GLE 03 [aDAPTIVE RE-USE]
GLE 03
ADAPTIVE RE-USE THE BUCHAN GROUP THOMSON ADSETT MBM GREEN LEAF ENGINEERS JACKSON TEECE HOTEL GAMBARO
GLE 03
[ADAPTIVE RE-USE]
01 GLE 03 Journal
Editorial Rob Dickie robd@greenleafengineers.com Valerie Stoelen valeries@greenleafengineers.com Martin Miers martinm@greenleafengineers.com Publishing Co-ordinator Stef Palmer stefp@greenleafengineers.com Designer David Morales davidm@greenleafengineers.com
For GLE GLE03 is distributed solely through the Property Australia Magazine, published by the Property Council of Australia limited ABN 13008 474 422 Additional hard copies are exclusively provided to contributors.
The opinions expressed in editorial material do not necessarily represent the views of Green Leaf engineers Pty Ltd or the GLE Journal. Unless specifically stated, goods or services mentioned in articles are not formally endorsed by the GLE Journal, which does not accept any liability for goods or services featured in this publication. GLE: level 3, 15 Malt Street, Brisbane, 4006. ISSN 1837 8072 (Print)
The publisher reserves the right to alter or omit any article submitted and requires indemnity from the contributors against damages or liabilities that may arise from material published. Contributors, upon lodging material with the GLE journal for publication indemnify Green Leaf engineers Pty Ltd against all liability claims or proceedings whatsoever arising from the publication. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted inn any form or by means of electronic or mechanical photocopying, recording or otherwise without permission of the Publisher.
EDITORIAL Talk about last minute changes! The day GLE was going to press Mr Wayne Swan decided to release a budget that not only backtracked significantly on what was promised but ruined my editorial piece. Whilst we may be in back in black by 2013; productivity growth, a greener built environment and a world class funds management industry will be the price to the property industry has to pay. The government has reinforced the idea that the sustainable built environment is exclusively capital intensive by scrapping $1 billion in tax breaks for the Green Building Program, it has however provided nearly $3million in revenue strands to improve NABERS and NatHERS and implement effectively the mandatory disclosure scheme. A considerable carrot replaced with a small, flimsy stick. I was speaking at the Retrofitting for Energy Efficiency conference last month in Sydney and was due to deliver a diatribe on lessons learned around the world when considering a case for Re-Lifing the built environment. Having dutifully prepared my slides and notes prior to the event I found myself at midnight redefining my presentation as I realised that the complex web of carrot and stick initiatives offered by politicians, and the BCA were implicitly understood by not only the speakers -but the audience! What a contrast to several years ago when we were floundering with the concept of why do we need energy efficiency in buildings?'. I decided to talk about where sustainable developments flourish and consider what is the successful balance of legislation and commercial stimulus in those areas. Refurbishments are seemingly pushed to the forefront of developers minds when; the economic growth rate is slow and predictable, where the CO2 emissions per capita is high and legislation exists to reduce this and where the cost of energy and water is high and rising. London, Germany, US and Australia are prime candidates. Key to Ken Livingston's London Energy Plan in 2006 was pre-consultation with the private sector, a simple yet detailed scheme to measure energy and a ruthless plan of implementation. The results speak for themselves; London South Bank University suggests that since the publication of the draft in September 2006, more than half of the planning applications analysed achieved CO2 savings of at least 30% and approximately a quarter met or exceeded 40% CO2 savings. NABERS and mandatory disclosure is a framework not too dissimilar to the London Energy Plan, but is $3million enough to regulate and improve building performance to achieve the same sort of success as London has achieved? Although the City of Sydney is probably rethinking its tri-generation infrastructure masterplan today after the budget, for my money it is still the front runner, head hunting Alan Jones (the engineer, not the orator) and his expertise to coerce big business to get green stuff done was a mercurial stroke.
