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issue 44. 2011

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BVN Studio Hill Street PrecinctSupreme CourtBaroque BistroWaku GhinSydney Airport T1

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It is interesting to try to list the number of expressions we have for successful communication – on the same wavelength, singing from the same hymn book, being on the same page, staying on message et al.

At the same time, given the ceaseless chatter of human beings, mobile phone addiction, other digital forms of communication and the forests of trees cut down to make the relentless flood of books and magazines, it is amazing just how poorly we communicate.

Part of the problem may be our flawed idea of what constitutes communication. Most of the time the channels of communication – speech, phones, the net etc. – are really

nothing more than conduits for relaying information and opinions from one place to another. Rather like those old pneumatic tubes in department stores which sent canisters of money and paperwork hurtling from one part of the building to another.

Hurling my opinion at someone, like thrashing a tennis ball from one end of the court to the other, does not constitute communication. In fact, it is more likely to stop it in its tracks.

Of course, an important aspect of the problem may be that we are not actually interested in communicating at all.

Still, building a building requires a lot of effective communication from the first briefing to hand-over. And the bigger the building, the more complex the communication matrix and the more scope there is for flawed outcomes.

In this issue of Indesign we look at the Coca-Cola Place building in North Sydney where all parties literally got on to the same page by using Building Information Modelling (BIM), a shared virtual representation in 3-D of the building along with all relevant information. The architects, Rice Daubney, had previously used BIM on the Optus campus at Macquarie Park in Sydney with great success. Apart from anything else, BIM potentially saves millions of dollars in rectifying defects which arise from miscommunication between the multitude of people involved in any building project (including the mis-reading of two-dimensional plans), as well as supporting successful future facility management.

BIM is a tool. There are other tools of the inter-personal kind that can ensure that consultants, clients and councils speak the same language, get on the same page and then stay there. I suspect they are not taught at architecture school. But stay tuned, because we will be looking at them in a future issue of Indesign.

letter from the editor issue 44, 2011

PAul MCgIllICk – eDITOR

InDesign_44_FA_outline.indd 1 16/11/2010 12:45:21 PM

Indesign magazine is available at newsagents and bookshops in Australia and internationally. Indesign is published quarterly. To subscribe securely online visit indesignlive.com or alternatively email subscriptions@indesign.com.au to subscribe or request a full list of locations where Indesign magazine is available.

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HigH-tecH craftHigh craft meets high-tech in this collaboration between Japanese designers, nendo, and Kanazawa-based potter, Mitsuke Masayasu. Hanging on the wall, it may look like a work of art, but is actually a finely crafted set of high-end ceramic speakers adorned with Masayasu’s red-glaze designs, which spring from traditional Kutani ware. Made from one-millimetre-thick ceramic substrate – a material with high heat resistance most often used to house internal components – ‘ceramic-speaker’ re-defines the form of sound-producing bodies. Unfortunately, there are no plans to mass-produce the speakers, which were a contribution to the take action foundation, launched to revitalise traditional Japanese crafts. [text: Mandi Keighran]

Nendo (81 3) 6661 3750 nendo.jp Take Action Foundation takeactionfoundation.net

tub for two

Rest your weary head on the broad shoulders of the luxurious ‘Acanthus’ bath from Dado Australia. Large enough to accommodate two people, the sculpted curves and angled backrest of this free standing bathtub are ergonomically designed for a comfortable, prolonged soaking. ‘Acanthus’ is made from DADOquartz – a finely ground quartz and resin mixture cast into a solid engineered stone, and a world first in quartz and resin bathware. The material is resistant to stains, scratches, mould and mildew, thermal shock, UV light, and most importantly, retains water temperature excellently, providing a long hot bathing experience. Its unique matte finish also makes the bath easy to clean. The distinctive wide flat rim is the perfect plane for resting objects – scented candles or a glass of champagne – and is visually contrasted against the smooth organically shaped base. The ‘Acanthus’ bath is popular with luxury hotels and is warranted for 25 years. [Text: LC]

Dado Australia (61 7) 5665 7345 dadoaustralia.com.au

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From the fury of a volcanic eruption rises a stone with a beautiful crystaline texture. The products of this explosive volcanism make for premium finishes in building materials, as well as jewellery. And the essence of this earth-borne natural lava stone is captured in the new ‘Nera’ range of tiles from Casa Dolce Casa. Bypassing the destructive nature of a volcanic means of production, ‘Nera’ is manufactured in the kiln. The process involves dropping pieces of marble-sized glass into the tile, which explode under the pressure of heat and create the iridescent feature of the tile. The glass-like pieces reflect the light, making it an ideal tile for both commercial and residential applications. ‘Nera’ is conceived from a project dedicated to architecture and comes in a range of sizes and colours. Available in Australia from Di Lorenzo. [Text: LC]

Di Lorenzo (61 2) 9698 8737 dilorenzo.net.au

explosive beauty

flexible design

It was only a matter of time before rubber made its way from the underside of your car to the inside of your room. Swedish design studio Form Us With Love have re-imagined classic lighting design with the ‘UNFOLD’ pendant lamp. Sauntering between the realms of creativity and practicality, Form Us With Love crafted this lamp from a malleable yet strong silicone rubber, allowing it to be easily folded into a package. The ‘UNFOLD’ pendant lamp is available in a variety of modern hues – black, grey, blue, yellow and purple – perfectly complimenting an interior which possesses a sleek sensibility. ‘UNFOLD’ was launched in autumn 2010 as a collaborative project between Form Us With Love and contemporary Scandinavian design company Muuto, and follows on from a previous collaboration that resulted in the ‘Match’ tea light holders. Determined to challenge design conventions, Form Us With Love have gained an international following since their conception in 2005 by Jonas Pettersson, John Löfgren and Petrus Palmér. [Text: Monique Friedlander]

