SJB Folio No.4

Architecture Interior Design Planning Urban Design

SJB Melbourne +61 3 9699 6688 Sydney +61 2 9380 9911 sjb.com.au @aboutsjb #aboutsjb

6 Latest 8 Live 12 Cleveland & Co. 16 Elwood Residence 18 IDA 20 Ballarat Station 22 8 Burnley Street 24 Nยบ-17 Danks 28 Toorak Residence 32 CareerSeekers 34 Carter Street 36 Glebe Harbour

This is SJB

Our passion is the built environment. We are proud to have worked on some of Australia’s most recognisable and innovative projects.

Over the years, we have built a reputation for bringing enthusiasm, creativity and personal commitment to every commission whether it’s the interior design of someone’s dream home, or the planning and revitalisation of an entire site. Our four entities, SJB Architects, SJB Interiors, SJB Planning and SJB Urban, work as interlocking teams, giving us a cohesive and versatile approach that generates innovative and holistic thinking. In short, SJB is more than the sum of its parts.

We see ourselves as a collection of experts; a multi-disciplinary practice that embraces architecture, interior design, town planning and urban design. Our collective goal is to contribute meaningfully and responsibly to the environments in which we all live.

We collaborate with a diverse range of clients, from individuals and research groups to multi-nationals and government agencies, on ventures that aim to achieve this goal, both here in Australia and internationally.

Above all, our practice is about people.

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Our own knowledge and expertise is constantly expanding, advancing and adapting by working with our clients and communities. We value the relationships we build with those who are passionate about meeting the challenges of our times. This brochure gives you an understanding into our people, our built works, and some that we’re currently working on. We hope it will give you an insight into how we think, how we work, and how we strive to fulfil our mission of creating spaces people love.

Making better places to live

Now in our 40th year, SJB’s underlying philosophy of collaboration has resulted in an innately inter-disciplinary practice, where the teams at SJB Architects, Planning, Interiors and Urban each benefit from the expertise of the whole. Indeed, each project is to some extent the result of collaboration across the entire SJB network of more than 150 employees across eight divisions in Melbourne and Sydney, in that the collective breadth of knowledge, expertise and innovation informs all key learnings.

Continuously and exponentially expanding, the skillset and knowledge base of SJB moves perpetually towards greater versatility, cohesion and innovation in the built environment. With projects ranging from large-scale urban renewal to residential dwellings, our purpose remains true to designing better places to live.

As we grow as a country, so does our understanding of how we live in the city, and it is with enormous pride that we look back on the innovation and directional thinking behind the Blackwattle Bay development on Glebe Harbour (p36).

After 10 years, this development remains a benchmark in medium density living. Moreover, our whole attitude to apartment living has shifted. Gone are the days of hotel-like abodes. Instead, homebuyers are looking for comfort, luxury and unique environments to call their home. We asked David Clark, the former Editor of Vogue Living, to share his views on contemporary apartment living (p8). Perhaps we are starting to think more like New Yorkers or Hong Kong residents where inner city living is highly desirable. From our perspective multi-unit developments are places that are designed to live, and live well, whether it’s the industrial cool of Nº-17 Danks (p24), the sophistication of 8 Burney Street (p22), or an elegant leveraging of heritage such as Cleveland & Co. (p12) or IDA (p18).

Importantly, as the way we live shifts, so too does the infrastructure required to support and allow expansion.

It also needs to be commensurate with our changing lifestyles and aspirations. In Sydney, Carter Street (p34) is one such significant exercise in Urban Design and Planning. In Melbourne, journalist, radio host and social theorist, Fiona Gruber, takes a look at SJB’s master plan for Ballarat Station (p20).

Design that is functional, innovative, extraordinary and extremely beautiful is the perfect combination for our residential interiors. Each, however, is highly attuned to the client, site and outlook with projects such as Toorak Residence (p28), Peninsula House, and Pacific Lighthouse, giving the IDEA 2016 jury cause to shortlist SJB for Designer of the Year (p6).

We hope you enjoy this snapshot of some of our most recent projects.

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Latest

Peninsula Residence Celebrating excellence in interior design, the fabulous Parr House was recently commended in this year’s Australian Interior Design Awards.

Designed to be tough! Cedar, steel, glass, natural stone and concrete coalesce in a bold reimagining that honours the history and integrity of the original home yet places it firmly within contemporary 21st century design. A large glass pavilion houses the stunning new master-suite and multiple floor levels address the natural fall of the landscape.

10 Wylde Street 2016 World Architecture Festival Finalist 10 Wylde Street, completed for Investec has been shortlisted for a World Architecture Festival award in the Housing - Completed Buildings category. We are incredibly excited and honoured by the opportunity to present 10 Wylde Street to the judging panel at the international awards located this year in Berlin. Winners will be announced 16–18 November. Berlin here we come!

Colour blazes forth unapologetically; glossy red echoes brazenly from kitchen to powder-room and the enclosed internal stairwell which leads to the roof terrace. Burnt oranges, vivid greens and moody blues elevate quiet spaces and pair perfectly alongside contemporary furnishings.

The project also won the 2016 National Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing, after receiving The Aaron Bolot Award at the NSW Architecture Awards.

Earlier this year, 10 Wylde Street also received a Commendation at the Urban Development Institute of Australia Meriton Awards for Excellence in High Density Development with thanks going to Investec.

Champions of Change Launched 12 months ago by Elizabeth Broderick, Champions of Change is the first initiative of the AIA NSW Gender Equity Taskforce, a program that promotes advocacy at a leadership level within the architecture profession. Nine Champions from large architectural practices across Sydney commenced the year not only by signing a charter demonstrating their commitment to equity in composition, leadership and pay, but also by taking active steps towards a flexible and consultative workplace.

Nº-17 Danks Nº-17 Danks has been honoured in the 2016 NSW Architecture Awards with the Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing award. The project was also shortlisted for the National Architecture awards. Thank you to our client MADE Property Group.

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Adam Haddow was one of the nine signing Champions. Under the guidance of facilitator, Dr Jess Murphy, with the support of the NSW Chapter President, Shaun Carter, the Champions started the year with sessions focused on: –L istening to understand the facts on gender issues within their practice; –L earning through engagement with peers of both genders; and – Leading through small but impactful actions.

Through these sessions, the Champions were encouraged to ‘own’ the problem, preliminary to developing a detailed and targeted understanding of what the issues and barriers currently are. From there a series of initiatives are being developed that all practices involved will commit to. The Champions of Change is a challenging initiative, one that Adam Haddow sees as critical to the future of equity within our industry. Architects need to recognise the value in presenting a service from a balanced perspective while recognising and addressing our biases within our own workplace, so that we can continue to work in an environment of gender equality.

Perspectives Launched this year, SJB has established a speaker event series where women in the design industries speak about their professional and creative experience. Established by Elizabeth Metlikovec and Emily Wombwell, the first event in the Perspectives series, Home, was a huge success with the three guest speakers, Niccola Phillips (Head of Art at M&C Saatchi and AWARD Board member), Nahji Chu (founder and creative director of Miss Chu) and Eva Marie-Prineas (Architect) presenting their ideas of Home and how it influences their work. Introduced by Justine Clark, founding editor of Parlour, the event highlighted the need to hear more from women in the creative industries. Since then, there have been two more events, Business and Frame with one more in the series Time scheduled for December this year. To find out more about Perspectives visit www.perspectives.net.au

Immersive Design Workshop: A collaborative approach to successful outcomes An Immersive Design Workshop is an intensive, participatory process designed to rapidly produce tested and supported design outcomes through intensive collaboration and knowledge sharing with a focus on outputs. As such, Immersive Design Workshops are ideal for complex projects, such as master plans.