Green Leaf Engineers PTY LTD are proud members of;
Rob Dickie is the managing director of Green Leaf Engineers.
Rob Dickie [GREEN LEAF ENGINEERS]
[Editorial]
[Re: START project takes re-lifing to a new level]
PAGE
01
PAGE
Rob Dickie
Todd Crighton
03
[Green Leaf Engineers]
[THE BUCHAN GROUP]
Rob is the founding director of Green Leaf Engineers and began his career in Zimbabwe where his training and energy as an engineer pushed him to the cutting edge of a burgeoning industry known as building services.
Todd Crighton is a Director and Lead Designer for The Buchan Group in Brisbane, and has more than 25 years of experience in the industry. Todd's focus since joining The Buchan group in 2001 has been on master planning mixed use, retail and multi-residential and hospitality projects. Recent projects include Hilton Surfers Paradise, Marina Mirage redevelopment, Changning Retail and the Gulou Retail developments in China and 5 Mile in Queenstown.
He has since worked in Europe, the Middle East and Australia where he is highly proactive in incorporating sustainable elements into projects of every type and scale. He believes a sustainable agenda is integral to lean and cost effective design. Rob has been a guest lecturer at London's South Bank University and is an active contributor to journals such as Construction Weekly, The Australian Architectural Review and Property Australia Magazine.
Todd has been responsible for a range of international projects in Malaysia, Jakarta, New Zealand and China and was also invited as a guest speaker to the Tall Buildings Conference (Seoul) in 2008 and the Waterfront Conference in Dubai, 2009.
[ Re-lifing: Realising
[Rejuvenation & Revaluation]
PAGE
05
PAGE
Graham Legerton
Yves Du Bois
potential]
09
[Thomson Adsett]
[MBM]
Graham is the Director of Education for ThomsonAdsett, a leading Australian architecural practice. He has an international portfolio, encompassing projects in Europe, the Middle East and Australia, and specialises in the design of education buildings. He believes in collaborative and personable approaches to design and practice.
Yves is an associate director with MBM. Responsible for opening the Brisbane office in April 2010, Yves began his career in South Africa before relocating to Australia. He has acquired more than 24 years experience in the construction and property industries and served on the Property Council of Australia's sustainability committee.
Having qualified with distinction in his professional practice examinations, he is a believer in life-long professional education. He is the founder and Chair of the Friends of the Industry (FOTI) construction industry forum and is a regular speaker at education design symposiums, such the upcoming Nobel Forum in Sweden, where he will showcase the Griffith University Gold Coast Library Extension and GUMURRII Centre while elucidating 'How space impacts on learning'.
Yves has provided all aspects of Quantity Surveying services from inception and feasibility studies to settlement of accounts on a large variety of projects including prestige residences, high rise office and residential towers. He believes that it is of utmost importance to carry the acquired intellectual knowledge from start to finish through personal involvement in all phases of a project.
[39 Hunter Street, Sydney]
[Evolving Buildings to Serve Growing Business]
PAGE
11
PAGE
Damian Barker
The Gambaros
13
[[JACKSON TEECE]
[Gambaros MG Hotel]
Damian leads Jackson Teece's architecture and urban design teams. Since 1998, he has been instrumental in establishing the Brisbane office servicing QLD and the greater Asia Pacific region.
Gambaros is an excellent case study to the relationship between reinventing business through reusing space.
Over his 25 year professional career, his work has won many awards across a broad range of sectors and has been widely published, most notably, for projects that excel in Environmentally Sustainable Design. He has led two Six-Star Green Star commercial projects and has a strong interest in the adaptive reuse of heritage buildings and master planning for Brownfield developments. Damian is skilled at community consultation and is heavily involved in several industry groups and contributes as a guest lecturer to several universities.
