Collins and Turner have fashioned a rather spectacular new centre for the local community in Sydney’s Waterloo
August 14th, 2012
Revitalising an existing services block, the new-look building is designed to house the disadvantaged youth and family counseling service WEAVE, a not for profit organization.
Collins and Turner’s $3.5 million dollar construction was largely funded by a $2 million grant from the Federal Government’s Community Infrastructure Program.
Commissioned by the City of Sydney and this week opened by Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP and Federal Member for Sydney The Hon. Tanya Plibersek MP, the development mirrors the urban environment it services, with the striking canopies and trellises forming a framework for the growth of foliage, embedding the building in it’s immediate environment.
“As the plants mature and grow across the canopy the resulting landscape form will gradually merge with its park setting, becoming an abstract and sculptural green form punctuating the park boundary and visually merging with the adjacent tree canopies.” says architect Penny Collins.
A series of interlocking, but self-supporting elements – the canopy structure has been designed to allow for future demounting and relocating – allowing the retention of the existing slab and wall structures of the site.
Internally, the space is arranged in what Collins and Turner describe as a “pin wheel” plan that radiates from a central courtyard.
Housing over 14 staff, the facility incorporates meeting rooms, workspaces, chillout room, counseling and consulting facilities.
Drawing inspiration from the grass covered iron-age forts of Celtic Wales, as well as the Cedric Price designed aviary at London Zoo, Collins and Turner have cast the net wide in producing a contemporary and engaging safe-space.
Collins and Turner
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!
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.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
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.
Renowned Italian brands Molteni &C and Dada will set its brands apart from the rest, with the launch of its first Australia flagship, set for mid-2022.
The new headquarters of ideas agency Tongue is an eclectic, playful space for imaginations to run wild.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
With Milan 2024 only a few weeks away, we sneak a view of some of the most exciting pieces set to go on show – from lighting design to furniture, here are nine preview products.
London-based Carmody Groarke and Paris-based TVK have been announced as winners of a milestone competition for the new Bibliothèque nationale de France conservation centre.