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Our client, the Shire Council and the Yea Wetlands Trust, required a multi-purpose building that could serve the needs of tourism, education and the community.

The project brief required a versatile design approach that would allow the building to perform as both an information centre for visitors to Yea and an environmental education centre for students.

Situated on the edge of the wetlands, adjacent to the point at which the freeway becomes the main street of Yea, the building’s position allows it to act as a gateway to both the town and wetlands. The outside form of the building responds to the site, appearing as a natural extension of the wetlands without sacrificing visibility.

Externally, the building's broad, sweeping curve is easily visible from the freeway and represents a striking beacon for new visitors to the wetlands. The inner side of the building frames a natural amphitheatre, providing a sanctuary for visitors that is protected from the noise of the road and opens up to the wetlands beyond.

Builder: Darjelyn Constructions

Photographer: Emma Cross

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Our client, a boutique graphic design and publishing company located in Carlton, sought to re-purpose an existing building for their new offices. The contemporary design provides an enjoyable and creative working environment while remaining sensitive to the original structure.

We began by stripping the building back to its core elements. The building’s façade was transformed from impermeable fixed glass to open-able glass louvres, allowing natural ventilation with individual occupant control. The street-facing façade was also fitted with an external adjustable sun shade to control solar exposure on a daily and seasonal basis.

The ground floor entry was rejuvenated and made wheelchair accessible while the street edge was revitalised with landscaped features including warm timber and lush gardens. A new floor, containing a kitchen and breakout spaces, meeting rooms and an outdoor rooftop garden, was added to increase amenity.

In order to provide for growth, we implemented improved internal layouts that resulted in both spatial efficiency and flexibility for future changes and expansion.

Builder: Harris HMC Interiors

Photographer: Emma Cross

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Nestled within the contours of the land, the amenities buildings on the Sandringham foreshore provide clear views of the beach and the surrounding coastal vegetation.

 The structures are lightweight, reducing embodied energy and ground disturbance at the sensitive foreshore locations. The siting of the buildings improves both safety and accessibility, and allows for uninterrupted sight lines for natural surveillance.

The roof forms are designed to harvest rain water and accommodate solar panels for water and energy conservation. The buildings are also permeable, allowing filtered sunlight and bay breezes into the interior environment.

The crouched, bent forms are a deliberate departure from the rectilinear forms and gable roofs in the area, while materials are drawn from the local environment, including timber walkways and structural framing, steel cladding, and clear roofs with timber batten shading.

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We were given a unique opportunity to apply passive solar design principles used in the client’s residential project completed a few years earlier to their business premises.

Located on a busy stretch of the Melton Highway, the Brimbank Veterinary Clinic achieves visibility through its large entrance canopy. The canopy also acts as a surface to harvest water, which is then used for the pet washing service adjacent to the entry.

Operable clerestory windows located in and between the consultancy rooms provide an abundance of natural light and warmth while also allowing for the passive ventilation of odours, a priority requirement in any veterinary clinic.

The result is a warm, spacious and highly functional building that allows staff to perform at their best while also providing a pleasurable experience for pets and their owners.

Photographer: Emma Cross

The garden pavilion was a design collaboration with Philip Johnson Landscapes for a display at the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show. The pavilion was intended to provide a place of calm reflection within one of Philip Johnson’s lush garden displays.

Given the limited size of the site, creative techniques were employed to maximise the perception of space. An angled roof and walls created a forced perspective making the shelter feel more spacious, while mirrors and walls of plants provided an illusion of greater depth in the shallow interior.

Reclaimed materials including timber sleepers, car tyres and cut concrete slabs were used to bring an organic feel to the pavilion while also exemplifying the spirit of recycling and re-use.

Phillip Johnson’s team provided the final touch, integrating the pavilion into a beautifully lush landscape that include ferns, a natural pool and a rooftop garden.