The Gambaro family is highly motivated to continually improve their business in all ways possible. In this persuit, their premesis has undergone a series of transformations. The main drive comes from Michael Gambaro, who at 75 is still a visionary businessman. He works closely with his two sons John and Donny to continually redfine their business edge and quench changing markets damands
GLE 03 | ADAPTIVE RE-USE | Page 02
GLE 03
[ADAPTIVE RE-USE]
03
Re:START Re-lifing to a new level By Todd Crighton
It is the vibrancy of urban life that significantly defines the heart of a city. The daily migration of business owners, workers, shoppers and tourists is what shapes the civic identity. Within this fabric we are presented with opportunities to manipulate individual pieces to improve the very workings of a city. Challenging preconceptions provides opportunities to explore the re-lifing of materials and technology to create innovative insertions within the built environment. It's natural to measure against the past when attempting to provide a new existence for something that carries a history. We draw on the structure's previous life and then look to the future and how it may contribute to civic quality. But what if the place that needs re-lifing is a devastated city centre? The Christchurch business community embraced the idea of creating a temporary retail precinct for their city following the destruction caused by the February 2011 earthquake. Public participation played an important role in the transformation of Cashel Mall, but few could have predicted the impact to the social fabric of this community. Shipping containers were transformed into the key elements reinventing the shattered Cashel Mall's shops, civic spaces, cafes, landscaping and services. They were arrayed in situ, bringing business, amenity and leisure back to those places that need it most. The project aims to sustain the urban community to the greatest practical extent, and draw the people of Christchurch back into the heart of the city. Eyebrows were certainly raised when the term "shipping container" was used. How could a lifeless steel box carry any hope of fulfilling the expectations of recreating an urban square? The Buchan Group Christchurch's designers– then operating from a family living room following the damage to our own office— set out to demonstrate how these objects could in fact create a framework to reflect the resilience and vibrancy of the city's inhabitants. Without question, The Buchan Group has learned much through this process. We have always been very proud of the Christchurch Art Gallery, and especially the role it played as Civil Defence HQ after the quake, but Re:START's collection of brightly coloured steel boxes holds a unique place as one of the practice's key
Never before has the community been more keenly aware of the energy and materials embodied in our building stock, and of the need to re-use these resources in the most sustainable way, both now and in their ongoing lives. achievements. The concept of giving new life and new meaning to the built environment is not new, but is an area that has dramatically grown in importance over the last few decades. The increasing appreciation of architectural heritage as part of a city's culture has seen a surge in the adaptive re-use of significant buildings around the world, and shows little sign of slowing. Re-lifing has revived flagging industrial settings, such as city waterfronts, and transformed grand but disused government buildings into vibrant hotels, retail centres and entertainment venues. The urban fabric into which these buildings are woven is renewed for the next generations, and the personal and public narratives around them are layered into the culture of each place. Never before has the community been more keenly aware of the energy and materials embodied in our building stock, and of the need to re-use these resources in the most sustainable way, both now and in their ongoing lives. Parallel to the re-use of existing structures is the redevelopment of individual sites and precincts. Often the redevelopment centres around the existing use of a place, for example the recent renewal of the train station in the Fortitude Valley entertainment precinct, or the key retail centre Wintergarden Brisbane, which strengthens pedestrian links between the adjacent developments, streets and Mall. On other occasions, redevelopment entails a radical change of use, such as the transformation of the Gold Coast's famous Dolphin Arcade into the two-tower Hilton Surfers Paradise. In this project, the importance of re-establishing the
neglected pedestrian link from canal to beach guided the design of the street-level public and retail thoroughfare. In all cases, redevelopments must respond to the important connections through and around them, both physical and cultural, to contribute to the life of our urban places. Sometimes re-lifing isn't restricted to a single building or site. The past year has seen some extraordinary challenges and examples of the design community's contribution to the relifing process in adversity. The floods widely experienced in 2011 prompted a variety of design responses, including emergency recovery designs such as the winning entry in Tesseract's international "Facing the Floods" competition led by one of our own QUT Architecture students, Brendan Woodley, and his fellows Dale Partridge and Daniel Hines. The design proposed a system of low-tech emergency shelters which could be introduced into the safe surrounding areas, then moved in to help re-establish the communities in place, and eventually stored and re-used anywhere in the world. The devastating earthquake that struck Christchurch in February 2011 created the need for adaptive re-use and reconstruction on a huge scale, to inject life and renewed confidence to the CBD and suburbs of the New Zealand city. It is innovations like the Re:START Cashel Mall project that not only re-life the built environment, but re-lift the spirits of the people that inhabit them.