While stakeholders are invited to participate through regular reviews and discussions, the workshop is focused on producing design work and resolving design challenges, in real time.

This iterative and co-operative process avoids protracted design, discussion and negotiation processes by involving all participants, in person, in the same room for an intensive period.

SJB successfully use Immersive Design Workshops to engage stakeholders on recent complex projects including Mulgrave Wellness Village and Eaglehawk Station Precinct Master Plan. The sessions (in the case of Mulgrave held over three full consecutive days), produced outcomes with full buy-in from all parties building trust between the stakeholders and the design team and allowing for considered outcomes as a result of knowledge sharing. They were also lots of fun for everyone involved. Importantly, they have allowed stakeholders to be involved in a process that reflects true engagement rather than a brief consultation. The results have been more rigorous, creative and deliverable design outcomes.

A new outlook for the Melbourne studio After 40 years in the inner suburbs of Albert Park, Port Melbourne, South Melbourne and Southbank, the SJB team has moved its design studio into a heritage warehouse in a laneway in Melbourne’s CBD. This move heralds a cultural shift within the organisation, responding to the needs of both our clients and team members, while also supporting the City of Melbourne’s strategy of retaining and celebrating the unique aspects of the CBD’s laneways through activation and diversity.

Alarah Townhouses Alarah Townhouses wins a 2016 Victorian Architecture Award in the category for Residential Architecture (Multiple Housing). Thank you to our client Wolfdene, builder Wolfdene Built, and the team of consultants.

The warehouse building at 18 Oliver Lane is of architectural significance, being the first conventional building in Australia constructed wholly of reinforced concrete. The building, completed in 1907, was designed and built by noted engineer, John Monash (later Sir John Monash), and builder/entrepreneur, David Mitchell (the father of Dame Nellie Melba). The studio also looks out over one of Melbourne’s iconic landmark buildings, The Forum Theatre, and is in the hub of the city’s liveliest restaurant precinct.

Venice Biennale The Pool was unveiled in Venice as part of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition. SJB sponsored this year’s Venice Biennale event with Michael Bialek, representing SJB in Venice at the media preview, the official opening of the Australian Pavilion and the Commissioner Cocktail Party held to celebrate the success of Australia’s involvement in the Biennale and the contribution Australia has made on the built environment.

“Representing the connection between landscape, culture and architecture, for Creative Directors, Isabelle Toland, Amelia Holliday and Michelle Tabet, the launch was a culmination of incredible dedication and hard work,” says Michael.

Celebrating 5 years

IDEA 2016 Confirming SJB’s rigour of design and consistent quality is our recent shortlisting for Designer of The Year in the IDEA Awards (Interior Design Excellence Award). Shortlisted in IDEA 2016 for six projects across three categories, each project represents a unique response to the client brief, while delivering an aesthetic that is beautiful, considered and again distinctly suited to the project.

The shortlisted projects are Peninsula House for Residential Decoration, Pacific Lighthouse for Residential Decoration, 10 Wylde Street for Residential Multi, No.17 Danks for Residential Multi, Melbourne Penthouse for Residential Single, and Toorak House for Residential Single.

We are deeply honoured to have so many of our projects shortlisted across these categories and feel incredible pride in our work and in particular our clients’ faith in our work, which has seen these projects nominated for IDEA 2016. It is an incredible privilege to have been shortlisted as Designer of the Year IDEA 2016 and we would like to thank all our clients, builders, partners and associates who have made this accolade possible.

Over the past 5 years SJB Urban NSW has consistently distinguished itself. Led by the Director of Urban Design, NSW, Jonathan Knapp, the studio has established itself within the profession through exemplar projects including: the St Leonards Precinct Study; Lindfield Community Hub Master Plan; Huskisson Town Centre Master Plan; Parramatta Civic Link, Urban Framework Plan, and Newcastle East End Project.

Working closely with the other entities, the urban design studio is proudly supported by the SJB Directors to achieve a consistent calibre of exceptional work that respects culture, place and built environment site values.

Comprising an excellent team of passionate, multiskilled and energetic professionals, SJB Urban embodies Jonathan’s key initiative of fostering an open collaborative process and finding solutions to urban problems through collaborative design. Indeed, at five years, the studio continues to develop and implement new approaches to designing and delivering large, complex and multi-faceted projects, including the Studio’s most recent Urban Planning/Regeneration projects: Carter Street Urban Activation Precinct; and the Showground Station Precinct at Castle Hill. Each of these projects exemplifies Jonathan’s passion and SJB’s ability to deliver progressive masterplanning at scale.

Bridgehill Residences The 2016 Urban Taskforce, Development Excellence Awards were announced late July with Bridgehill Residences receiving the category award for Adaptive Re-use Development. With congratulations going to our client, Bridgehill.

Situated in (arguably) one of the most desirable residential precincts in Sydney, Alfred Street, Milsons Point, Bridgehill Residences’ proximity to iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge and The Sydney Opera House presented an exciting opportunity to convert the existing commercial tower into a luxurious 18-storey residential building.

Special thanks to all our clients and collaborators, both new and those that have been with us from the beginning. We appreciate the opportunities to work together, and look forward to many more exciting projects in the future.

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Live Apartment Living David Clark

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As Australia shifts towards, or indeed catches up with cities throughout Europe, Britain and America, and in particular NYC, the world of apartment living is suddenly a very viable and attractive option.

Considered even 15 years ago as inner city stepping-stones before buying a house, apartments are now being bought and cherished as homes. Even the naysayers, those who cite raising children as a key apartment issue, are back-tracking as vertical schools, fabulous amenities and unprecedented connectivity are paired with apartments of grandeur and a contemporary life style.

Parallel to this shift is an evolution of multi-residential interior design. The bones are no longer hotel like or cookiecutter. Instead, they are luxurious and robust, built to be foundational elements that support the unique accoutrement of the potential resident.

David Clark, Creative Director, Media & Design Consultant and former Editor in Chief Vogue Living Australia, takes us on a personal meditation of what makes a space a home, whether that be a sprawling homestead or Darlinghurst studio.

Some years ago I was part of a panel discussion at Sydney’s Government House where all the participants talked about what the idea of ‘home’ meant to them. Part of my presentation described the small apartment in inner Sydney that I ended up renting for more than a decade and the few things in it that mattered to me, gathered over time.

I discovered later that while I was talking someone in the audience had tweeted – “The Editor of Vogue Living lives in a studio rental in Darlinghurst!” That, it seemed, was the tweet-worthy fact. I understood, I suppose, that there was surprise that I had not, as she might have expected, acquired a glamorous property full of fine interior decoration.

In truth, I have never been much seduced by property, nor acquired many possessions. I prefer the lighter feeling of being able to get up and go, reasonably unencumbered, should I so choose. Or at least I have that fantasy. And in many years of working in the design industry I have always felt fortunate to have beauty in my life every day regardless.

What the experience of my own personal transience made me examine, however, was what the essence of home was for me.

Plus, in my career over several decades, I’ve observed what home has meant for others and analysed literally hundreds of thousands of images of domestic interiors and the work of designers, architects and decorators around the globe. Here are a few observations and tales, personal and otherwise.

Textiles are critical. Textures you can sit in, stand on, wrap yourself with and lie in are the things we touch with our skin. They provide softness, colour and pattern. They make you and your guests feel comfortable.

They need to pass that tactile test and natural fibres do it for me every time.

Rugs are instant place makers. They provide the foundation and the stage set for a domestic life. I have several - Indian hand woven durries and Tibetan hand knotted wools and silks that delight me underfoot every day. They are also part of my nomadic fantasy (picture Tibetan yak herders with rugs piled onto the back of a cart ready for the next camp).

