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MIX TWO

We believe that each of our projects offers a unique combination of client, site and context, and each deserves an individually crafted design response. We join with our clients on a journey of discovery – the search for an innovative solution which feels inevitable and likely to endure through a long and useful life. In Journal we open the doors to our culture, our process and our everyday discoveries. We want to share our thinking, and ignite an ongoing conversation between our clients, our collaborators and our team.

Journal is open to anyone who has an interest in architecture and how the disciplines of design are shaping our cities. Mix Two presents a selection of work which demonstrates our determination to make each project individual, appropriate and enduring.

We invite you to join the conversation and visit Journal online at

http://journal.batessmart.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Marg HearnIn this issue of JOURNAL, Marg Hearn, director of freelance writing company - a word or two - captured the insights of collaborative partners and clients to mark Bates Smart’s 160 years in ‘Behind the curtain wall’ (pages 35-41). Her work has been published in international magazines: Frame and Mark and throughout Australia in industry, custom and newsstand publications in the design, architecture, construction and property space.

Jeffery CopolovDebra Low ChoyPeta Michaelides

This publication is printed with vegetable-based inks on paper stock that is manufactured using elemental chlorine-free pulp sourced from plantation grown timbers.

Both printer and paper manufacturer are accredited to ISO 14001, the internationally recognised standard for environmental management.

CREDITS

DESIGN

Cornwell

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND VISUALISERS

Peter BennettsBrett BoardmanPeter ClarkeMarcus ClintonRichard DrewTom EvangelidisSean FennessyRichard GloverJohn GollingsAlexandra GrayJung Soo KimShannon McGrathTrevor Mein

Peta MichaelidesMark RoperCrown LimitedEnstructFloodslicerDee KramerState Library of Victoria, Latrobe Picture CollectionThe University of Melbourne Archives, Bates Smart CollectionBates Smart Archives

PICTURED

Crown Towers Podium, Melbourne, concept sketchCover:Crown Towers Podium, Melbourne, façade detail

JOURNAL/ISSUE 04

03CRYSTAL UNVEILING

171 Collins StreetMelbourne

08ADVANCE TOKEN TO MAYFAIR

Evans & PartnersMelbourne

13SWEEPING GESTURES, BOLD MOVE

Clayton Utz1 Bligh Street, Sydney

19CLAYTON UTZCanberra, ACT

20LANDCOM

Parramatta, Sydney

21GOODMAN

Castlereagh Street, Sydney

23MAHOGANY MYSTIQUE

Crown Mahogany RoomSouthbank, Melbourne

29CROWN CLUB 23

Southbank, Melbourne

30ELEGANCE REINTERPRETED

35 Spring StreetMelbourne

35BEHIND THE CURTAIN WALL

Bates Smart’s 160 YearsMarg Hearn

42PROJECT 177

North Sydney

43180 THOMAS STREET

Haymarket, Sydney

44WORKPLACE CULTURE IS ON FACEBOOK

FacebookKing Street, Sydney

46ENLIGHTENED LIVING

Inner HouseDarlinghurst, Sydney

50GOING WITH THE FLOW

BohemeBondi, Sydney

52SUITE SPOT

Pier OneSydney

54ECO-LUXE LIVING

ConvessoVictoria Harbour, Melbourne

58STUDENT LIFE IN THE CITY

IgluRegent Street, Chippendale, Sydney

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171 COLLINS STREET MELBOURNE

CRYSTAL UNVEILING

Victoria’s first 6 Star Green Star Premium commercial building

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“We are extremely proud of this significant achievement which solidifies 171 Collins Street’s position as a world leader

in sustainable design; a building that is superior in both architecture and environmental credentials.”

ADRIAN TAYLOR Chief Executive Officer

Charter Hall Office REIT

PICTURED

171 Collins Street, Melbourne, atrium 171 Collins Street, Melbourne, view from Collins Street 171 Collins Street, Melbourne, entry from Flinders Lane 171 Collins Street, Melbourne, façade from Flinders Lane 171 Collins Street, Melbourne, atriumPrevious page:171 Collins Street, Melbourne from Southbank

On the inside the building is a place of respite, of cool, awesome serenity. The ground floor lobby and nine-storey-high folded travertine and glass-clad central atrium glistens and entertains the light like a crystalline cave, a world away from the frenetic retail and business hub.

The atrium defines the gap between the old Mayfair Building and the new tower. Undulating ribbons of glass break through the glass ceiling rising up 18-storeys high. The urban context is threaded through via a new pedestrian link between Collins Street and the vibrant atmosphere of Flinders Lane.

171 Collins Street redefines commercial office benchmarks having been awarded the coveted 6 star Green Star – Office Design (v2) Certified Rating from the Green Building Council of Australia representing ‘World Leadership’ in environmentally sustainable design. It is Victoria’s first PCA Six Star Premium Grade building.

171 COLLINS STREET MELBOURNE

Developed directly out of the richness of its inner city location and opened in June 2013, the crystalline tower of 171 Collins Street, long awaited, now glistens on Melbourne’s skyline.

We designed an unassuming backdrop to St. Paul’s and a facade that would echo the neighbouring pattern language of architectural detailing, setbacks and masonry workmanship.

The Cathedral’s fine architecture can now be clearly discerned against the elegant white glass of the building. The façade glass frit provides a quiet background to St Paul’s Cathedral – like a piece of sky or an undulating curtain drawn down behind it.

Never ignoring the history of the site and its surrounds, every detail has been carefully thought through, crafted and resolved to create a contemporary partner for the Mayfair Building and the Flinders Lane urban context.

PICTURED

171 Collins Street, Melbourne, atrium 171 Collins Street, Melbourne, Collins Street entry 171 Collins Street, Melbourne, Flinders Lane entry stairs 171 Collins Street, Melbourne, atrium

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PICTURED420 George Street, commercial lobbyOpposite page:420 George Street, towerPrevious page:420 George Street, commercial lobby

EVANS & PARTNERS MELBOURNE

ADVANCE TOKEN TO MAYFAIR

The professional, attentive, corporate qualities of

private investment

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EVANS & PARTNERS MELBOURNE

Nestled behind the restored Romanesque Revival façade of the Mayfair building and embraced by the cool, sophisticated atrium of 171 Collins Street, a fresh boutique office space has brought new life to the much admired, grand heritage building.

The 1,700sqm workspace over 7 levels is occupied by Evans and Partners, an independent Australian-owned investment house. With a philosophy of providing clients with a personalised approach to investment, the Evans brief was to create a professional and comfortable environment for staff and clients to express the practice’s proud traditions and values.

The new office personifies worldly knowledge, culture, elegance and discretion. The intimate consulting spaces evoke a constant, quiet confidence avoiding speculation, set in stark contrast to the dynamic and ever-changing investment industry.

These moments of intimacy, in what is actually a thriving professional inner-city workplace for 100 staff, which underline Evans and Partners’ approach - tailored individual services delivered with transparency, attentiveness and integrity.

The interior detailing echoes simplicity and tradition with a twist; tied together across a neutral palette, opportunities have been seized to inject richness and personality with artwork, objet, antique furnishings, textiles and even utensils and appliances.

Staff and client gathering areas have been located to celebrate the dramatic views of Collins Street; clients are invited to take care of personal business whilst they’re in the City. Above the hustle and bustle that echoes the fast pace of the investment market, the calm reassurance of Evans and Partners’ workplace interior seems to hover in time.