Todd Crighton is a Director and Lead Designer for The Buchan Group in Brisbane
Todd Crighton [THE BUCHAN GROUP] GLE 03 | ADAPTIVE RE-USE | Page 04
GLE 03
[ADAPTIVE RE-USE]
05
Adaptive Re-Use: Realising Potential
By Graham Legerton
“Unfortunately, many buildings are removed irrationally where fantastic opportunities for re-lifing exist.� I distinctly recall a University Director of Estates remark, 'the most sustainable building is a building that you do not have to build'. This thought provoking comment was made in the context of new developments becoming too focussed on 'eco bling' rather than the challenges and sustainability benefits of enhancing and retaining existing buildings. This point highlights the need for considered and visionary ideas which maximise the residual value of existing buildings and contribute to the transformation of university campuses. Established universities usually have an abundance of existing buildings that are often underutilised, constrained by negative perceptions or struggling to meet evolving pedagogical, technological, social and growth demands. As such, university buildings are frequently subjected to the refurb or rebuild debate. Unfortunately, many buildings are removed irrationally where fantastic opportunities for re-lifing exist. 'Integrated extensions' epitomize the merits of a hybrid approach and often provide greater value than an internal refurbishment or complete rebuild, particularly in times where there is a financial imperative to maximise what we have. Executed correctly, integrated extensions utilise embodied energy benefits and can have a radical impact, not just on the adjoining building's longevity, comfort, perception and utilisation but also on the sustainability and branding of a university's estate. They can resolve shortfalls and embrace qualities of an existing building that can contribute so much to the creation of a place.
Griffith Gumurrii Building Top of Page:Artists impression of the building in situ Above & Below: New library is designed to bring new life to existing infrastructure Far Left: Main entry
GLE 03 | ADAPTIVE RE-USE | Page 06
GLE 03
[ADAPTIVE RE-USE]
07
Adaptive Re-Use: By Graham Legerton
Replacing eco-bling with deliverable, sustainable outcomes can provide real returns I have recently been fortunate enough to work on the Griffith University Gold Coast Library (G11) Extension and Gumurrii Centre project, a culturally significant project and distinctive learning hub within the $320M Griffith University Gold Coast campus redevelopment program. The outline brief for the project included the intent to extend and re-life the existing L-shaped building with a two storey structure to the west and a five storey structure to the east. Our variant response provided a unified three storey building to the west effectively protecting and cloaking the existing building. Re-lifing the existing library asset in a triangulated form has many benefits which include; less disruption during construction, shorter travel distances, less vertical circulation and lower contractor overheads. Conversely, this offers more horizontal connectivity, passive surveillance, increased opportunities for student engagement and the convenience of access to a wider support service. The resultant linear building form transforms the identity and presence of the building, generating an appropriate urban design response and landmark presence on University Drive. The existing building site and resultant developable area outside of this footprint also greatly informed the unique geometric qualities of the proposed spaces. As such, the distinctive shard will assist campus way finding and serve as a meeting point. An additional building entry will further activate the existing interior collaborative zone by improving access and spatial utilisation. On the upper levels, the interface between existing and proposed is minimised to two bridge connections. The new offset building line and minimal contact between new and existing structure and fabric ensures that more of the budget is spent on the student experience. From a pragmatic and cost perspective this assists speed of construction, maintenance, fire separation, acoustic control, greatly simplifies interfaces and avoids unnecessary roof modifications. The extended collection is simply expanded above by relocating existing offices into new space, which in turn will serve as future adaptive space. There is more to the building than smart planning. A creative design process identified opportunities for program shift and explored how the relived building could have wider campus appeal. Unique environments with varying degrees of permeability such as the learning 'aviary', conversion of the former VC terrace and a sky lounge are seen as integral components of the library experience.