(perhaps even the shelves, too) so I advocate putting yourselves up on the walls proudly - color-coded or not. On the opposing wall in my place is a salon-hang of art, nothing expensive, but meaningful because they’re mostly by friends or artists I’ve met. Art is just as revealing, or should be if you’re doing it right. And good framing makes all the difference.

Hand-made is preferred. A machine-made rug I have is not as alluring as the others. It doesn’t have the same emotional resonance as the ones I bought in Rajasthan made on an ancient loom. Every time I walk on those I feel and smell the desert sands of India under my feet and picture the weaver and his wife happily and steadily at work in their earthen compound with pots of tea beside them, skeins of colourful wool waiting to be skillfully and carefully hand knotted, and grinning proudly that Richard Gere had bought several rugs from them (which adds something to their desirability, naturally).

In my mind, little books, on a kindle or otherwise, require plenty of places to lie down – a bed, a daybed and a long comfortable sofa. Big, beautiful picture books require a different configuration altogether. Their heaviness and preciousness needs accommodating comfortably. One of the first and most memorable houses I covered in my publishing career was a beachfront mansion in Noosa with an interior designed by the highly influential George Freedman.

The books had their own separate wing, a long barrel-vaulted railway carriage of a room lined along its sides with tomes. The centrepiece was a custom built reading lectern, with an easy slope and height for sitting comfortably and flipping pages while having a cup of tea, or a whiskey perhaps. The entire space was a luxurious indulgence that brought to mind a medieval cloistered library.

I’ve always put textiles and technology together for some reason. Beautiful linens, silks, cottons, wools and velvets to sit and lie on with an interactive screen of some sort (a kindle, laptop, smartphone or smart TV) feels like a perfect combination of elemental and ephemeral. Our interconnected global lives are conducted through those little devices. But I don’t see any point in the digital without the analogue. Books put our inner selves and psychological makeup on display for any invited guests to peruse. As American filmmaker, John Waters, has famously said, “If you go home with somebody, and they don’t have any books, don’t f*** ‘em”. It’s good advice.

Thankfully, I have a wall full of books. My collection currently sits in the dining room as a kind of conversation starter. You’ll be judged by the content of your bookshelves

As an appropriate segue, the real luxurious indulgence these days is stillness. We collectively and desperately need it.

Stillness, not sleep. And so the wellappointed homes I see now have meditation spaces, or yoga rooms, or enclosed gardens, or rooms with a natural view, or somewhere to be secluded, quiet and contemplative. They need not be multimillion dollar extravagances. Every home can have a little, quiet place.

Taking that thought further, the most interesting bedrooms now are just that,

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rooms with a bed. Modest in size but well proportioned with fine materials and natural light and outside connections and privacy, but nothing other than a good mattress and adequate bedcovering. No multi-layers or throws or piles of cushions, no bedside tables piled high, no cupboards hiding mess.

And most certainly, no TV or technology.

For some time now we’ve been recreating bedrooms as hotel rooms. I propose a more pared-back approach that focuses on sleep.

A reverse sham bedcover over the low rise of a pair of pillows side by side is an elegant bed I reckon. The true luxury of being able to walk naked into a room with a comfortable bed and slip between the covers is very seductive. Impractical of course, unless….

You have a boudoir!

I’m looking forward to the day when I see an architectural plan for a new apartment with a ‘Boudoir’ on it. These semi-private multipurpose spaces, adjacent to a bedchamber, are greatly underrated. A boudoir can be an anything and everything space - a place to eat, drink, bathe, dress, undress, nap, watch television, read, do crochet, meditate, work, sulk (from the original French meaning of the word), or generally amuse oneself, or others.

Traditionally a woman’s space between a dining room and a bedroom, boudoirs gained traction as scandalous and libertine spaces after the Marquis de Sade published “Philosophy in the Bedroom” in 1795.

I was once told the tale of a very famous fashion designer who installed a room lined

in black steel in the centre of his Manhattan penthouse apartment. It was electronically entered and soundproof, and was not, I was told emphatically, A. Panic. Room., but something far more hedonistic. It was his ‘boudoir’, of a sort.

Boudoir can also imply something decorative. I’ve always admired good skills with pattern, colour and texture and think that the best homes dovetail architectural and decorative intelligence neatly together.

Antiques can be a great window into a world of decoration. More importantly, antiques were ‘recycling’ before we started on plastics. When there is a growing unease that rampant consumption is strangling the planet, looking at used furniture alongside new is sensible thinking.

I’ve been known to spend hours trawling through items on 1stDibs, (while reclining on a cotton velvet cushion, naturally) and auctions, I’ve discovered, are great fun. I get carried away and raise my palleted hand a little too often as a parade of handmade well detailed pieces of furniture from another age beckon, their prices often much less than factory made contemporary designs. A good antique can add character, contrast and decorative detail to a room.

important. The recent design trade show, DenFair in Melbourne, was remarkable for the amount of well-made Australian product that was on display. It’s true that there is a sameness to much of it, a kind of Australian-Scandinavian aesthetic that washes over many of the pieces coming out of Australian workshops and design studios. But whereas then, our first and only option for furnishing an interior was to look to imported products, now we have more choice. Now you could furnish and decorate a house or apartment using only Australian designed/made products and have an elegant and comfortable interior. On the continuum of our developing design culture, that’s encouraging.

Finally, I recall the words of the great Sydney decorator, Leslie Welford, who explained to me once how he felt lucky to be able to examine beauty every day in his work. Asked how he made decorative decisions he replied with an alarmingly simple answer. He would look at something and say, “Oh, that’s beautiful.” And then again, “Oh that‘s beautiful”. From that direct and intuitive response from his heart and eyes came the beginnings of a complete interior, and a home.

When it comes to contemporary furniture, Australian design offers so much more now than it did a decade ago. Supporting a local design industry means supporting our own creativity, craft and industry. That’s

Textiles are critical.

Textures you can sit in, stand on, wrap yourself with and lie in are the things we touch with our skin. They provide softness, colour and pattern.

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Cleveland & Co. Ingrained History

In as straight a line as Sydney’s hills and curves will allow, Cleveland Street has long held the position as the arterial link between Sydney’s inner and eastern suburbs.

Connecting Centennial and Moore Parks, plus the beaches beyond, with the University of Sydney and western suburbs, the importance of Cleveland Street cannot be underestimated. As the city expanded, this line has flourished with industry, commerce, retail and residential occupancies jostling for position.

Born of a city in the process of change, it is fitting that Cleveland & Co. embodies the history of place inherent to the magnificent heritage buildings it occupies. As Adam Haddow explains: “...it was important to embrace its industrial heritage: to let it speak honestly about what has come before.” Encapsulating this history of change, Cleveland & Co. comprises three distinct buildings: the heritage listed 1889 New York & Brooklyn Tobacco Factory, designed by Sydney architect, R. Kunstman; the Demco Machinery Company of 1938 designed by J. Aubrey Kerr; plus the newly developed building to the rear lane.

Taking three different approaches to suit each of the three buildings was integral to the design. The tobacco store, for example. In keeping with its era, the interior boasted original timber windows as well as beautiful timber and wrought iron columns.

A considered approach champions these attributes, preserving them as both feature and driving force to the design. As Adam explains: “we used a ring-beam to stabilise the building to earthquake code, which allowed us to keep all the wonderful columns and keep the space true to the original character.” Sydney interior design company, BKH, worked closely with SJB to insert each apartment’s interior into the space to sit just below ceiling height, allowing the details to be not only preserved, but showcased.

central atrium has been carved through the building. The result is a series of apertures that allow cross ventilation and interaction with light, natural temperature and weather variations, on each floor. In keeping with this direction, each lobby floor is designed as an outdoor space to effectively instil each apartment with a sense of being part of the world. Within the apartments located in this portion, the chamfered capitals of the industrial columns and floor to ceiling metal rimmed windows are restored and integrated into the interior design through a restrained palette of luxurious materials coupled with exposed painted brick. And, while the industrial nature of the building is celebrated, so too is the occasion of this iteration with magnificent spiral staircases in white enamel in the three level apartments.

