Prominent, permeable and transparent, the Media House symbolises a new media age. Text by Stephen Crafti.
August 24th, 2010
Media House, designed by Bates Smart, has now emerged from its prominent site on Spencer Street, Melbourne.
Home to a range of Fairfax Group including The Age, The Australian Financial Review, Rural Press, The Melbourne Weekly, various community newspapers and radio station 3AW, the seven level building provides a striking counterpoint to Southern Cross Station directly opposite.
“Southern Cross Station, with its wave-like roof, juxtaposes with our more geometrical design. Both buildings also traverse the railway tracks,” says architect Roger Poole, Chairman of Bates Smart, who worked closely with interior designers Jeffery Copolov, Grant Filipoff and Rachael McCarthy.
Unlike the previous Age building, designed in the 1970s, this new building is transparent.
With fortress-like brown brick walls, the earlier building had outgrown its use.
“That office building also originally housed the printing press. It was a different form of media when that building was designed,” says Poole.
In contrast, Media House literally brings the public into the building.
For the full text turn to page 112 of Indesign #42 on newsstands now.
Photography by John Gollings
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Create a configuration to suit your needs with this curved collection.
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
In the pursuit of an uplifting synergy between the inner world and the surrounding environment, internationally acclaimed Interior Architect and Designer Lorena Gaxiola transform the vibration of the auspicious number ‘8’ into mesmerising artistry alongside the Feltex design team, brought to you by GH Commercial.
More, not Less – Value Engineering for Architecture – Caroline Vos
Belinda Aucott discusses the flexible art of event design with Lisa Taylor, Creative Director of Imagination Australia.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
The Australian Design Centre (ADC) this year celebrates 60 years! A series of events are coming up to mark the occasion.
In Malaysia Spacemen has created a world of perfumed wonder with their latest project, Trove, where treasures abound.