Learning Aviary & Quiet Room The learning aviary was inspired by the librarian's reference to an aviary during the site tour. This term led us to consider creation of a space which is a hive of activity and that explores the sense of openness and enclosure between the new and existing buildings. Whilst the existing building is flanked by a green space to the west this space has low utilisation due to the harshness of the western sun. Raising the extension above the ground plane and cantilevering the building to the north are both significant moves in achieving an additional 1000sq.m external student space and the essential permeability that encourages use. The new building mass frames and protects experimental pedagogical areas and landscape settings of variable scale. Most importantly, the space increases the likelihood of serendipitous student interactions. Open in part to the sky, the space will also have passive benefits of
natural light, ventilation and an ever changing sky. Conversely, an enclosed glazed quiet room provides all weather enjoyment of the aviary. This room converts the former VC terrace into a contemporary glass pavilion. Access is provided via the existing building preserving the quiet, special nature of this space and providing access via engagement with the extended collection floor. Sky Lounge In collaboration with our architectural partners for this project, Kevin O'Brien Architects, the cultural response seeks to unite the extended building with the wider land. The Gumurrii Centre maximises outreach and inclusion for indigenous students with a street presence, light volumetric interior and external connection to the distant hinterland
Graham is an architectural director at ThomsonAdsett, and the firm’s National Director of Education.
Graham Legerton [THOMSON ADSETT]
Realising Potential
Griffith Gummurii Building Above: Learning Aviary Left: Sky Lounge ...............................................
range and Tamborine Mountain. The sky lounge in particular will enable enjoyment of panoramic hinterland views and the capability of staging events. The facade design also allows views in and out of the building on University Drive. In many ways, the existing introverted building will become extroverted with visible activity. The benefits of this approach are considerable. Formal space will complement the existing informal settings. The extension will increase collaboration, outreach and choice. External settings will contrast with internal spaces. Students will have more places to meet, greet, debate, concentrate and study. Unique additional program spaces extend value for money through reduced reliance on air conditioned space, less vertical separation, minimal interface costs, less campus disruption and shorter travel distances.
A formerly solid existing building will be transformed by a permeable solution that will enrich the student experience, promote inclusiveness and extend cultural associations with the land. This outcome has been achieved through an exemplary commitment to a design and consultation process, all within an extremely tight time frame and on budget. The team has the required drive, trust, listening skills, experience, passion and collective desire to revitalise the building whilst prioritising the student experience. Replacing eco-bling with deliverable, sustainable outcomes can provide real returns. Often decisions are made on high level cost comparison of new build versus refurbishment without conception of a redevelopment vision. G11 is now under construction and will realise the potential of transforming an existing asset into a long-life component of the campus.
GLE 03 | ADAPTIVE RE-USE | Page 08
GLE 03
[ADAPTIVE RE-USE]
09
Re-lifing, rejuvenation, upgrading, renewal, renovating, modernisation...