Working closely with the client, Cornerstone Property Group and interior designers, BKH, Cleveland & Co. has been realised as 39 apartments. Generously proportioned to suit the industrial scale of the internal volumes, the offering presents a good mix of one, two and three bedroom apartments, as well as a penthouse addition to the roof and ground floor retail across the 1,342m2 site.

Crowning the whole is a roof top garden of considered and considerable scope.

Designed by Black Beetle, the landscaping mirrors the contemporary desire for an oasis of nature more closely aligned to a great back garden than a resort style palm house.

As such the garden offers herbs as well as olive and citrus trees, and residents are encouraged to pick lemons for their evening meal or just relax as the day turns to night.

Moreover, it is the perfect place to enjoy the breathtaking city views.

Similarly the attributes of the 1938 Demco building, have been exaggerated and rewritten in a contemporary vernacular that pays tribute to the building’s past. Built to display machinery, each floor boasts a load bearing capacity of extraordinary measure.

Making a feature of the massive slab, the

Cleveland Street

right Taking three different approaches to suit each of the three buildings was integral to the design

Buckingham Street

above The Demco Building goods lift gantry mechanism was relocated to the communal roof top garden

1890s Former Tobacco Store

1930s Demco Machinery Warehouse

Extension

James Street

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right Central atrium level 1 of the Demco Building lobby middle left New built extension James Street middle right New York & Brooklyn Tobacco Factory lobby bottom Communal roof top garden offers northern views to Sydney city

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above and opposite Making a feature of the massive slab, the central atrium has been carved through the building

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Elwood Residence Simplicity at its most effective

While the brief for this project included a specific aesthetic, what made it particularly interesting was the client’s very clear understanding of how she wanted to live now. Her style of living has evolved to one that incorporates her personal comfort of living, while still allowing her to entertain guests and her growing family. This however, did not equate to an all-in-together type solution, but rather as a series of generous aesthetic moments that could be kept separate or joined to create a single expanse and experience.

That said, the aesthetics of this home are extraordinary. Residing in an inner suburb of Melbourne, the sculptural form of the house has been inserted into the residential landscape, in much the same way as small architectural gems can be found between traditional and modern homes in Tokyo. With a cantilevered upper-floor clad in aluminium slats, the day-time presence is that of a textured and patinated container over glass.

At night, however, when lit from within, the upper floor becomes a lantern, while the lower floor falls away to give the impression of a single sculptural form floating in the night sky.

Following the tenet of form following function, the exceptionally narrow site required the team to think outside the box towards an outcome that suited all parties.

With the consent of both neighbours, the solution was to build to the full boundary of the block, effectively making the new house as wide as possible without creating laneways between the houses. Importantly, the outcome meant retention of privacy and all parties came away happy. From a design perspective, it required the house to draw light and air from a range of different means resulting in a house that is finessed by light that flows from a series of living spaces interwoven with courtyards.

Contained within glass walls, two of the four courtyards read as a continuation of the living area, while another is a hidden domestic space for laundry etc. and the fourth demarks the entrance. The largest is the courtyard at the rear of the property.

Effectively the space between the house proper and garage, the design allows both the end of the house and facing side of the garage to be opened, thereby expanding the whole space to a continuous whole. To one side a long swimming pool follows the boundary. In doing so SJB was able to minimise enclosure requirements and allow the pool, when viewed from within, to be seemingly unencumbered by barriers.

On the opposite side, a louvered skylight continues out from the house to the garage as a long cantilevered canopy that provides some shelter between the two built forms without enclosing the space. Landscaping

by Jack Merlo is designed to be seasonally responsive providing an ever-changing vista from within that is enjoyed for its shade in summer and sun in winter.

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At the heart of the house, the internal courtyard, containing the sunken lounge and fire pit, is walled on three sides by glass. “The spaces are carved out and sculptural to optimise the overall form and allow microcosms of daylight and ventilation to permeate the whole” says Michael Bialek, Director at SJB Architects. Visually continuous, the floor remains the same level inside and out before giving way to a series of steps and the floor of the courtyard.

Designed for cushions and lounging, the area is also highly architectural in its material aesthetic of polished concrete.

Indeed, the whole house has been realised in a palette commensurate with contemporary Japanese aesthetics.

Deceptively simple in its elegant expanses of concrete, American oak and steel, it is the introduction of detail that affords the whole a deeply ingrained luxury. The living room for example has large sliding walls to conceal television, stereo and indoor fireplace, while the kitchen has been realised in a striking black granite. Concrete soffits hide the utilities, but these have been kept to a minimal to allow the 3 metre room heights (2.7 on the first floor) to be fully realised.

The upper floor continues these aesthetics with generously scaled bedrooms, en-suites and simplicity of line. Not wanting to finish the stairwell with a balustrade or wall the design incorporates a long bespoke shoe cabinet in American oak. Directly opposite an even longer piece of cabinetry, this time a desk, occupies the entire length of the wall and then some! Rather than stop at the adjoining room’s threshold the desk continues into the bedroom. The rooms however, remain separable with a sliding door that cuts through the desk. Bi-fold louvered screens to the street facade of the upper floor mitigate westerly sun while limiting the view to an outward aspect that ensures the privacy of both the residents and neighbours.

While the rarefied aesthetic and variable utility are outstanding, what makes the house exceptional is the experience of the space. Intimate and private on arrival, the house is very much concealed before opening to the view as the journey into the house is revealed. Shafts of light pouring from the courtyards and through the stairwell similarly break the space, as does the use of horizontals and black steel, which add drama to the composition. The staircase adds to this drama beautifully.

Rather than simple risers, each step is a box of American oak cantilevered from a steel plate. This allows the black steel of the beam structure to be fully visible. It also allows light and view to spill through the staircase and visually wed the experience of the house as a continuous single journey. As Michael says, “The whole house becomes an aperture to focus on light and beauty.”

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IDA Armani Style

IDA is a boutique residential development of 30 apartments on the Woolloomooloo end of Potts Point.

Launched with a fully realised display suite in 2015, SJB Interiors, in association with WMK Architects, have completed the design documentation and IDA is now underway.

Constructed in the 1970s heritage building that will form the visual heart of the project, the display suite design forgoes the (sometimes expected) juxtaposition of old and new. Instead, SJB’s approach takes cues from the interior design language of the 1970s where form and materiality softly reference the modernism of this era. “Because the site is unique in so many ways, it felt right to design the interior spaces with subtlety” says Kirsten Stanisich. White Ice and Cashmere granite, for example, were stones used prolifically during the period. For IDA, SJB worked with a supplier to create a glassy, honed finish that, while referencing the period, is highly contemporary. The detailing is simple and the horizontal banding through the taller elements is reflective of shutter style panelling, which again was so often specified in the joinery of the period.

Similarly, the exposed timber trusses and double story void take their cue from 70s architecture at its best.

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Inspired by the Armani-styled characters of the 1970s iconic film, American Gigolo, the design draws on a very limited colour palette. It explores the use of different textures to realise and express the project’s two schemes: Gere and Hutton.

