markets will create a self sustainable community ‘to feed and to be fed’. The act of teaching, learning and making will create a sense of togetherness.

Recreational spaces like jungle gyms at different levels for the children, a child care centre with an aqua spa, book reading zones where the old will read to the young, a rooftop cinema, an open air theatre for engagement and entertainment will serve as acceleartors for the complex.

Share bikes and carpool pods will be organized along the urban route of the site to help ease traffic around the complex.

BEACON

The ‘SOS’ lights and ‘One way! Jesus’ were strong personal expressions from the community in the past. Recreating similar expressions as lighting installations or a sculpture on the facade facing the harbour will create a beacon on site.

ACTIVITY

retaining few one bedoom modules of the Sirius and converting them into co-working spaces.

*co-living *residential units *child care centre

*recreational spaces *jungle gyms

*pet park

*community engagement *open air theatre

*community garden + kitchen *produce market

*rooftop cinema

*library *book sharing *book readings

*co-working spaces *flexible work zones

*workshop space *performance space *memory museum

PEOPLE POPULATION 5.3% 79.8% 14.9%

UNDER 15 15 - 65 65+

FAMILIES 75%

CHILDLESS COUPLES COUPLES WITH KIDS 15+

13% 9% 3%

COUPLES WITH KIDS 15ONE PARENT FAMILIES

INCOME GROUPS 49%

PROFESSIONALS 23%

MANAGERS

12%

ADMINISTRATIVE WORKERS

6% 3% 7%

COMMUNITY WORKERS LABOURERS OTHERS

HOUSING 66%

RENTERS 24% 10%

PUBLIC HOUSING OTHERS

Courtesy : www.microburbs.com

Scanned with CamScanner

DILO 01

Scanned with Ca

DILO 02

bridging the gap

physical

functional

self sustainable life cycle

old

middle

young

LIVING ANEW

physical

social

financial

barrier-free design environmental

emotional

spiritual

place to call ‘home’

Intergenerational living is an innovative

concept based upon the idea that the blending of families with school age children, young adults and seniors in social living activities builds a community that enhances our understanding of one another.

pseudo sirius gallery space

celebrating the stepped blocks

“well designed lobby harnessing harbour views�

n

TETRIS

to feel young again

for servant spaces (circulation elements + breakout spaces)

to feel young again

spaces to collide & intera

spaces to collide & interact

social living activities

live & feel like a family

to feel young again

spaces to collide & interact

social living activities

spaces to collide & interact

social living activities

live & feel like a family

SPACES All areas in sq.m

Lobby Info centre Waiting space

100

Community hall

100

Exhibition space

100

Theatre

100

Co-working spaces

200

Cafeteria

80

Workshops

160

Mini Market

60

Library

200

Apartments

Clinic

100

1 bed

50

Child Care

140

2 bed

80

3 bed

100

EXISTING 79 UNITS

V/S

NEW 68 UNITS 15 % + GENEROSITY

exercise

book-sharing / library

leisure

workshop

flexible offices

exercise

leisure

workshop

workshop

apartments

flexible offices

play area

workshop

book-sharing / library

COLLISION

workshop

exercise

flexible offices

book-sharing / library

leisure

workshop

workshop

flexible offices

apartments

workshop

apartments

lobby

play area

circulation

play area store

lobby

circulation

store

4

3

cum

berla

nd s

treet

PROPOSAL 1 1:500

1 LOBBY 2 CONVENIENCE STORE 3 COMMUNITY LIBRARY 4 CHILD CARE

gloucester walk

foundation park

1 2

collide collide

co

w

enter enter cum

berla

nd s

treet

gloucester walk

enter

foundation park

ollide collide

wa lk

lk wa

enter

SPACES ILLUSTARTED

FINAL PROPOSAL

GROUND PLANE EXPLORATION

PROPOSED ENTRY POTENTIAL ENTRY POTENTIAL JOURNEYS POTENTIAL URBAN CONNECT VIEW CONES TO THE ROCKS / HARBOUR

MASSING

9

8

PODIUM LEVEL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

MINI MARKET CAFETERTA OUTDOOR SEATING ADMIN COMMUNITY HALL LOBBY INFO CENTRE LIBRARY APARTMENTS

5 3 4 6 7

2

1

11 2

2 3

3

LOWER GROUND 1 2 3 4

CLINIC PHARMACY CHILD CARE LIBRARY

4

LEVEL 1 1 BTS WORKSPACE 2 GREEN ROOF

LEVEL 2 1 WORKSHOPS 2 EXHIBITION SPACE 3 THEATRE

1 2

1

3

2

1

1

1

1

CUMBERLAND STREET

LOWER GROUND

BASEMENT 1

BASEMENT 2

WORKSHOP SLICE

GLOUCESTER WALK

WORKSHOPS

EXHIBITION SPACE

READING ROOM + CHILD CARE

BUILT ENVIRONMENT The grey blocks represent the existing blocks of Sirius and the brown blocks represent the new additions made to the existing complex to give it a facelift !