By Yves Du Bois
Re-lifing a building makes use of the inherent value contained in the original building and allows the extension of its useful life far and beyond the initial anticipated lifespan. Re-lifing, renewing, renovating, refurbishing, rejuvenating... Call it what you may, but almost every commercial building, at some point, will reach a time when its financial viability is shot by a shrinking rental income and increasing operational costs. Running costs are generally a product of the decline in quality of the asset when compared against its younger competitors, the downgrading of its PCA, Green Star and Nabers ratings and, most importantly, the building's perceived value as an asset to potential tenants. Whilst the latter is attributable to ageing and less effective services which limit the capacity to moderate increasing energy costs, this is compounded by mounting maintenance and repair bills summoned by building elements that have reached or exceeded their life expectancy. Rejuvenating a building also presents the opportunity (and in most cases the legal obligation) to bring it in line with current building codes. The end product offers all the practicalities of contemporary developments whilst retaining a certain charm and nostalgia. All sounds very romantic, but re-lifing existing buildings is not without its risks. Simply the age of a building is enough to pose hidden risks within the existing structure, substructure or services - the condition of which is largely dependent on the level of historic maintenance. Building owners who have held the asset from inception and kept accurate records are at a distinct advantage here. Nevertheless, even with these records, a rigorous investigation prior to determining the works will go a long way to reducing the risk, accurately assessing the cost, and structuring of the works and contracts accordingly.
By nature, cost planners are conservative creatures and the importance of a sensitivity analysis based on various scenarios is critical. This allows asset owners to identify high risk areas and focus their investigations accordingly. As different building elements have varying life cycles, there may be no ideal time for refurbishment. The life of the various elements needs to be considered collectively and the scope and scale of the refurbishment set in the context of the prevailing market conditions, the realistic impact of the work on the rental income as well the longer-term operational efficiency of the asset. 150 Charlotte Street is currently undergoing re-lifing, with a major overhaul of electrical and HVAC services, and upgrades to the vertical transport system. Initiated by Stockland and realised by the Walker Corporation, this particular refurbishment aims for 4-Star Green Star and 4.5Star NABERS ratings, enabling the asset owner's to target two prestigious, sought-after tenants; such as a department of the Federal Government or a large private tennant. Having the building almost fully tenanted before renovations are complete presents the opportunity for integrated fit outs. MBM are proud to be associated with this project and see it as a huge success in the realm of building revival. With the ever more imminent importance of sustainable, cost effective development, re-lifing leverages the inherent value and utility of existing buildings and affords the extension of their useful life far and beyond what was initially anticipated.
Yves is an associate director with MBM, opening the Brisbane office in April 2010
Yves Du Bois [MBM] GLE 03 | ADAPTIVE RE-USE | Page 10
GLE 03
[ADAPTIVE RE-USE]
11
39 Hunter Street, Sydney By Damian Barker
39 Hunter Street, was built in 1916, for the Perpetual Trustee Company as a beautiful specimen of the prestigious Beaux-Arts style. It has since been listed as a heritage item on the State Heritage Register and the City of Sydney Council's Heritage LEP. Jackson Teece Architecture were commissioned to reposition the building as A Grade quality offices whilst reinstating the buildings heritage qualities. Since its construction, the building has had three 'modernisations' which have left the interior spaces cramped and deprived of natural light. By the early 21st century, with no provision for parking and the voids almost filled in, the building required a significant upgrade to ensure its continued viability. Conservation of the building involved a complex juggling act to maintain, reveal and enhance the key historic features, whilst updating the interior spaces to suit the demands of contemporary commercial office tenants. A central, full height Atrium was created, acting as both a contemporary design device and a ventilation tool. It is crowned by a contemporary glazed roof and defined by operable glass on all three sides allowing natural light to reach all the upper floors of the work environment. A major
Australia’s first heritage listed building to achieve 6 green stars
artwork by artist Nike Savvas is also soon to be installed, which will give a shimmering cascade of coloured metal strips down in front of the open lift balconies. The upgrade achieved a 6-Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, the first heritage-listed building in Australia to do so. It achieved A-grade office space and, importantly for Kador, the developer, attracted a single tenant taking the whole building on a fifteen-year lease. This project demonstrates the successful improvement in the quality and performance of an existing building and conservation practice in its widest context. It resulted in a building which is now 'future-proof' for the next 25 years and allows for the building to be occupied in various configurations; either a single tenant or several autonomous tenancies. The new owners are passionate about the long-term viability of their ventures and see no distinction between commercial prudence and sustainable building practice. This philosophy is very much in tune with Jackson Teece's long-held commitment to sustainable design and building.