PICTURED

171 Collins Street, Melbourne, Mayfair Building Evans & Partners, Melbourne, boardroom Evans & Partners, Melbourne, reception Evans & Partners, Melbourne, client floorFollowing page:Evans & Partners, Melbourne, workspace Evans & Partners, Melbourne, breakout area Evans & Partners, Melbourne, corridor detail Evans & Partners, Melbourne, corridor Evans & Partners, Melbourne, meeting room Evans & Partners, Melbourne, kitchen

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CLAYTON UTZ 1 BLIGH STREET, SYDNEY

SWEEPING GESTURES,

BOLD MOVEReflecting the changing nature of legal practice

“We’ve been here a month and I can already see the difference - people can see

what’s happening on other floors and there’s a heightened sense of being part of a whole.”

JULIE LEVISManaging Partner, Clayton Utz

PICTURED

Clayton Utz, Sydney, stair to receptionPrevious page:Clayton Utz, Sydney, stair overlooking atrium

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CLAYTON UTZ 1 BLIGH STREET, SYDNEY

Clayton Utz Head Office is located in Australia’s first 6 Star Green Star high-rise building at 1 Bligh Street, Sydney.

The base building design was a joint venture between Ingenhoven and Architectus. Bates Smart worked collaboratively with the architects and the builder, Grocon, to develop a fully integrated fitout of 23,000sqm over 15 levels.

The architectural language of 1 Bligh Street was a strong starting point for the project. Bates Smart’s design concept expresses the synergy between the building and Clayton Utz, referencing the shared qualities of integrity, transparency and endurance.

To achieve the strategic aims of our client we worked together with Ingenhoven to modify the base building atrium façade, mechanical systems, ceiling treatments and the design of bathrooms along with access doors to the entertainment terraces.

Two client floors are linked with a dramatic stair sweeping down beside the atrium while the meeting rooms on these floors take advantage of the dress circle views over Circular Quay to the harbour.

Legal floors are ringed with highly transparent perimeter offices enabling the clear glazed external façade to admit maximum natural light to work areas with the added benefit of views for all.

The interior represents the next generation of legal workplace with strong design cues being drawn from the architecture and palette of the base building to produce a seamless integrated whole.

Flexibility has been incorporated to enable the premises to adapt to change whilst the design carries the enduring quality which will ensure these premises last as long as Clayton Utz’s last home designed by Bates Smart in 1992.

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PICTURED

Clayton Utz, Sydney, view from across the atrium Clayton Utz, Sydney, reception Clayton Utz, Sydney, meeting room Clayton Utz, Sydney, open library

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PICTURED

Clayton Utz, Sydney, staff cafe Clayton Utz, Sydney, outdoor terrace Clayton Utz, Sydney, libraryOpposite page:Clayton Utz, Canberra, reception Clayton Utz, Canberra, staff breakout area

CLAYTON UTZ CANBERRA

Capitalising on location

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CLAYTON UTZ CANBERRA

Capitalising on location

CLAYTON UTZ CANBERRA, ACT

Located on the top floor of the new Nishi Building, the workplace for Clayton Utz Canberra provides striking views across the Nation’s capital.

Planned around the concept of the ‘legal neighbourhood’ and inspired by high-end hotels, the project aesthetic maintains an understated elegance and professionalism in line with the organisation’s brand.

The interior is environmentally responsive, reinforcing the building’s eco-architecture, and takes full advantage of the daylight access and views. A patchwork of devices creates variations in light and shade throughout. The rich textures and patterns enhance the culture of sophistication and collaboration.

Custom-designed and fabricated open cubes form the sculptural and dynamic screen behind reception. Each cube is set and individually rotated in a stylised interpretation of the façade’s woven textures; the screen is also backlit to mimic the sense of natural light which is abundant throughout the workspace.

The office spaces are functional and efficiently planned with future flexibility for teaming and conversion in mind. Communal spaces are extended to clients for their own use. The result is an executive environment with a residential, welcoming and open quality.

Subtle design links are formed with the Head Office in Sydney. Our interior responds to the unique aspects of the building architecture, environmental performance opportunities, lakeside location and local practice methodologies.

PICTURED

Landcom, Parramatta, reception Landcom, Parramatta, breakout area Landcom, Parramatta, breakout area

LANDCOMMapping the

workplace landscape

LANDCOM PARRAMATTA, SYDNEY

One of the largest land developers in NSW, Landcom has been instrumental in developing the state. The familiarity of the Landcom brand confirms the impact of their planning and decisions on the quality and amenity of day-to-day community life in NSW.

Bates Smart won the design competition for Landcom’s new workplace by combining a conceptual response to the organisation’s identity with a planning approach which resolved the unconventional, elliptical floor plate.

Inspired by Landcom’s dedication to the creation of communities, communal spaces are the focus of the layout, reflecting the co-operative spirit between staff and business partners.

Our design responded to several key themes including community, mapping, scale, screening and contours, weaving Landcom’s influence over the State landscape into the interior design. The design vision permeates every aspect of the workplace.

Tracings of completed plans are etched into various surfaces throughout the fit out, linking to Landcom’s output and achievements.

PICTURED

Goodman, Sydney, reception Goodman, Sydney, reception Goodman, Sydney, breakout

GOODMAN SYDNEY

Through a competitive design process, Bates Smart proposed a design for Goodman’s new corporate headquarters that would affect real cultural change. An intensive briefing and strategic consultation process led Goodman to the view that a new workplace which incorporated Activity Based Workplace principles (ABW) would support future growth, flatten their organisational hierarchy and capitalise on under-utilised work space.

The planning of the two floors ensures that no one ‘owns the perimeter’, with no permanent workstation allocations and a clean-desk policy. Adopting the principles of ABW, a range of work settings is offered as well as personal storage for everyone in the organisation. A variety of spaces are distributed for meetings and project-based work, set up to avoid ‘colonisation’. A library provides a large quiet space for focussed work.

The design reflects Goodman’s values of integrity, transparency, efficiency, and collegiality. This project also demonstrates that ABW principles may be applied to smaller-scale workplaces. The design achieves a more restrained, and timeless aesthetic than that often seen in ABW projects.

GOODMANPositive cultural change for an

international company of high standing

CROWN MAHOGANY ROOM SOUTHBANK

MAHOGANY MYSTIQUE

Raising the stakes on opulence and luxury

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PICTURED

Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank, façade Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank, Porte Cochere Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank, Signature restaurant façade Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank, Crown Towers Hotel reception desk Previous page:Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank, view from Queensbridge Square

CROWN MAHOGANY ROOM SOUTHBANK, MELBOURNE

New expansion plans for the Mahogany Room were envisaged to ensure Crown remained a world benchmark, top-tier hospitality venue. Greater transparency and public interaction became a focal point for the brief, in order to provide improved guest experiences and a greatly enhanced urban realm around the Crown complex.

The project encompassed a redevelopment of the Porte Cochere and Crown Towers Hotel lobby, a new first-class gateway restaurant, a significantly expanded Mahogany Room — Crown’s Premium gaming venue — as well as a new roof-top club lounge. Generous open-air balconies were created for patrons to take full advantage of views across the River corridor to the spectacular CBD beyond.

The new podium façade in essence is the new front door to Crown. A rich and contextual language was developed to re-dress the podium, relating strongly to the existing Crown built form and providing a strong civic statement defining the edge of Queensbridge Square.

We designed a highly sculptural façade system which combines crafted and curved book-matched Teakwood sandstone panels with clear, slumped and corrugated triple-glazed glass cladding units. The varying textures and materials define a rhythm as they gently wrap around the podium, with varying levels of transparency and different lighting qualities which change when viewed from the street, or from within.

Each of the 29 meticulously hand-picked stone panels were carefully selected by colour, extent of patina and density of vein and then allocated a position within the curtain wall frame to achieve a precisely planned gradation.

