WELSH + MAJOR ARCHITECTS
The Hat Factory is an outstanding example of adaptive reuse of a dilapidated warehouse that has played a diverse role in the industrial and social life of the area. Located in a lively inner suburb of Sydney, the building occupies a prominent urban corner, acting as a sentinel to a popular local park with its large steel portal windows and multilayered facade playfully engaging the neighbourhood.
PHOTOGRAPHY ANTHONY BASHEER
Internally, a colourful history that includes time as a factory, a printery, a notorious squat and a ‘social-centre’ has been cleverly drawn on in a series of features that reflect the buildings evolution. Remnants of the past such as graffiti from its days as a squat serve to appreciate the patina of the older surfaces and interplay with a patchwork of beautiful contemporary materials.
HUGH AND EVA BUHRICH AWARD FOR RESIDENTIAL ARCHITECTURE – HOUSES (ALTERATIONS AND ADDITIONS)
THE HAT FACTORY
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In addressing a brief to retain as much of the original building fabric as possible and to allow for changing client needs in the future, the architects have achieved a richly multilayered experience, where the past has been respected as a source of inspiration but not at the cost of client functionality or aesthetic expectations. The architects are to be congratulated in their attention to detail where necessary, such as in the striking steel staircase, while the highly effective use of space makes the Hat Factory exemplary in its design for compact and flexible living in a challenging urban setting.