IDA, moreover, looks to the freewill thinking of the 70s to answer the commercial constraints of multi-unit design, while forgoing the ‘on trend’ solutions that tick realtor boxes. Granted, the conservative approach to an interior taken by many developers, which never polarises the potential end user, has its place. We argued, however, that people interested in a 70s heritage building might be open to a materiality that contextually harmonised interior and exterior. Fortunately, we were able to convince our client to work with our concept of incorporating forms and finishes, which might be considered out-dated. Our approach to the design was to work with the cues of the existing architectural language of the period and express some of the sophistication of the 1970s, which is often overlooked. The result is an interior of very familiar materials, textures and details that have been re-interpreted in a new way that is both reminiscent of the glamorous elements of the 70s and wholly contemporary.

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Ballarat Station Master Plan Fiona Gruber

Ballarat’s handsome railway station is justly regarded as one of the heritage gems of this Victorian gold fields city; the station building with its tower, and adjacent Goods and Engine Sheds, were built between the 1860s and 90s and sit on a man-made embankment north of the CBD, a landmark, as well as a crucial amenity that connects the city to Melbourne and regional centres.

When SJB Urban won the State Government tender to create a master plan for the precinct, the historical significance of the site, (although limiting the development potential), was of primary importance says Lauren Clerey, the project’s lead designer. “There’s a lot of heritage significance to consider and respect,” she says “and we didn’t want to compete with it, instead we sought to retain their key vistas to the beautiful and majestic buildings.”

There were three other key elements for consideration when understanding the Precinct, says Clerey: the site’s functionality as an integrated transport hub, its connectivity with the rest of the city, particularly for pedestrians and the physical condition of the site, including its challenging raked topography and old retaining walls, which are also heritage listed.

The precinct is first and foremost a transport hub, says Clerey, alongside trains, there is a busy regional bus interchange and areas for taxis and private parking.

The site is currently not functioning at its best, adds Clerey; pedestrians have been disadvantaged and creating a friendlier environment for them has been a priority, alongside better access to the site; covered walkways and additional road access are part of the plan. “This precinct is a gateway and understanding how people move from it, to the CBD and beyond, is vital,” she says.

left View from Ararat Street (looking east) toward Ballarat Station

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The historic CBD, 800 metres to the south, is the vibrant commercial and civic heart of the city. Part of the master plan vision involves creating a stronger relationship between the station precinct and the similarly-aged architecture that surrounds it.

“Although there is plenty of potential, there are no plans in the short term to add retail or residential developments to the precinct,” says Clerey, with research by economic advisers CBRE revealing a lack of demand; however, a hotel is earmarked for the north-western part of the site, which will engage with the sloping topography of the area, and reconnect the site into the adjacent streetscape, which rises above the site. This, together with the rejuvenation and repurposing of the handsome Goods Shed, comprise the building works on the site, alongside a refurbishment of the main station buildings.

The consultation process for the master plan was really pivotal, and enjoyable, says Clerey. It included the involvement of State and local government, transport authorities, Vic Track (who own the site), Heritage Victoria and the community at large. Workshops were well attended at each stage of the project process and vociferous, mostly in a positive way. “The main lesson I have taken from this project is that the long, intensive and challenging collaboration with stakeholders was what made it so successful,” she says. “There were so many stake-holders and we took them on a design journey, which facilitated buy-in and support throughout.”

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8 Burnley Street A Place to Live

As the name suggests, the people who will live here provide the primary driver for the final building in the ‘A Place to Live’ development. Innovative floor-plans, generous balconies, premium finishes, passive thermal control and cross ventilation coalesce to provide the intangible feeling of comfort these apartments embody.

And, while these elements are extremely important to the residents, what the design achieves is far broader.

Rather than end the run of four previous SJB designed buildings with another distinctive building, 8 Burnley Street is about creating a finishing piece for the entire row that, while culminating the precinct, is impressive in its own right. Bold, yet restrained, the result is a curvilinear form that posits rigour of scale and proportion in a single sweeping gesture, both place-making and highly aspirational. More than the sum of its parts, 8 Burnley Street exponentially expands the appeal of the existing buildings.

Moreover, in its grandeur of architectural statement, 8 Burnley triggers a rethinking of the entire area. “We wanted this building to be about place and not just another residential block.” says Michael Bialek.

Key to the building’s appeal is a combination of calm and strength, where the rhythm of line negates the bustle of the intersection.

Visually cueing the layered curves of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim in New York, wide bands of powder-coated aluminium composite seemingly float in space thanks to deeply recessed balconies. The design, however, is wholly cognisant of the site and not simply the hero curve of the corner, no matter how dramatic! Each aspect of the building is independently addressed with corresponding shifts in form. Burnley Street, for example, is greeted by an undulating curve that wraps around the building and makes a fluid transition to Victoria Street where, rather than continuing as a round, the form makes a slight return.

The result is an unexpected and extremely beautiful transition that exaggerates the visual grace of the cantilevered balconies.

It also creates a clearly defined corner, from which to commence the portion overlooking Williams Reserve. At this point, the character of the building shifts to make a direct response to the Reserve. Here, powdercoated aluminium gently gives way to timber in prelude to the central section’s realisation in timber and glass, before switching back to metal for the southern side.

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Occupying a site of approximately 810m2 the sculptural form of the 63 apartment, mix-use building demonstrates a tailored response to key drivers inherent to the location: the busy intersection, and Williams Reserve. Pragmatic concerns raised in shadow analysis, have been mitigated by a stepped layering of floors that ensures minimal shadow impact on the reserve.

Additionally, this has the benefit of increased sight lines, with no awareness of the upper floors from within 22m. And, while this solution is invisible by definition, what it achieves for the overall form is a sense of lightness a solid block cannot deliver. This is driven home by the extraordinary design that visually floats the whole building above a fully transparent ground floor.

Supported by tapered oval columns, the upper floors hover above walls of glass that allow Williams Reserve to be viewed from all sides of the building. Superbly leveraging the external aesthetic appeal of the Reserve throughout the entire ground floor, the bold but restrained design joins the calm of the landscape with the buzz of Burnley and Victoria Streets. This sense of calm is enhanced by timber finishes, deep charcoal tones, steel, and powder-coated aluminium, which are used throughout this area as large uninterrupted swathes of neutral tones. The result is a restful palette that draws the eye through the building to the landscape beyond.

This palette is continued in the apartments, which benefit from generous balconies finished with fine louvres and substantial glazing. “The balcony depth gives the apartments a beautiful sense of scale,” says Fiona Coakley, Project Architect. Arranged to maximise privacy and view, the floorplates mimic the individual floor-plans in recognition of neighbours, view and amenity.

Completing the building at ground floor are a convenience store and café, plus wellness facilities including a gym, pool and sauna.

Indeed, taking full advantage of the lower floor glazing, the pool, which runs along the side facing Williams Reserve, allows tenants to fully engage with the reserve while doing their morning laps!

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Nº-17 Danks Industrial Cool

Responding to the post-industrial heritage of Waterloo, Nº-17 Danks presents a uniquely urban sensibility that is keenly attuned to the way we live in the city. Engaged to design the architecture and interiors of this mixeduse project, SJB felt that it was important to both engage and contribute to the streetscape. As such, an exterior aesthetic was developed to naturally connect with the location, while the interiors, though attuned to the industrial, are sufficiently luxurious for comfortable longevity.

Encapsulating the essence of industrial Waterloo, painted brick walls provide an elegant rawness to the interior. Softened with herringbone parquetry floors, carpeted bedrooms and herringbone stone floors for the interior courtyards, the interiors have been carefully designed with details that celebrate European elegance.

Craftsmanship and refinement, embellished with luxurious finishes, custom joinery, fullheight windows and French doors give each home a beautiful starting point.