The largest glazed curved units span five metres in height. The slumped glazed units are a first for Australia, achieved through bonding together two independent glass panels with no visible adhesion. The cladding is enhanced with an integrated lighting strategy providing a subtle golden colour to the façade and revealing the exquisite palette of materials.

The lowest glazed panels drop down to ground level completing the definition of the façade where it meets the street; openings become more prevalent, allowing for intermittent light and views through.

This unprecedented façade utilising the latest glazing technologies is evidence of Crown’s commitment to energy efficiency, international standards and high quality design.

The project has been awarded the International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) Awards 2013, Award of Excellence and the AIA Victorian State Awards, 2013, Sir Osborn McCutcheon Award for Commercial Architecture.

SOUTH ELEVATION

PICTURED

Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank, bar Crown Towers, Southbank, hotel lobby Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank, garden room Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank, bistro Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank, bar

CROWN MAHOGANY ROOM INTERIORS SOUTHBANK, MELBOURNE

The Crown Towers hotel lobby and Mahogany membership gaming room were refurbished in parallel with the architectural addition.

A distinctive interior threshold, in the form of a soaring six-metre high linear void separates the old building from the new. Here, skylights flood the previously internalised gaming salon with natural light. Full height living green walls flank the structural, sandstone-lined columns which define the entrance and herald a new energetic and colourful botanical aesthetic.

True to the room’s horse racing namesake, equestrian references are made in the bespoke stitched, woven and quilted leather wall linings and ceiling canopies, reminiscent of fine saddlery.

In keeping with the garden theme, an elaborate and finely crafted interior ‘pavilion’ structure is constructed from solid timbers, turned brass, and woven leather strapping. The ‘pavilion’ creates a generously appointed lounge bar leading to an expansive outdoor terrace taking full advantage of spectacular views to the river promenade and city beyond.

Bates Smart commissioned artworks from Australian sculptors Simeon Nelson, Carly Kotynski and Ewen Coates. These works make a bold contribution to the unique and luxuriously appointed interior which is both distinctly new yet in harmony with the heritage of the club environment.

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“Crown has a long standing, valued association with Bates Smart; entrusted with our leading world-class brand, their design work continues to raise the bar for luxury resorts on the global stage.”

ROWEN CRAIGIEChief Operating Officer, Crown Limited

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PICTURED

Crown Club 23, Southbank, terrace Crown Club 23, Southbank, bar Crown Club 23, Southbank, loungeOpposite page:Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank, guest check in Crown Towers, Southbank, hotel lobby Crown Mahogany Room, Southbank, lobby

CLUB 23 SOUTHBANK, MELBOURNE

Club 23 is a luxurious “ultra lounge” located atop Crown’s new Mahogany Room extension on Level 3 of Crown Towers Hotel, Melbourne.

Bates Smart has distilled the essence of the world’s most alluring clubs to create Melbourne’s most chic ultra lounge.

Sensuous and sensational, Club 23 is a truly desirable destination, uniquely positioned to capture the spectacular nightscape of the Yarra River Promenade and city beyond.

Access to the Club from the entry lobby has immediate impact: intricate metallic screens open into a charismatic space with mesmerising iridescent wall sculptures created by artist Anne-Marie May. The gold mosaic host desk and dazzling courtyard backdrop of illuminated trees introduce the glamorous retreat.

Textured surfaces were contrasted with smooth and sleek finishes such as gold glass and bronze mirror bar tops, faceted mirror panels and gold-anodised lights to create a sense of luxury and opulence. Solid timber, natural hides, antiqued brass and custom designed wool carpets add warmth and sophistication while complementing the jewel colour palette of ruby, amber, garnet and amethyst.

The main space features a stunning 4 metre illuminated handcrafted light feature designed by Bates Smart. This is the focal point of the space and hovers above a delicate tower of cut crystal vessels sculpted by local artist Corinna Berndt; its impact is secondary only to the spectacular panoramic vista.

CLUB 23The height of glamour

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35 SPRING STREET MELBOURNE

ELEGANCE REINTERPRETED

On the park and in the clouds

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PICTURED

35 Spring Street, MelbourneOpposite page:35 Spring Street, Melbourne, view from Treasury Gardens

35 SPRING STREET MELBOURNE

Evoking a ‘Central Park’ feeling due to its location opposite Melbourne’s magnificent Treasury and Fitzroy Gardens, 35 Spring Street is within walking distance of Melbourne’s finest designer boutiques, restaurants, five-star hotels and the city’s most diverse cultural precinct; 35 Spring Street’s lifestyle is set apart from other leading residential options.

The building design responds to Melbourne’s urban location, and also draws upon what we understand about how people want to live. 35 Spring Street offers a distinct lifestyle choice; it’s incredibly vibrant and cosmopolitan.

The 43-level tower at the intersection of Spring Street and Flinders Lane comprises generous and superbly appointed one, two and three bedroom apartments and penthouses.

Residents will have spectacular views on tap - over the Melbourne’s CBD and famous sporting precinct, its most established gardens, the Yarra River, the Dandenong Ranges and vistas across Port Phillip Bay.

Our vision for the project has been directly inspired by the precinct’s unique location and history, creating a building with a strong sculptural expression that will sit in the foreground of the iconic Treasury Gardens.

The materiality of the building expresses both the timeless dignity and civic architecture of Spring Street and the vibrant woven patterns of Flinders Lane facades, whilst reflecting residential occupancy in contrast to nearby commercial office buildings.

The vertical and horizontal façade pattern creates a woven veil over the surface of the building, defining framed views across the tower and lending a domestic quality to the building. Deeper frames at street and the upper podium levels reveal glimpses into the ground level lobby and pool area on Level 9. These are compelling contemporary spaces, full of light, focused on street activation and linked to the Treasury Gardens.

35 Spring Street is a new landmark for Melbourne and an urban sanctuary for residents.

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35 SPRING STREET MELBOURNE

The design of 35 Spring Street, from the façade to the lobby and apartment interiors, is a Twenty-First Century re-invention of modern design principles. The display suite is an atypical luxury residential experience – a snapshot of something enduring and desirable, even though it has a short life.

The design and interior planning of the apartments have the gift of the site’s outlook in mind as blank canvasses ready to be dressed with our human, residential touch. Imaginary individuals were cast in response to our client’s brief which was to style the three display apartments for a variety of buyer tastes.

We believe in real ‘lived in’ apartments featuring traditional high quality finishes and furnishings, showcasing sophisticated interiors with personality and spirit that we know prospective purchasers respond to – the warmth of an eclectic home.

It was our brief to table something different for our client – representative of the 3 colour schemes on offer, manifested in 3 imaginary purchasers: a self declared dot-com bachelor, a professional empty-nest couple recently returned from sabbatical in Africa, and an executive businesswoman, embracing all that is comfortable and joyous in pure materials and life’s sensory luxuries.

Our professional’s apartment is a delicate interior softly brushed with colour. Furniture is exquisitely upholstered, windows and beds dressed in natural linens. Each space is contemplative; each object has its place in time. The mirrors and lighting create subtle reflections and the whole apartment is further warmed by the rich amber lights of the city.

The bachelor neighbour has a burning passion for the sophistication and freedom of inner city living and working on the go. The apartment is furnished sparingly though it is comfortable. Familiar pieces such as the bentwood chairs are a reminder of a regular city hangout, and yet to prove his individuality, these ones have been finished with dip-dye paint to the top and bottom. The overall result is a casual, relaxed and more compassionate version of minimalism.

Mr and Mrs Smith returned from their travels abroad and even while their souvenirs were each handpicked for their uniqueness and foreign context, they still coexist with familiar domestic furnishings in aesthetic harmony. Soft muted tones, deep muddy shades and occasional pops of colour accentuate the personality of the couple who lives here.

