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One hundred years after setting new
standards for commercial buildings in Sydney
in 1916, JPW & TKD architects in collaboration
have revitalized 5 Martin Place and confirmed
the buildings’ importance as an architectural
landmark within the city.
The building envelope is the result of a
successful collaboration with council to
create a site specific Local Environment
Plan, which included location of a new large
floor plate office tower cantilevered over the
existing heritage building, maximising floor
space whilst ensuring no overshadowing
of Martin Place. The project addresses and
celebrates the public domain with generous
public access, through-site links and the
refurbishment of existing public art works.
The heritage conservation and restoration for
modern use of the original building is both
ingenious and highly functional. The original
glazed atrium has been reinstated, as have
many of the grand rooms, so notable for their
spatial, material and decorative richness. New
services have been carefully inserted to ensure
a level of performance appropriate for 21st
century commercial office and retail uses.
Photo: Brett Boardman
COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE
ARCHITECTURE AWARD
5 Martin Place
JPW & TKD architects in collaboration
The AHL Headquarters building is an inventive
and elegant infill building on a restricted inner
city site. The architects have resolved complex
site constraints and functional requirements
with a simple restrained solution.
The sculptural sandstone façade is carefully
articulated to respond to the height, setback
and materiality of surrounding buildings. The
sandstone blades accentuate the verticality of
the building and provide a delightful play of
light and shadow on the façade.
The amenity and floor space of the building
have been maximised by cantilevering a large
picture window over the neighbouring State
Theatre, which opens the office spaces to
the northern sunlight and views of the city.
Interventions on the lower levels revitalise the
functioning of the theatre.
The building has a strong urban form and
presence in the streetscape, and provides a
refined and contemporary counterpoint to the
Queen Victoria Building opposite.
Photo: Tom Ferguson
AHL Headquarters - 478 George Street
Candalepas Associates
The jury admired the conjuring of a project
from nothing in this deceptively simple office
recladding exercise. By developing a means
to over-clad the existing, leaking façade of a
1960’s city building, the architects eliminated
the need for strata tenants to be relocated
during construction, freeing up budget for
the facade. Still working within the narrow
depth defined by existing concrete blade walls
and allowable overhangs, the new building
skin combines frameless glass fins, high
performance glazing and glass ‘shadow boxes’
to create a rippled wrapper of light, shadow,
refraction and reflection, elegantly reanimating
this prominent corner site.
In addition to its contribution to the visual
quality of the public domain, the new façade
significantly improves the environmental
performance of the existing building. The
project exemplifies the strategic and creative
potential of architectural practice to deliver
both performance and beauty.
Photo: Brett Boardman
70 Castlereagh Street, Sydney
Bates Smart
COMMERCIAL ARCHITECTURE
COMMENDATION
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