Key to the project’s engagement with the streetscape is a colour and texture palette mimicking that of the city. Effectively defined through the materiality and texture of a warehouse aesthetic, it is not without richness and subtly embedded luxury, such as the richness of palette, use of copper on the awnings and timber screens. Indeed Nº-17 Danks is very much the beneficiary of a suite of elegant solutions developed for more expensive apartments: “Taking some beautiful details that we developed for 10 Wylde Street and investing them in this project, commonalities of details and ideas are explored from different perspectives,” explains lead architect, Adam Haddow.

Designed to perform as a home with an entrance vestibule and clear demarcation between rooms, as interior designer, Jonathan Richards, explains: “...thresholds between rooms have been articulated with deep black reveals; an urban toughness that heralds the movement from one space to another.” In keeping with this aesthetic, kitchens have been developed to read as a suite of furniture, rather than a built-in expanse. To this end, the main island has the aesthetic appeal of a stand-alone piece of furniture, while functionally providing the full amenity of both storage and bench without encumbering the whole.

Within the building, the sense of the outdoors, and more particularly, the sense of the street, continues through cement pavers in the blue/grey palette of the City of Sydney. Custom breeze-blocks, laid to act like a lantern at night, continue this dialogue between the city that was and the city to come with the nuance of repeating patterns, texture, tone and the nostalgia this building solution evokes. Where so much of the city is enclosed, the most obvious benefit of breeze-blocks, their ability to let the breeze through, is too often ignored. Not so in Nº-17 Danks, where thoroughfares are lightfilled and open to the elements. Moreover, a simple solution of structural netting allows walkways to exist as free floating bridges, while corridors are reimagined as single –sided expanses. Extensive plantings will transform the netting into a living wall of green over time.

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Bright, naturally lit interiors are afforded to each of the 43 apartments, all of which enjoy northern aspect views. Private gardens for the ground floor residences are augmented by a communal courtyard that channels the community to a central internal space before dispersion to the separate apartments. In doing so, the design reinforces the sense of the building in its entirety as a home and reinforces apartment living as a long-term solution for living in the city.

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Toorak Residence Era Specific, Authentic Grandeur

Standing above the Yarra River, this impressively scaled building has undergone meticulous renovation to create a stylish home with Mediterranean and American influences. Spread over four levels, the SJB design creates distinctive zones for large scale entertaining, family spaces and quiet corners for private reflection. Visual cohesion, light, and a fresh approach to spatial connectivity allow majestic and contemporary spaces to flow effortlessly as a seamless experience, bringing life back to this glorious building.

As Andrew Parr, Director at SJB Interiors explains, SJB were approached by the client who was open to either renovating or rebuilding. And while the Mock Tudor style of the house, was not appropriate to its architecture, Parr was convinced by the house’s bones and what a complete rethink of the style and space could achieve. “It’s not going to be a modern house: that is never going to work. It needs to feel like it was like this originally.” As such, the grandeur of the house’s heritage was revisited in the style of Californian glamour, circa 1920s Hollywood, complete with slightly Spanish undertones.

Key to the sense of grandeur is the total reconfiguration of the primary living spaces.

The entry foyer makes this point well. The sacrifice of a bedroom and removal of the existing staircase opened the space exponentially to create a central reception area flowing naturally to the new marble plinthed staircase. A floor of herringboned grey-brown marble, laid with borders, contains and delineates the room, while sumptuous rugs add colour, tonal variation and a sense of luxury. The new configuration additionally allows the parkland view to be seen on arrival, while dark timber panelling frames each of the rooms as perfect vignettes to be explored.

On the upper floor, the master-suite was similarly reconfigured. A previous renovation had seen the bay-windows boarded over and the bedroom made wholly internal.

Effectively reversing this arrangement, the SJB design places the bath in the vestibule of the bay window to enjoy both the light and view. Working in a palette of chocolate and mouse, large dark timber shutters and dark timber beams give a moody quality to the room reminiscent of Venice. Conversely, a custom chandelier of peacock blue crystal adds a touch of insouciance and the trigger for this beautiful colour, which is revisited as touches throughout the suite including the robe’s bespoke banquette.

Authenticity was paramount to the sense of depth inherent to the design solutions.

Elements such as the steel framed windows were coated with bronze to deliver a rich patina. Similarly, the kitchen’s ceiling was clad in timber and large beams were introduced to make the separation between the large kitchen volume and exterior space more clearly defined.

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The introduction of a loggia – outdoor living space – flows effortlessly from the interior with materiality and style providing visual connectivity. Channelling Chateau Marmont and Sunset Boulevard, the fireplace (in handmade white bricks) is framed within a large curving arc. Handmade Portuguese tiles add colour, pattern and nuance for just the right touch.

Contextualising the whole are the parkland view and gardens. This however was, as SJB Planning Director, Peter Doyle, explains, not without its challenges: “The Yarra River interface required considerable negotiations and a blending of the competing demands of the river corridor managers, Melbourne Water, Stonnington Council, and the client, who had selected [the landscape architect] Paul Bangay for his formal vision.” Effectively, the existing house and garden context was formal and dominated

by European and exotic trees, while the Council and Melbourne Water argued that the development must reintroduce an indigenous landscape despite the fact that the proposed work would rid the riverbank of a significant weed infestation. Working closely with all three, Paul Bangay brokered a suitable response, which merged the two with a native area in proximity to the river transitioning to formal gardens as it approached the house. This allowed the garden to be both a continuation of the river frontage and sympathetic to the heritage of the house and neighbouring properties.

Interestingly, while natives were championed

by Council, its planning provisions also sought to protect a large exotic, which required a rethinking of the loggia.

It is, in fact, the cohesion and combination of these great many details that go towards the authenticity of this project. The added layer of vintage furnishings (sourced in Los Angeles), including the dramatic cream leather lounge chairs with leg detail, confirms the sense of grandeur the home conveys. As does the very interesting way the view has been used to unite and define spaces, or the monolithic and simple gesture of a spiral staircase in ivory concrete that winds its way through the four floors. And then, there is the magnificent copper clad swimming pool.

Cantilevered on 20 pylons, 20m deep, with a glass encased study/library below, the pool provides a definitive full stop to a design that transcends the era of the home, layers glamour of the 1920s within a wholly contemporary take, and delivers a unique and extraordinary home.

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CareerSeekers New Australian internship program

Continuing the incredible work of CareerTrackers, CareerSeekers exponentially expands and extrapolates one of the most important programs shaping the future of Australia. Established in 2009

by Michael Combs, as a means to support career paths for indigenous university students, CareerTrackers effectively mimics the INROADS program, which was designed to support African American students in the USA. “When INROADS was started back in 1970, at the peak of the civil rights movement, the majority of African Americans who were working, were working in blue collar jobs or they were working for government. There was this real parallelism that you see playing out in the US ‘70s, playing out in Australia in 2005 to 2009” says Michael. At seven years, and with no government funding, CareerTrackers now works with 1138 students, 57 staff and 91 companies across Australia including SJB and Cox Architects, who have jointly committed to a 10 x 10 partnership (10 students over 10 years).

Recognising that companies trusted the CareerTrackers model, Michael saw the potential for expansion. “We have 91 corporate partners and all those companies are really starting to think about diversity and what diversity means to their workforce and customer base. They are all starting to trust the model, (a model designed for African Americans made relevant to Indigenous Australians) and in turn you start to question, can you make it relevant to other pockets of disadvantaged…can you make it relevant to asylum seekers or refugees?”

The simple answer is ‘of course’ and the decision to commence CareerSeekers was born as a two-stream program in 2015.

The first stream of CareerSeekers is very much in line with CareerTrackers, in that it works with refugees and asylum seekers enrolled in university by placing them into paid internships. However, the program is focused on creating a mutually beneficial frisson that rejects previous placement models where neither career path nor leadership opportunities were considered.

