PROJECT OVERVIEW

Mixed development refurbishment, creating office, restaurant, residential and community space.

Adapted between 2001 and 2004, the work focused on three areas. The first, a ground floor rear extension, which replaces the old playground and houses the gym. The rear wall adjoining the Arden Estate and roof have been treated as one continuous timber surface. A range of timber shutters in the wall and flush but operable skylights naturally ventilate the Douglas fir ply-lined interior. The second extension, similar to that in the playground, is a single-storey star-shaped structure with a glazed elevation that reflects the surrounding roofscape. This houses an apartment. Lastly, inside each original whitewashed brick-lined classroom, the design introduced stressed-ply timber-clad mezzanines. 

The original entrances were reconfigured to accommodate the many different organisations and individuals that share the building. A sequence of four hallways step deep into the plan, leading ultimately to the new lift. The third is a red timber panelled room overlooking a new and strangely shaped garden lined in green mirror glass that accentuates the green hue of the ferns filling the space.