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Sustainable building solutions can often be complex but architect Caroline Pidcock believes “simple and elegant ideas are the key”. It is this philosophy that underlies Caroline’s renovation of the 1850s sandstone cottage that houses Resource 88: Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Sydney suburb of Redfern.

The centre is a shared workspace, home to a variety of sustainable businesses, including Caroline’s own practice, Pidcock Architecture and Sustainability. “There’s a lot of discussion about what sustainability is and what it might be and how to support each other,” says Caroline of the Resource 88 community.

Previously used as a photographic processing lab with no natural light or ventilation, “the building was pretty awful,” says Caroline. “It had been passed in at auction because no one quite knew what to do with it or how to make it work.”

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