Sustainable Design Initiatives include: Shell and core level of fitout Gas power for chillers and peak loads Use of the sprinkler tank for thermal storage New atrium for atural light and ventillation State-of-the-art building services Rainwater collection and re-use Recycling and re-use of existing timber flooring Protection of heritage fabric Only re-cycled & FSC timber was used Fire system stores and reuses test water Low VOC paint finishes 40% reduction in wastewater outflows Bike and shower facilities Equitable access to all areas Minimal demolition
Damian Barker leads the Jackson Teece architectural team as Design Director
Damian Barker [JACKSON TEECE] GLE 03 | ADAPTIVE RE-USE | Page 12
GLE 03
[ADAPTIVE RE-USE]
13 MG HOTEL Since 1953, the Gambaro’s have been serving seafood on Caxton Street, Brisbane. From humble beginnings as a fish and chip shop, Gambaros name has become synonymous with exquisite seafood. The Gambaro’s building itself has become a local Brisbane icon and has continued to evolve alongside the flourishing family business. In such a fickle industry, the continued success of the Gambaro’s can be explained by their ongoing quest for per fection. This continual dive to improve is manifest in a string of strategic refurbishments and shrewd adaptive reuse projects that have brought new life to the Caxton Street precinct. Giovanbaptista Gambaro laid the foundations of the family business by establishing the original seafood takeaway and raising a generation of savvy business people. It was this second generation that opened Gambaro’s Seafood Restaurant adjacent to the original takeaway and within a few years the restaurant had outgrown its initial quarters. A more formal Gambaro’s Restaurant and Function Room was constructed across Caxton Street where the Gam-
GLE talk to Gambaros about the role of adaptive reuse and refurbishment in growing and maintaining the family business. baro’s Restaurant has been run by Michael Gambaro and family ever since. Originally built in 1982, the Gambaro building had a strong Mediterranean aesthetic with grand arched masonry in rich brown hues. The venue was initially popular for hosting weddings and private parties and has since grown through a series of alterations and additions to encompass a second level of function space, and the MG Bar. These building works opened the door to a whole new range of functions including high profile business and community events. With the growing business, Michael’s family has grown and his son’s John and Donny Gambaro now play key roles in managing the family business. The caxton St site is undergoing another major rennovation to extend Gambaro’s function facilities and add a boutique hotel to their portfolio: A prudent commercial decision given Brisbane’s undersupply of hotel accommodation and Gambaro’s proximity to the CBD. The new hotel will add another two storeys to the existing building with 70 rooms and a luxury bridal penthouse suite. From a design perspective, the project was particularly challenging. The Gambaros were passionate about keeping the restaurant open while the new Hotel is being built
upon the current restaurant and function centre. In order to accelerate construction time and minimise the impact on the existing business, building services consultants, Green Leaf Engineers, sought to modularise and prefabricate building services where possible. The mechanical electrical and hydraulic services have been configured so that each element of the business can function relatively independently or as an integrated system. Segmenting services has two key benefits; initially, maximum functionality is achieved during each phase
of the renovation and following completion of construction, building per formance data is readily captured for monitoring and optimising the building’s energy consumption. Hotel Gambaro is a truly visionary development. Quite literally building on their reputation for superb hospitality, the newly developed Gambaro’s will combine the grandeur of the Restaurant and Function Centre, the sleek luxury of the new MG Hotel. Green Leaf Engineers are proud to have been a part of the team to design the promising next chapter of Gambaros.
Gambaro
Gambaro’s is managed by Michael Gambaro and his sons John and Donny Gambaro
The Gambaros [GLE Case Study] GLE 03 | ADAPTIVE RE-USE | Page 14