The message is one of effortless simplicity making sure the materials and backdrop formed by the apartment shell can coexist with any occupant’s treasured pieces.

The consistent feedback on our holistic design approach to architecture and interiors is that the environments imbue a distinct quality and sense of peace and harmony.

The careful balance of natural materials and the fundamentals required for inner city living completed with careful placement of personal touches creates a feeling of calm and serenity, in spite of the buzz of the city outside.

PICTURED

35 Spring Street Display Suite, Melbourne, master bedroom 35 Spring Street Display Suite, Melbourne, bathroom 35 Spring Street Display Suite, Melbourne, lounge room 35 Spring Street Display Suite, Melbourne, study 35 Spring Street Display Suite, Melbourne, kitchen 35 Spring Street Display Suite, Melbourne, lounge room

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1853 – 2013

—

BEHIND THE

CURTAIN WALL

—After 160 years Bates Smart takes stock

of the business issues and drivers behind the architectural design process

—Throughout the course of Bates Smart’s 160-year history,

the practice has shown a noticeable ability to adapt to change and to deliver the amount of quality and service needed by

clients. “Creating appropriate architecture and uplifting spaces that will stand the test of time is about making the right decisions,” says Roger Poole, Bates Smart chairman.

And while the architect guides and takes a considered, ethical and responsible approach – it is the client as

the key decision maker who is a central part of the Bates Smart design team.

To mark the milestone – JOURNAL/ speaks to collaborators and clients about what counts for them.

JAMIE GOVENLOCK Director, Urbis Pty Ltd

BEYOND THE SITEInterdisciplinary consultancy firm Urbis has partnered with Bates Smart on the journey through the town planning permit process on numerous large-scale projects in Melbourne over the past 15 years.

During this period, Urbis director Jamie Govenlock believes the design practice has become noticeably “more plugged into our planning world.”

“It’s from this heightened vantage point that client-architect discussions are able to branch into issues not confined to site – albeit – project feasibility, economics or the physical, strategic and political framework,” he says.

—

“If the architect is good enough

and has a vision for that site,

they can take the developer along

for that journey.”—

JAMIE GOVENLOCK

“Once the architect and client get in to that zone of trust and a strategic advisory role – a site’s potential can be understood – and in one sense fees become irrelevant,” Govenlock suggests.

The developer and the architect can learn from one another, it’s not a case of the architect being right all the time, he cautions.

“If the architect is good enough and has a vision for that site, they can take the developer along for that journey.” He cites urban redevelopment project, Freshwater Place (2005) on Melbourne’s Southbank precinct as an apt example of how

“an enduring vision for a site” can be achieved – “something that is lasting and will make a positive contribution to the city’s layering and fabric over time.”

Notwithstanding the delivery of appropriate commercial and residential towers, “that process was all about demonstrating to the decision makers – that what we were delivering not only works on the ground level but would set the benchmark in terms of the treatment of other important pedestrian realms on the edge of the city.”

It’s those types of outcomes that have contributed to Bates Smart’s reputation as “having a safe pair of hands,” reflects Govenlock.

At the end of the day - people understand there is going to be urban change – it’s when that change is going to be quality – that stakeholders are more receptive, he says.

“People recognise that Bates Smart have been around for a long time – that means you are doing something right.”

—

Fres

hwat

er P

lace

, Mel

bour

ne

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DAVID WILSON General Manager, Commercial Development, Goodman International Limited

COST CONTROLDeveloping and leasing commercial space day in day out is core business for Goodman, a publically listed commercial and industrial property trust.

In briefing Bates Smart for the fit-out of their new head office in Castlereagh Street Sydney, David Wilson, Goodman general manager Commercial Development says, “we knew commercial spaces; we knew what was out there, what was happening and what we liked.”

While the firm had decided on an Activity-Based-Working (ABW) environment, Wilson says, they recognised assistance was needed to explore how ABW could be tailored to Goodman’s unique requirements – both design-wise and operationally. They also wanted different types of spaces incorporated and the capacity for future growth. The footprint size however, needed to remain unchanged – to keep overhead costs fixed.

“Although we had come out of the GFC on the other side – cost control was paramount – and it still very much is,” Wilson admits.

“The budget was pointed out to Bates Smart from day one. It was then up to the architects to make sure that we could achieve a space that looked good but wasn’t seen to be ostentatious in any way – and that would allow our investors and customers on arrival – to understand what Goodman did,” he says.

As with any budget, “things are constantly being pushed and pulled,” Wilson says.

“Bates Smart weren’t precious about certain design aspects – there were some things they wanted to stay in budget – and there were other things that they were happy to work with us on,” he recalls. “It wasn’t the first design that was put to us – we worked together to get what we wanted.”

JONATHAN GLIKSTEN Director, Iglu Pty Ltd

GROUND UPThe realisation of “remarkable accommodation at a sustainable price” was the challenge set by Iglu director, Jonathan Gliksten in the development of “hotel” product for students. Iglu is based on the idea of “not only meeting functional accommodation requirements – but of also offering a place for community, social interaction and fun in amenities that provide residents with convenience, an uplifting experience and a lifestyle base,” Gliksten enthuses. Setting his sights on Iglu product becoming the “first choice” for the increasingly discerning student customer – in a very competitive global marketplace, Gliksten teamed with Bates Smart to bring Iglu’s “business model” to fruition.

—

“It wasn’t the first design that was put to us – we worked together to get

what we wanted.”—

DAVID WILSON

Cornerstone to that was “the need to elevate perceptions of student accommodation above that of being merely real estate and to create a memorable difference,” he says.

“To distill the optimum solution,” Gliksten says the architecture practice’s “ground up approach” involved extensive analysis of the brief and the development of alternatives. “This quite rational and scientific approach works for us because it delivers a really clear architectural diagram that can then be refined and developed through the design process,” remarks Gliksten. It also provided a means of identifying what was and what was not important as the basis for eliminating waste or redundancy, he says. “The great clarity of thought and direction achieved through that early design assessment helps to guide everyone through the design process,” Gliksten adds. “So we always felt like we were building on something – rather than having to retrace our steps.” Gliksten says the methodical sequencing followed, “enabled finding the right answer in an efficient way.”

Since completion of the first Iglu instalment in Chippendale, Sydney in early 2013, students have embraced the building. “Although Iglu Central is a building composed of 98 rooms – it’s being occupied as if it’s one big house and one big community,” Gliksten says. He attributes the achievement of the

“business model” to the combined effect of the design’s – very high spatial efficiency; generosity and inspiring nature of public spaces; the level of detail and refinement of the architecture and its application throughout the building; and the engineering of relatively compact private spaces to deliver everything that a student needed. He says, it also resided in

“Bates Smart’s passionate response to the task of finding a great architectural solution on an appropriate but not unlimited budget.”

—

Iglu

, Chi

ppen

dale

ROB WELBORN Director, Peloton Group

MITIGATING RISKA fundamental concern for the developer, according to Rob Welborn, a director of Peloton Group, is mitigating risks and trying to attain a plan for a site that won’t get trapped in a

“planning approvals nightmare or be an unsellable product.”

Because it’s often in the initial part of the project that a site’s risks “can start to be understood,” Welborn says, “being able to walk into Bates Smart to get early design input helps us to undertake some due diligence and to calculate a set of numbers.” While conceding “that it’s lines on butter paper,” he says, “access to the experience of a team that knows what might be achievable – allows us to work out a yield and feasibility.”

It was a preliminary exercise undertaken in the Group’s recent venture, The Surry in Sydney – which incorporates a residential addition to a heritage building and the commercial refurbishment of the former Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation Exchange.

All apartments were sold off the plan after a “relatively quick” approval.

