29 September 2009

88 George Street: Award Winning

Terroir Architects heritage refurbishment of 88 George Street, in The Rocks, Sydney, takes out another award.

The refurbishment of the heritage-listed 88 George Street by Terroir architects has been awarded once again, receiving an award in the sustainability category of the Australian Institute of Project Management awards.

The project, completed last year, sees ultra-modern additions to an historic building, creating a clear delineation between old and new.

The firm was required to maintain the ‘heritage fabric’ of the exterior walls, but employed two ‘key interventions’ – an external triangular public space and an internal foyer.

Outside the building, what was an under-utilised triangle of land has been transformed into a dynamic public space. By analysing the existing topography Terroir have created a ‘single fluid plate’ from the different levels, as though the space rambles down the natural slope.

A steel and glass canopy sits in the north-east corner of the outdoor space, providing shade and protection for tenants and tying the project to the nearby Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The ground floor foyer was conceived as a bridge linking George Street to the existing lift core – described by the architects as a ‘singular folded concrete tube’, the aim was to provide a “dramatic ‘pause’ between street and office”.

This concrete tube is the focus of a Klik Systems custom-designed lighting installation – using the 85 Beam RV– embedded into the very fabric of the building itself, employing the same dynamic angles of the internal and external modern additions.

Showing that heritage buildings can sit side-by-side with modern architecture and materials, 88 George Street certainly sets the benchmark for similar heritage refurbishments.

In 2008 the project also won the Environ BPN Sustainability Award for large commercial projects, the Energy Australia National Trust Heritage Award for Conservation Energy Management and was the first State heritage listed building to receive a GBCA 5 star Green Star office rating.'¨

terroir.com.au

kliksystems.com