Instead, Michael and his team approach their partner companies with a tailored career as goal: “It’s not about filling jobs, it’s working with companies to create jobs.

So it says: here is this individual; here are their aspirations. Can you create a position for them and work with them to develop those skill sets each year of their degree, so that when they graduate they are going on to graduate employment and into the fast track to leadership?” Students are similarly prepared with training and support to guide them through the internship interview and working relationship via a series of hurdles that mimic a set of criteria a company will expect, as the program’s inaugural CareerSeeker, and SJB’s intern, Mustafa Al-jaboore explains: “They taught me how to present myself, how to speak, and advised me on ways of taking the interview.”

Born in Iraq, Mustafa with his family came to Australian as refugees in 2001 when the impending war escalation made staying impossible. Once here, the process of attaining refugee status and joining the workforce was extremely difficult: “It took a long time, it is not like we were treated any differently but my dad couldn’t study, my mum was a nurse and couldn’t work or study here” says Mustafa, adding in the spirit SJB have come to know of him: “I was in kindergarten so I had a chance to work my way up.” What he lacked, and what

left to right: Adam Haddow (Director SJB), Asma Nia (CareerSeekers Intern), Kirsten Stanisich (Director SJB), Mustafa Al-Jaboore (CareerSeekers Intern), Jonathan Richards (Director SJB), Alison McCabe (Director SJB), John Pradel (Director SJB)

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CareerTrackers addresses, is the network of working professionals, career driven peers and leadership pathways. As such, while the internships are essential, they are just part of a three-pronged approach that sees community and leadership as equally important. To this end, it is necessary for students to work together, to support and encourage each other into the program and to champion each other when necessary.

Having been through the INROADS program, Michael explains the logic: “Core to the philosophy is this notion of community, the notion of ‘this isn’t about one individual, this isn’t about a couple, it’s the notion of a community all supporting and building up each other’. For me growing up, none of my friends talked about being a CEO or CFO, but then you immerse yourself in this different set of peers and today my closest friends are the friends I made in INROADS.” Similarly, leadership is addressed through a program of training and workshops that help students make the connections needed to forge a career, while framing their journey in terms of success, leadership and the future. No stranger to this path, Michael was placed by the INROADS program in an internship with Hewlett Packard straight out of high school and each year until graduation when he joined the company full time. His career with HP spanned ten years and included his selection for the HP Global Leadership program, which brought him to Melbourne. Moreover, Michael’s role as a leader has been continuous. Named as a Gates Millennium Scholar in 2000, he was awarded the United States Congressional Medal of Service for community outreach and development in 2003. More recently, he was recognised in the inaugural Westpac Community Leaders Award for Social Entrepreneurship in 2013.

The second stream CareerSeekers recognizes is mid-career refugees and asylum seekers, as Kirsten Stanisich explains: “While the refugee and asylum seeker university students have similar familiar issues to CareerTrackers, mid-career professional asylum seekers and refugees have different issues and an internship helps ensure they have sufficient experience within a local context – it’s easier for them to turn up for an interview if they can say they have worked for an Australian company and have a good reference.” Effectively, an internship for a mid-career seeker provides them with three very valuable assets: an Australian reference; an Australian company on their CV; and peer association and contacts. This last aspect is essential as the working skillset of any individual is most readily recognised by peers when they are working together, which, in turn, leads to job recommendations and shared communication around opportunities.

Moreover, in working with skilled Seekers, companies like SJB are able to leverage its imprimatur to action change. Increasingly Seekers are presenting with amazing qualifications that are simply not recognised in Australia. SJB recently approached Tim Horton, the NSW registrar of Architects, to see how this could be changed and is now working with Horton to set precedence.

By involving statutory bodies in the debate, qualification recognition could catapult across a range of professions. Just as important, recognising qualifications removes any excuse a company may claim for not employing refugees and asylum seekers. The role of engineer makes this point well, as the only person who needs to be a registered engineer is the person signing off on the documentation. As such, despite qualifications not being

recognised in Australia, a seeker can be given a job as a draftsperson as long as a registered engineer is the one signing off.

This in turn gives the seeker time to get their qualifications recognised.

The point, however, is that employing CareerSeekers strengthens the quality of any company: “You see incredible talent and it’s just good business to employ people with skills, but it has a huge social impact just from giving someone a job, which you are going to do anyway” says Michael.

With CareerSeekers less than a year old, the first round of Mid-career Seekers are finding their feet with companies across Australia. As Michael points out, “it’s just good business” for a bank such as Westpac that has a branch in the western suburbs with a huge immigrant population in the area. In this case, the good business was the employment of a Muslim woman, who speaks two languages and was a bank manager in Iran. In terms of the built environment industry, aside from the increased talent and diversification our industry thrives on, there is the very real positive of applying for government work with the added advantage of being able to say: ‘by the way, we employ asylum seekers and refugees’. And, while that sounds overly pragmatic, the NSW Government has agreed to take 7,000 refugees from Syria over the next year.

Many will be exceptionally talented and highly qualified professionals and to reiterate, giving these people a chance is not only to be applauded, but championed, celebrated and ‘just good business’.

“You see incredible talent and its just good business to employ people with skills, but it has a huge social impact just from giving someone a job, which you are going to do anyway.”

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Carter Street Urban Activation Precinct Planning and Urban Design

In 2014 SJB was engaged by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment to review the Urban Activation Precinct for the 50ha Carter Street precinct of Lidcombe NSW. Comprising an existing industrial estate adjacent to Sydney Olympic Park (an area also undergoing significant urbanisation and change towards mixed use and greater residential density), Carter Street offered a unique opportunity for major regeneration as the area is under a number of large ownership parcels. The challenge of masterplanning this area was the lack of supporting infrastructure and permeability that was needed to support this vision for a new medium to high density residential community, including, new roads, public spaces, schools, utilities and amenities.

A diverse range of existing industrial and commercial businesses occupy the area with a commensurate diversity of leasing agreements. This had a significant impact on the ability to deliver a development in a coherent manner. Over a 10-15 year span of property cycles, the pieces of land will slowly become available for development. Effectively, this is the ultimate challenge: how can you provide certainty to plan for growth and population increases, while also providing flexibility for long term trends and property cycles to be considered?

The combination posed both challenges and incredible scope, as Jonathan Knapp, Director, Urban Design, Sydney explains: “The parameters were liberating but challenging. Very complex leasing boundaries often determined what is deliverable, plus the intricacies of trying to apply planning controls to areas where there are no existing roads, open space or infrastructure, such as schools. Things can change over time, and spaces might move, so you are trying to overlay specific planning controls to areas where there is no specificity.” On the liberating side, Carter Street was one of the first projects of this kind for the Department and allowed a unique opportunity to explore the possibilities of ‘starting from scratch’.

The result is an urban plan, which will transform an enormous industrial precinct into a residential neighbourhood for 6,500 new homes with a new town centre, new primary school and new open spaces.

Moreover, it is proposed that light rail will service the area and the M4 is just moments away. The design approaches developed for the project have now been applied to other regeneration projects such as the Showgrounds in Castle Hill, St Leonards and Greater Parramatta.

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Key to the master plan was an appreciation of existing infrastructure, utilities, regional gas line, land holdings, environmental constraints, traffic connectivity and movement, including the future potential light rail through the precinct. “Driving Carter Street is a set of physical constraints compounded by the capacity of the local road network – this is a challenge being faced throughout the entire region from Wentworth Point and greater Parramatta,” says Jonathan. Effectively, the merit of a brownfield regeneration at this scale means the masterplanning of new connections, open spaces and communities from the start. There is also the onus to provide for greater future benefit that has farreaching public benefit beyond the site and immediate environment. It also allows negotiations to benefit the public during the immediate integration of the project, while addressing future concerns around issues such as traffic and schools.