Links between Welborn and Bates Smart emanated in the late 1990s in his former role as a director of property development at Multiplex – encompassing successful heritage projects – Jones Bay Wharf at Pyrmont and the Maroubra Bay Hotel.

Welborn says a “continuing theme” has permeated the design approval process in each of his collaborations with the design firm.

“It’s the comfort that it brings to a developer to have with you – the reputation of Bates Smart as a practice that has been in business for 160 years – and the skill of their design response. I think that councils, planning and consent authorities know – that Bates Smart is not going to try to defend something that in their view is not appropriate – and that whatever is produced will be well considered,” he says.

He points to Peloton Group’s recent work with Bates Smart on Proximity Apartments in Melbourne (completed late 2013), as another example that resonated with both council and target customers. The project posed the challenge of creating a building that was taller than had been ratified on the design approval that accompanied the original site acquisition. It also needed to serve as a sympathetic backdrop to the nearby heritage-listed Robin Boyd building. While the new plans had made provision for some larger and more luxurious apartment product – the onset of the global financial crisis (GFC) set in motion an “urgent change of positioning” for the entire project.

“It was our view that there was a market window in Melbourne post GFC for affordable well-designed apartments – rather than large luxury product,” says Welborn.

The decision to adjust course in response to the changed market conditions saw Proximity accomplish 100 per cent sales off the plan prior to construction commencement. “I was particularly proud of being able to achieve a cost-effective building that allowed the project to not only go ahead – but to contribute a quality urban building that fits into the streetscape,” Wellborn says.

CARL SCHIBROWSKI Director of Development for the client of 171 Collins Street

GREATER GOODThe “modernist, refined and highly rational” architectural language of Bates Smart was seen as “the right sort of corporate language” for a PCA Premium grade building in the east end of Melbourne’s Collins Street, explains Carl Schibrowski, who was director of development for the client during the evolution of 171 Collins Street.

As a project requiring a “broad proficiency” in architectural services - Bates Smart worked across the acquisition phase, highest-and-best reviews, use feasibility, planning and design development right through to delivery as well as

“defining the vision and the opportunities in pitching and securing tenants”.

The design response drew on knowledge of tenant requirements from an overall base building office perspective as well as fit-out specific integration. This understanding of how the fit-out works from “both directions” was important, Schibrowski says.

The stakeholder neighbourhood environment was “particularly complex” as attested by over 50 pre-application consultation sessions that took place.

“Bates Smart were right in there for all of those sessions – and in helping us to tailor a message for each stakeholder,” Schibrowski says.

While acknowledging the discretionary height limit was being “pushed” – it was about conveying that a better outcome was in store, he says.

“Our key criteria were always about design excellence – we’ll deliver an outstanding piece of design, a sensitive heritage response, a good piece of urban design and much needed new premium office stock,” Schibrowski says.

“Cities are complex places,” he reminds, “you have to find your context within that environment.”

A process of “teasing out where the real issues lay had a lot of cut through” when the planning scheme was finally presented, he recounts.

“We were able to say – here is where everybody is – this is what their concern is and this is how we have responded.”

Schibrowski credits “the overall 65 per cent improvement on the floor space yield for the site”

– through the planning permit that ultimately ensued and in being able to deliver Melbourne’s first premium grade building in 20 years – to doing all of the little things really well.

“It’s a highly complex architectural response that has also been brought back to a nuts and bolts technical response to deliver high quality office spaces for tenants,” he says. “By pursuing the path of performance-based planning outcome

– design excellence was the key to achieving the project outcomes,” says Schibrowski.

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TONY LUBOFSKY Project Director, Department of Health

COMMITMENT TO THE VISIONHow to create “something special” that could be immediately and inherently recognised as a hospital for children – was a key pillar of the underlying vision for the new Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) Melbourne, says Tony Lubofsky, project director Department of Health, Victorian Government.

“We wanted to have a building that in some ways created a statement and that was of civic scale and character – to enhance the reputation of the RCH as a leading, cutting-edge, state-of-the-art paediatric hospital operator,” Lubofsky reveals. The new RCH was delivered as a public private partnership inclusive of a joint venture between Bates Smart and Billard Leece Partnership with HKS as international advisors.

Despite the budget and timeline pressures that accompany complex projects, “Bates Smart was steadfast in embracing and ultimately realising the vision that we collectively had. To do so required real creativity and perseverance,” Lubofsky says.

The design development process involved a “tremendous amount of interaction” with some components undergoing refinement and improvement for two years or more beyond contract signing. “It’s not like you hand the architects the brief and they give us the keys when it’s finished,” he emphasises.

The architecture reflects evidence-based design principles, including the idea of “a hospital in the park and bringing the park into the hospital,” explains Lubofsky. These and other design elements play a “very important” role in

“distracting” to curtail stress for the child and their families within the hospital environment.

“It is a very clever design – anyone thinking of building a paediatric hospital around the world

– is going to be interested in seeing RCH and what is a genuine world class children’s hospital.” Indeed RCH has been besieged with facility tour requests. “There is no question that what we’ve ended up with – has surpassed expectations – RCH is a hospital unlike any other, and everyone involved with the project is entitled to be extremely proud of the outcome.”

CHRISTIAN GRAHAME General Manager, Apartments, Mirvac

A FINE BALANCEUnderpinning the bricks and mortar requisite for great design ideas – “a winning solution needs to balance design and commerce,” stresses Mirvac’s general manager, Apartments, Christian Grahame. As a brand with over 40 years heritage in residential development he says, Mirvac demands a great degree of control over the end product to deliver the quality their buyers expect. In design collaborations with the firm, external architects therefore need to be willing and able to

“evolve” the design concept as feedback is obtained and the concept is tested by Mirvac, Grahame spells out. “That’s not easy - there’s no room for ego from anyone on the team – it’s about working together and being open to the best ideas for the good of the project,” he says.

Bates Smart’s collaboration with Mirvac’s in-house architecture and interior design teams and builders on The Melburnian, a premium residential building project, had the imperative of “drawing out” approximately 200 millionaires. That was

“no mean feat” in 1997 implores Grahame. Completed in 2001, a resounding sales response off the plan set a new benchmark – enabling building to commence on the entire complex within months, as opposed to three stages. Today the building is widely regarded as one of Melbourne’s most coveted residential addresses.

Grahame highlights the equal attention applied to both floor plan and external appearance by Bates Smart as a factor that connected with the target customer. According to Mirvac’s research of buyers – in the middle to upper-end of the market – “people buy location first, then floor plan. Aesthetics are very important but they are not the deciding factor for many buyers,” Grahame discloses. The Melburnian doubled as an opportunity to express the quality of Mirvac’s work and to elevate its brand position. Quality however, doesn’t necessarily imply the most expensive, says Grahame – it speaks of the integrity and timeless appeal of the product. The quality design response was also perceived to be “integral” to justifying The Melburnian’s

“ambitious planning application.”

“Planning is often one of the greatest risks,” avows Grahame. Because of that uncertainty, he says

“the ability of the architect to effectively convey their design intent and to work with the authorities to reach a mutually acceptable outcome - is critical.” And so in approaching the redevelopment of the Dallas Brooks Centre site in East Melbourne, as a project partnership between Freemasons Victoria and Mirvac, “we knew it would be important to have the best architect in order to be the successful bidder and then to be able to confidently follow through on the planning side and do justice to our partners and this outstanding site,” Grahame says.

Influencing the selection of Bates Smart was the practice’s history and location in the suburb and a track record on other premium residential buildings. Grahame says, “Bates Smart is effectively part of Melbourne’s architectural heritage.” He advocates that Mirvac, like Bates Smart “learn from each project and progressively improve” – one project informs and betters the next. The practice’s knowledge of higher-end residential customers, marketing strategy and display suite approach

– that had been accrued over time – would also assist in honing an appropriate response for the East Melbourne landscape.

—

“It’s not like you hand the architects the brief

and they give us the keys when it’s finished.”

—

TONY LUBOFSKY

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“There’s no room for ego from anyone

on the team.”—

CHRISTIAN GRAHAME

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There were many people who held reservations about the difficulty and expense of building there, he says, however “Media House is testament that it is possible to build on challenging sites.”

Bates Smart’s design of a prominent 160 metres of Collins Street frontage for Media House – provided a showcase for Fairfax and The Age as a community institution while also serving as a gateway to Docklands. During the design process Walker says, “collaboration with Bates Smart was real in terms of getting together and swapping ideas – led by the architects.” On the project’s completion in 2009, Media House placed Fairfax at the heartbeat of Melbourne, in essence becoming a new media studio in the middle of the city.

At the other end of town, Walker admits to a “long-held vision” to rebuild the rail yards to the east of Melbourne’s Federation Square. Dubbed the Federation Square East Project, and in the embryonic stages of interviewing for the successful developer, Walker is team leader of a consortium bidding for the contract, comprising Evolve Development (founded by Walker and Ashley Williams), Brookfield Multiplex, Brookfield Financial and supported by lender ANZ Bank.

“A balance between financiers, people who can build on time and on budget and creative people with experience building over rail lines is required for the mixed-use project,” he says. “We believe we’ve chosen the best architects in the world – Bates Smart – to lead the team. Their work in Melbourne and the sensitivity of their design is very important. We didn't want to bring in a New York architect who understands Manhattan.” When two or three billion dollars is being spent on a precinct – Walker says – “having the right imagination” is essential and the building needs to last a century.”

RONALD WALKER AC CBE Philanthropist

EMBRACING CHALLENGE“A 21st century building was needed for a modern newspaper,” says Ronald Walker AC CBE, former chairman of Fairfax Media (2006-2009).

“Determined” that Media House, the new head office for The Age, should be located in Collins Street, Walker says the only piece of economic land available was sited over the rail yards.

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“Collaboration with Bates Smart

was real in terms of getting

together and swapping ideas.”

—RONALD WALKER

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ANTHONY OTTO Director, Winten Property Group

TO LISTENWhile good architectural outcomes and an aesthetic that is affordable is important from a client standpoint – spaces must be “practical” and provide a “real beneficial interface” for the end user’s day-to-day occupation, be that residential or commercial, asserts Anthony Otto, Director Winten Property Group.

Drawings per se have not been the development company’s primary requirement of Bates Smart in their various architectural collaborations since 2005.

“We look to Bates Smart to take our design brief and marry it with the site – so that we can maximise the yield. It’s their role to finesse that design brief and let it manifest in bringing up that quality space and maximising it,” says Otto.

He maintains that an architecture practice’s ability “to listen” to capture that brief is pivotal, as opposed to being “driven by the creative process.”

Strong presentation skills and contributing to the education of parties involved in the approval process is where architects and town planners can “come to the fore,” Otto says. The prescriptive nature of NSW planning controls and the starting envelope “don’t and can’t” take into consideration the idiosyncrasies of a particular site, he explains. That often gives rise to the need to “bring around an audience” to understand and share a vision and “to take them on a path that steps outside the parameters that planning was envisaging – to deliver something else.”

Because most of the projects undertaken by Winten Property Group are “by nature not the lowest hanging fruit” – going back to the drawing board on planning, is par for the course.

“There’s a journey on the design side, the planning argument side and how the end product is going to fit into the market out of those foundations,” Otto says.

ROBERT SPIES Former Director Special Projects (2001-2005) and Executive Director (1986-2000), Clayton Utz

THE REAL ECONOMY OF TIMELESS DESIGNDesign must stand the test of time, says Robert Spies former director of Special Projects (2001-2005) and executive director (1986-2000) of Clayton Utz. Spies estimates that each Bates Smart-designed corporate office fit-out (inclusive of 1 O’ Connell Street in Sydney and 333 Collins Street in Melbourne), has served the national law firm’s requirements for 20 or more years. “The real economy,” he says “is whether the original fit-out can function well with minor modifications and little additional expense for a significant period of time – the economy of a fit-out is its timelessness rather than being something that is the fashion of the moment.”

While a “functional law firm” is essential, the design needs to be “sympathetic” to the building it sits within. It has to balance the clientele it serves and the corporate business needs, without being “over the top,” he says.

“There is a sense of corporate identity and a firm-wide culture that needed to be understood and designed for” in each Bates Smart designed fit-out, Spies says – at the same time – each is a unique response to the context of the city, the building typology and the project brief.

The conception of 1 Bligh Street Sydney coincided with the emergence of a “one-market situation” impelled by increased competition. Bates Smart and Clayton Utz worked collaboratively on research that explored the changing needs and requirements of clients, partners and staff. The design response was considerate of the “greater demands placed on client services by the marketplace alongside the continuing competition to attract and retain the best people through the creation of a positive work environment,” says Spies. Contributing to the increased array of flexible public areas designed to meet a greater diversity of client needs, he explains that “in a competitive market, there is an expectation of a higher level of service with more amenities provided in-house.”

Spies has observed an industry-wide shift in the demography of the workforce post the GFC - with more lawyers and support staff working part time and as contractors and are called upon for particular skills and specialties. These flexible working arrangements have driven demand for different types of spaces – be that for projects or staff interaction.

Simultaneously, increased technology has reduced paper usage and therefore the space required for storage, workstations and office size while increased use of mobile technology has enabled more communication to occur away from the traditional desk or work station, he says.

This has culminated in a growth of less formal areas for partners and staff to work in including: areas for meetings, presentations, collaboration and thinking; booths and in-house cafes and for more of these areas to be multifunctional. And while “the actual area where people sit at a traditional workstation or office has changed, the total area per person has not reduced significantly,” Spies says. Completed in 2011, the design outcome is “something that not only looks good, it is good – and has created a positive, welcoming environment for our clients, partners and staff.”

—

“There’s a journey on the design side, the planning argument side and how the end product is going

to fit into the market out of those foundations.”

—

ANTHONY OTTO

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ISSUE 04/42

PICTURED

177 Pacific Highway, North Sydney 177 Pacific Highway, North Sydney, Garden Plaza 177 Pacific Highway, North Sydney, sketchOpposite page:180 Thomas Street, Haymarket, steelwork fabrication, China 180 Thomas Street, Haymarket, truss installation on site 180 Thomas Street, Haymarket, photo montage

177 PACIFIC HIGHWAY NORTH SYDNEY

177 Pacific Highway has emerged as the next major high rise tower to be built on the North Sydney skyline. The prominent site at the corner of Berry Street and the Pacific Highway is the gateway to North Sydney. Bates Smart designed the building and achieved DA approval on the site owned by Winten Property Group. Leighton Properties are developing the site in order to relocate the head offices of the Leighton Group of companies, including Leighton Holdings, Leighton Properties, Leighton Contractors, John Holland and Thiess.

Our conceptual studies trialled and manipulated many building forms within the irregular site envelope. The resulting design unlocks the site’s development potential by cutting out volumes from the tower’s façade to avoid overshadowing the public domain.

The building’s geometry is a composition of rectilinear volumes asymmetrically attached to a central anchoring spine. Dramatic cantilevers extend the floor plates to maximise the floor area on the upper levels, whilst tapering at the centre of the building allows light to penetrate into the surrounding spaces.

Each volume has been studied for its contribution on the overall composition, and expressed through a palette of varying façade types. This façade treatment and the asymmetrical assembly of blocks create a dynamic tower where each element responds to its respective orientation and solar aspect; creating a unique tower which varies depending on the vantage point.