The master plan delivers improved outcomes for building orientation, movement, open space provision, staging and delivery, which were informed by detailed street studies, open space precedents and built form testing. A range of building typologies, based on SJB’s current and recently completed projects, informed the evolution of the master plan and the ultimate planning controls including building heights and floor space ratio.

Shadow studies, view assessment and detailed interrogation of building efficiencies and floor space ratios allowed greater confidence in the development yields and densities being proposed.

With a foreseeable development evolution of between 10 and 15 years (depending on the market), the master plan provided the basis for planning controls, which were prepared in consultation with the Department of Planning and Environment for adoption in the Auburn Local Environment Plan and Development Control Plan. Eighteen months on and the Carter Street Master Plan is now imbedded with Council, and SJB have started work on one of the first developments comprising 750 apartments. Importantly for Sydney’s growing population and housing affordability crisis, Carter Street embodies a regeneration that holistically makes the transition from industrial to residential, and contributes to the greater Parramatta to Sydney Olympic Park corridor.

right Aerial view of the Carter Street precinct and Sydney Olympic Park below Proposed Carter Street Town Centre bottom View from a new public space towards the town centre

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Glebe Harbour Apartments Retrospective

At 10 years, Blackwattle Bay continues to exemplify best practice with many of its initiatives and innovations broadly adopted throughout the industry, as architectural commentator, Andrew MacKenzie, states: “through its enduring success, SJB’s Blackwattle Bay development, has helped to redefine medium density residential development in Sydney.”

Occupying the former Fletcher container site, situated on the edge of Sydney Harbour with views across Blackwattle Bay towards Anzac Bridge, Glebe Harbour Apartments present a benchmark in regeneration.

Moreover, the development provides a clear illustration of mid-density housing, which is sensitive to both the heritage and character of the area. The reinstated street pattern, building materiality and open space footprint, for example, all mimic the seemingly haphazard nature of the existing Glebe environment and its connection to the harbour, while historic elements, such as the restored sandstone sea wall visually knit the project with its surrounding environment.

Walter Burley Griffin’s Incinerator, heritagelisted in 2000, remains an integral part of the development. Restored and reinterpreted (the flue and furnace were destroyed in 1952, while the sheds had been partially demolished over the years) the Incinerator’s six original concrete Hume pipe columns provide a sculptural form, made light by the series of open trellises representing the sheds. Moreover, it is Griffin’s attention to detail at scale that has informed the development and underscored its longevity: “Griffin spent a lot of time on the details, on the intricacies of his buildings. I think that’s still a really important part of architecture.

Big buildings need details” said Adam Haddow in 2003 when interviewed by Jenny Wills for her article ‘all fired up’ in The Sunday Telegraph. “I think that this is even more important 10 years on” says Haddow.

“While we are injecting higher density living environments to our cities we like to think that we are also injecting idiosyncracy, intimacy, craft and detail. We want people walking past to be intrigued and interested.”

left Integration of landscaping to terrace courtyards below left Terraces fronting public domain with landscape privacy

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Comprising 146 apartments, the complex ranges from the small scale terraces, which exist as an extension of the surrounding street network, to larger apartment buildings that balance the development equation.

And, while the urban structure of the project responds to the localised conditions of the site and proximity to the city, the public domain of the site’s pre-settlement context and later industrial nature are also observed.

Effectively resolved as three parts: a foreshore landscape of native flora provides a pre-settlement environment; a simple outdoor playing turf is in constant use as the area’s primary family recreation spot; and the restoration and reinterpretation of heritage buildings has reinvigorated the area as a whole. The extension of the harbour foreshore walk, which carefully and anonymously connects into a preestablished framework and master plan, has been a key element. As Sustainable Area Planning urban theorists, Dr Ray Rauscher and Dr Salim Momtaz, note in Sustainable Neighbourhoods in Australia: “the popular Walter Burley Griffin Incinerator and public plaza offers a large expanse of

public space. Sections of Glebe now have been connected with a foreshore shared pathway. It is so delightful to meander along the foreshore walk and to recognise that we contributed to public happiness – it’s a really great space that is enjoyed by so many people. It makes me smile!”

To contextualise the project, a brief history of Glebe provides a frame underscoring the architectural thinking behind the project.

Bequeathed to the Church of England by Governor Phillip, Glebe, while originally surveyed in 1790, began settlement in the 1820s. By 1901, the population of 19,220 occupied some 3,737 houses comprising a comfortable mix of Victorian terraces and grand Edwardian estates. The Great Depression changed Glebe dramatically with the industrial port one of the first to suffer the depression-fuelled timber strike of 1929. That said, industry remained aspirational with the Glebe Incinerator commissioned and completed to Sir Walter Burley Griffin’s design in 1933. By the 1940s, industry had ground to a halt, as had the idea of Glebe as a desirable location.

The seventies saw considerable change with The Glebe Society formed in 1969 to successfully protest a proposed expressway and champion the preservation of Glebe Estate. The chief outcome of the society, however, was a renewed enthusiasm for Glebe, which has carried through to today.

So relevant is this lobby group that it, along with the Leichhardt Council, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, and the Walter Burley Griffin Society were included in the four years of negotiations required to meet all concerns. Considering the scope and length of consultation it is interesting to note that the resultant design was little changed from SJB’s original concept. That said, the levels of process were rigorous. Put into competition by Australand in 2000, SJB secured the project by 2001 with a further three years dedicated to finessing the project before a 2003 construction start.

A further three years were taken to complete the 146 dwelling, $76M development with the first tenants taking possession in 2006.

right Walter Burley Griffin’s original incinerator with interpretive elements added below right Terrace houses fronting the foreshore

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A series of accolades including Apartment of The Year in the Sunday Telegraph Readers Choice Awards and a muchcoveted commendation in the Heritage category by the Australian Property Institute, 2006, soon followed. Key to the project’s success was a thorough appreciation and understanding of the historic elements and architectural rigour, both in philosophy and detail, inherent to the area, and particularly the Fletcher Terminal and Griffin’s Incinerator. Sustainable integration into the traditional neighbourhood has also been highly successful, with Rauscher and Momtaz commenting: “a survey of new developments in Glebe was taken from 2009 to 2014… Low profile new attached houses

right Stepped terrace housing with landscape interface to public domain below View to terrace houses on Ferry Road

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have been developed along sections of the foreshore… A row of medium density energy efficient homes on foreshore… It can be concluded (based on survey and reference to City of Sydney and NSW government’s planning documents…) that Glebe is moving in the right direction in meeting the indicators of sustainability ‘integrating sustainable development’.

“Glebe is a fantastic place to live – we are incredibly proud that we were able to contribute to the DNA of the suburb.

We’ve been able to make some urban architecture that has built on the existing context while delivering contemporary housing” says Haddow.

In keeping with Sir Walter Burley Griffin’s philosophy, which holds that architecture can have a positive effect on people’s lives, The Glebe Harbour development remains a benchmark in urban development. The homes are spacious, well appointed and of sufficient luxury to remain beautiful 10 years after completion. Concurrently, the simple and robust materiality of the public domain, while reflective of the site’s pre-settlement context and its later industrial nature, has stood the test of time with exceptional rigour.

More importantly perhaps, the development has not only achieved full integration, its public domain and reintroduction of the foreshore walk are no longer viewed as part of the development, but rather, as part of Glebe itself.

design by garbett.co

SJB Melbourne +61 3 9699 6688 Sydney +61 2 9380 9911 sjb.com.au @aboutsjb #aboutsjb

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