At ground level a three storey glazed façade envelopes the public Garden Plaza providing much improved public amenity to the area. Project 177 is an innovative design that unlocks a difficult site’s development potential and will set a new benchmark in commercial office and urban realm for the precinct.

PROJECT 177The building blocks of

a new commercial tower

ISSUE 03/43

180 THOMAS STREET

Made of steel - Bates Smart’s winning design for a new building over an existing substation

in Haymarket, Sydney

PROJECT 177The building blocks of

a new commercial tower

180 THOMAS STREET HAYMARKET

Won in a City of Sydney Design Excellence Competition, for its distinctive architectural and engineering innovation, a new streamlined 5 Star Green Star commercial building is under construction.

Located on a prominent corner in the heart of a long sustained hard-working part of Sydney, the building’s seemingly random, stacked volumes of varying heights have an aesthetic relationship to the scale of the semi-industrial linear forms of the precinct.

Bates Smart collaborated closely with Enstruct structural engineers, to design six mega trusses, each weighing 30 tonnes, on the roof of the existing building bearing the load of the new structure over. This design innovation allowed an additional storey to be built, by virtue of its reduced weight, despite the initial load limit of the existing structure.

The trusses were fabricated in Zhongshan China, and have been inspected in person by both Enstruct and international third parties at milestones throughout the manufacturing process to ensure Australian Standards and project quality control certification.

FACEBOOK 77 KING STREET, SYDNEY

Bates Smart recently completed the fitout for Facebook’s Sydney office in the heart of the city’s retail and business district.

All is able to be changed and nothing is conventional or sacred.

The Facebook culture is characterised by interconnectivity, technology, non-conformity and youthfulness. Our design plays upon these themes as well as the inherent sense of energy, adopting a vibrant colour palette contrasted against honest, raw materials, used in an unconventional way.

The concept challenges the conformity of traditional office fitout through the use of unfinished and contemporary materials and by introducing the fitout as an intervention not for intervention’s sake, but to redefine, improve, and reduce the space to its simplest form.

The open workspaces are positioned in the centre of the space, encouraging connectivity with the reception, meeting rooms, breakout hub, and staff and client bar area.

The design draws parallels with exhibition design, activating the space with artwork and design elements in a confident, non-conformist manner, reflecting the Facebook philosophy and expressing the “incomplete” – which aims to maintain the feeling of the impermanence of a start-up enterprise.

FACEBOOK SYDNEY

WORKPLACE CULTURE IS ON FACEBOOK

Where everything is changeable and nothing is conventional

PICTURED

Facebook, Sydney, meeting room Facebook, Sydney, workstations Facebook, Sydney, breakout area

ISSUE 04/45

“The design draws on the creative energy of a start up company that

will never reach maturity”

SIMON SWANEYDirector, Bates Smart

ISSUE 04/46

INNER HOUSE DARLINGHURST

ENLIGHTENED LIVING

An austere place of worship transformed into a welcome place of retreat

ISSUE 04/47

PICTURED

Inner House, Darlinghurst, view over living space Inner House, Darlinghurst, entrance lobby

INNER HOUSE DARLINGHURST

The ‘Inner House’ is a single dwelling constructed within the principal congregation space of the 1926 First Church of Christ Scientist in East Sydney. The House is erected on a platform built over the raking floor, with a pair of two-storey cubes flanking the volume. These spaces contain sleeping accommodation and ancillary facilities whilst the central space provides living and dining areas.

The concept is derived from the formal symmetry and austerity of the existing church, and the temporary nature of the new structure, also needing to be lightweight and quick to erect. The planning keeps the principal axis unencumbered with the cubic forms located centrally on the cross axis. This ensures natural light is maintained throughout as well as access to views. The new structure is raw and utilises materials that are intentionally contemporary. The structure is freestanding and fully reversible in order to meet heritage requirements.

The house provides accommodation for the new owners and secures the building whilst further potential uses are explored. Externally the building remains unaltered. Three rows of pews are retained enabling occasional public performances on the renowned Church Organ.

The project has won the 2012 AIA National Architecture Award for Interior Architecture and the 2012 AIA (NSW) Residential Architecture award for Single Houses.

PICTURED

Inner House, Darlinghurst, living area Inner House, Darlinghurst, kitchen Inner House, Darlinghurst, kitchen

ISSUE 04/49

“It is massive and light, bold and gentle, formal and playful, brave and respectful, temporary and yet built to last.

The old church and the new house are experienced together, neither demeaning nor ignoring the other.”

RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE AWARDS - HOUSES JURY2012 NSW AIA Architecture Awards

ISSUE 04/50

BOHEME BONDI

GOING WITH THE FLOW“Boheme is a vibrant

mixed use development that captures the

eclectic qualities of Bondi Beach.”

PHILIP VIVIAN Director

ISSUE 04/51

BOHEME BONDI SYDNEY

Boheme is a mixed-use development for Toga Group comprising 44 luxury apartments, 113 hotel rooms, extensive retail areas and basement parking within the heart of the iconic Bondi beach suburb in Sydney.

Bondi is blessed with natural good looks and beachside proximity; it wasn’t hard to design a relaxed, leisurely, airy building that could establish its own sense of place within the rich, diverse community.

The podium design draws from the identity of Bondi’s art deco buildings and colourful streetscapes while the residential levels are contained above in a curvaceous form, carefully refined and set back from the street.

Like the iconic destination, Boheme is indulgently laid back and fantastically energetic at the same time. The current demographics indicate that a youthful population are now choosing Bondi as their place to call home.

The apartment interiors epitomise the development’s coastal feel, with a colour palette from nature, water, sunlight and sand.

Once hooked, Bondi is not a place anyone wants to leave. Boheme offers its residents a chance to unpack, settle in and belong.

PICTURED

Boheme, Bondi Boheme, Bondi, hotel pool bathroom Boheme, Bondi, main reception lobby Boheme, Bondi Display Suite, kitchen Boheme, Bondi Display Suite, bedroom Boheme, Bondi, reception lobby

BOHEME BONDI

GOING WITH THE FLOW“Boheme is a vibrant

mixed use development that captures the

eclectic qualities of Bondi Beach.”

PHILIP VIVIAN Director

“The new premium suites offer guests the finest views the city has to offer in a luxurious space

that will instantly make them feel at home, with its sense of style and comfort.”

ROBERT MAGIDDirector, TMG Developments

PIER ONE SYDNEY

SUITE SPOTHarbourside urban renewal

on a luxurious scale

ISSUE 04/53

PICTURED

Pier One, Sydney, view from Waterside King Suite Pier One, Sydney, Waterside King Suite Pier One, Sydney, Waterside King ensuite Pier One, Sydney, Waterside King Suite

PIER ONE SYDNEY

Pier One was constructed in 1912 and was used by P&O Cruises as a passenger terminal until 1977. From the late Seventies to early Nineties, the pier was abandoned until restored and redeveloped into an innovative hotel, opening in 1999.

We were commissioned to design the interiors of seven new premium suites, and 22 Waterside King and Heritage King rooms taking the hotel’s total room count to 189.

The interiors, whilst luxuriously appointed are as relaxed and comfortable as their setting; an abundance of seating options are provided so guests can sit and drink up the views. Despite the number of rooms, the hotel still feels like a boutique.

The hotel also has a deep sense of history, prompting much of the raw woodwork of overhead beams in the three top-floor suites, part of the century-old architecture, to be exposed. The interior design resists the temptation to be flashy.

The unrivalled Sydney Harbour Rocks location speaks for itself, boasting unparalleled views across the water, taking in the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and the famous smile of Luna Park.

Despite its world famous harbour, Sydney had only a handful of hotels that offered accommodation right on the water and in the case of Pier One, actually over it, let alone in a building with such a sense of history.

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CONVESSO VICTORIA HARBOUR

ECO-LUXE LIVING

A waterfront lifestyle bathed in sustainability

ISSUE 04/56

CONVESSO VICTORIA HARBOUR, MELBOURNE

Convesso Concavo is situated in the heart of Melbourne’s Docklands. The fluid forms of the residential towers stand against a dramatic city skyline. Residents moved in to Convesso in 2012 with construction of its twin Concavo, imminent.

In its reclaimed environment in Melbourne’s former ports district, Convesso is the first residential building to receive a 4-star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia. On offer is luxury harbour-side living, with an enthusiastic eco-savvy green streak.

The tower is shaped and positioned to maximise the spectacular views from all apartments, on all sides of the building. Bates Smart architectural and interior design teams collaborated on the spatial planning of the generously proportioned apartments, with all the comfort features finely detailed and well considered.

The display suite plays a key role in the marketing campaign of the development, affirmed by the success of the first display suite opened in 2010. During the building’s construction in readiness for the market launch of Concavo, we were commissioned to completely furnish and decorate an actual 3 bedroom apartment, on the first floor of Convesso.

Our interior design approach was to create a palette that played on a natural earthy appearance and the offer of a waterfront apartment lifestyle creating an inherently relaxed environment. With this in mind the use of textures and patterns was a particular focus: linen curtains loosely falling on the floor, diffusing the sunlight, whilst adding an extra layer of softness to the apartment.

Touches that tell the story of the occupant include a visual global photographic travel diary, eclectic books and objet, and an inviting linen sofa sitting on a vintage patchwork Turkish Kilim rug. The message of sustainability is simple; personal, worldly belongings sitting alongside and enriching the timeless neutral palette of the interior. Our approach rejects the unsustainable philosophy of ‘out with the old and in with the new’, encouraging residents moving into a new apartment to retain treasured pieces that have been collected over a lifetime.

PICTURED

Convesso Concavo Display Suite, Victoria Harbour, living room Convesso Concavo, Victoria Harbour, ground floor lobby Convesso Concavo Display Suite, Victoria Harbour, master bedroom Convesso Concavo Display Suite, Victoria Harbour, master bedroom Convesso Concavo Display Suite, Victoria Harbour, bedroomPrevious page:Convesso, Victoria Harbour

ISSUE 04/57

ISSUE 04/58

“Bates Smart understand what we want and what our brand stands for;

they have expressed that through the physical design of our building.”

JONATHAN GLIKSTENDirector, Iglu Pty Ltd

IGLU CENTRAL CHIPPENDALE

STUDENT LIFE IN THE CITY

ISSUE 04/59

PICTURED

Iglu Student Accommodation, Chippendale, view from Regent Street Iglu Student Accommodation, Chippendale, façade details Iglu Student Accommodation, Chippendale, interior feature light

PICTURED

Iglu Student Accommodation, Chippendale, internal courtyard Iglu Student Accommodation, Chippendale, bedroom Iglu Student Accommodation, Chippendale, reception Iglu Student Accommodation, Chippendale, communal living room

IGLU CENTRAL CHIPPENDALE, SYDNEY

Iglu Central delivers a joyous and delightful living environment the fits seamlessly into the surrounding urban realm. In a harsh and changing street environment, this project learns from, and draws upon, the older, established built fabric while proposing a contemporary response to urban living.

The warm natural patina of the COR-TEN steel skin reflects the colour of the neighbouring brick buildings and the industrial heritage of the precinct. It gives the building personality and expression whilst allowing it to age and weather, delivering a richer building over time.

The building is both private and reserved whilst offering energy and engagement to the surrounding streets. An internal courtyard on the south side of the building provides a cool and quiet atmosphere while pushing the active communal student spaces to the street edge. Students are offered extraordinary spaces to study, sleep, engage and party. In a part of the city where remarkably harmonious street level relationships between buildings from different eras are rarely achieved, this is an exceptional outcome.

The project achieved two awards at the 2013 AIA (NSW) Awards: an Architecture Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing and the Colourbond Award for Steel in Architecture.

We believe that each of our projects offers a unique combination of client, site and context, and each deserves an individually crafted design response. We join with our clients on a journey of discovery – the search for an innovative solution which feels inevitable and likely to endure through a long and useful life. In Journal we open the doors to our culture, our process and our everyday discoveries. We want to share our thinking, and ignite an ongoing conversation between our clients, our collaborators and our team.

Journal is open to anyone who has an interest in architecture and how the disciplines of design are shaping our cities. Mix Two presents a selection of work which demonstrates our determination to make each project individual, appropriate and enduring.

We invite you to join the conversation and visit Journal online at

http://journal.batessmart.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Marg HearnIn this issue of JOURNAL, Marg Hearn, director of freelance writing company - a word or two - captured the insights of collaborative partners and clients to mark Bates Smart’s 160 years in ‘Behind the curtain wall’ (pages 35-41). Her work has been published in international magazines: Frame and Mark and throughout Australia in industry, custom and newsstand publications in the design, architecture, construction and property space.

Jeffery CopolovDebra Low ChoyPeta Michaelides

This publication is printed with vegetable-based inks on paper stock that is manufactured using elemental chlorine-free pulp sourced from plantation grown timbers.

Both printer and paper manufacturer are accredited to ISO 14001, the internationally recognised standard for environmental management.

CREDITS

DESIGN

Cornwell

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND VISUALISERS

Peter BennettsBrett BoardmanPeter ClarkeMarcus ClintonRichard DrewTom EvangelidisSean FennessyRichard GloverJohn GollingsAlexandra GrayJung Soo KimShannon McGrathTrevor Mein

Peta MichaelidesMark RoperCrown LimitedEnstructFloodslicerDee KramerState Library of Victoria, Latrobe Picture CollectionThe University of Melbourne Archives, Bates Smart CollectionBates Smart Archives

BATES SMART

ArchitectureInterior DesignUrban DesignStrategy

Since 1853, Bates Smart has been at the forefront of practice in Australia, delivering projects around the world from their studios in Melbourne and Sydney.

Bates Smart has an unparalleled reputation for the design and delivery of architecture, interior design and urban design projects. Specialising in commercial, residential, hospitality, health and research projects, Bates Smart has specific skills in dealing with larger and more complex projects with particular experience in mixed use buildings.

No project can attain brilliance without a great founding idea. At Bates Smart our projects are brought to life through a rigorous, astute, and highly creative design approach working in collaboration with our clients.

Our reputation for design excellence is founded on a disciplined intellectual base. We develop a thorough understanding of the design opportunities offered by each individual project, and we create design solutions which speak directly to the challenge.

Almost uniquely, we address all design issues simultaneously through collaborative teams of architects and interior designers working in concert. From urban and façade design to perfecting finegrain interior details, Bates Smart crafts seamless holistic solutions.

We pay special attention to the environmental performance and long-term durability of our buildings. We harness proven sustainable principles and technologies in order to create buildings that stand the test of time.

Our talented team of over 200 is constantly developing its capacity to produce outstanding results around the world. We invest in the latest tools for global teamwork, and maintain an expanding network of collaborators whose special skills complement our own.

OFFICESMELBOURNE

1 Nicholson Street Melbourne, VIC 3000 Australia

Telephone +61 3 8664 6200

Facsimile +61 3 8664 6300

Contact jcopolov@batessmart.com

SYDNEY

43 Brisbane Street Surry Hills, NSW 2010 Australia

Telephone +61 2 8354 5100

Facsimile +61 2 8354 5199

Contact sswaney@batessmart.com

www.batessmart.com

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