Form Us With Love (46) 821 8002 formuswithlove.se

Bare to tHe BoneBelgian designers, Quinze & Milan, have taken the ubiquitous easy chair and stripped it back to its raw elements. ‘Second Skin’ is a deconstructionist’s dream, the aim of the project being to question the essential elements that make a chair, well, a chair. the bones of the skeletal chair are a simple frame made from lacquered oak, between which is sandwiched the ‘skin’ – up to five layers of contrasting leather and ‘Davina’ fabric by Kvadrat. the leather skin takes inspiration from and subverts traditional leather upholstery, and gives ‘Second Skin’ a raw, minimal aesthetic. this archaic character provides a point of tension against the luxury of the materials, a tension that is echoed in the contrast between the sturdy, solid timber frame and the organic nature of the skins. each ‘Second Skin’ chair is handmade by Quinze & Milan’s artisans, and the diverse shapes and colours of the leather skins and fabric, along with the way in which the skin drapes over the frame, makes each piece unique. Quinze & Milan exhibited the new chairs in their showroom as part of Superieur during interieur 2010 in Kortrijk, Belgium (see expo, page 46). [text: MK]

Quinze & Milan (32) 56 240 590 quinzeandmilan.tv Corporate Culture (61 2) 9690 0077 corporateculture.com.au

PETER SCHIAPHENOMENONALLY SUCCESSFUL UNDER HIS FATHER TONY, FURNITURE MANUFACTURER

words Jan HowlinporTraiT anTHony Browell

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VELLOSchiavello iS now being led by Peter Schiavello

Late in September 2009, a dust storm swept across Sydney that had an apocalyptic feel. Flights were disrupted, roads and tunnels were closed and the public was instructed

to stay inside. Sydney was a quiet and eerie place for those few days and the experience was genuinely alarming. In North Sydney, one resident called the police as they had seen a building close by ‘falling’ into the street. When the police arrived they were also con-cerned as the building appeared to have been punched in the middle and was bent over the footpath. Despite being reassured by the builders on site that this was the design of the building, police insisted on a site tour and review of drawings to make sure all was in order. The building they had visited was Ark, now known as Coca-Cola Place (CCP).

CCP is the best thing to happen to North Sydney, architecturally speaking, in a long time. Completed in early 2010, the building is deceptively large (28,500m2 over 21 floors), yet has a human scale that is accessible and sits comfortably in a challenging milieu. Located where the old North Sydney telephone exchange once stood, CCP activates the area and is an example of site, client, developer, context, and architecture working towards a common goal. North Sydney is a secondary commercial rental market with no premium buildings. So, there was little point developing a building tenants would not be interested in. Paul Reidy, Principal and Director of Design at Rice Daubney explains that while CCP is an A-grade building, “the design approach had to match the ability to command rent”.

Arriving at the public forecourt, one is immediately struck by the energy of the place and abundance of large-scale artworks. The provision of public art was a trade-off negotiated to allow the removal of the tele-phone exchange. Three artworks were commissioned – the aboriginal painting by Freddie Timms, which is the largest in Australia and is fixed to the soffit of the forecourt, model-maker, Simon Grimes, used metal letters from the old exchange to create a shadow sculp-ture (including the cheeky placement of a key team member’s initials) and sculptor Hany Armonious, in collaboration with Mary Teague, has created an hom-age to communication along the Mount Street façade using cables removed from the old exchange building.

Other factors contributing to the building’s design included overshadowing, the topography of the site, its

URBAN ALCHEMYA new building is contributing to the revivAl of north sydney, mAking it A genuine sAtellite to sydney itself

location between the edge of the North Sydney CBD and the residential area of North Sydney and nearby historical buildings, such as Mary MacKillop Place and the Post Office. The original name Ark was derived from the building’s visual forms overlaid with biblical notions of a vessel resting on a mountain. There are three distinct components of the building: the public ground levels, the podium and the façade. “Podium buildings can be very lumpy,” says Reidy. While CCP is such a building, the elements are complementary. The lobby and forecourt is animated with artwork and the movement of people. The southern podium wall, has varying levels of transparency, and mimics the rhythm of Mary MacKillop Place opposite. There is a reflectiv-ity on all elevations, embracing local topography and allowing the building to resonate within the built en-vironment. The podium floors seem perched over the street and allow the occupants to feel as though they are sitting in trees thanks to the floor-to-ceiling glass.

Rice Daubney don’t design to a style of architec-ture, instead they are guided by the particulars of the project and their own style motivations and quality benchmarks. Throughout CCP, there is the desire to express the integrity of materials used. In the lobby,

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architect rice daUBneY (Base BUilding), geYer (vha), Bvn (cca)location sYdneY | aUsProJect coca-cola Place

words angela FergUsonPhotograPhY Brett Boardman, tYrone Branigan (vha, cca)

Through the many laneways behind Taylor Square, a collective of businesses, art spaces and stores are carving out a lively identity for the area. This community heralds a new

response to urban growth for the city, with small and bespoke solutions trumping standard corporate formula to stimulate development.

Part of the beauty of its evolution can be attributed to the organic nature of its growth alongside a diverse blend of buildings and space. This started back in 1998, with the purchase of the St Margaret’s Maternity Hos-pital on Bourke Street by Michael Teplitsky’s Tepcorp Developments. Sydney has long been criticised for poor urban planning and civic architecture and the St Margaret’s scheme looked toward re-energising communal spaces by introducing the idea of a thriving public square.

However, this alone was not enough to inject life back into the streets of Surry Hills. Teplitsky next bought an unused factory site across the street – the former HPM factory – as well as the famed Beresford Hotel. After negotiations with the council, a scheme was devised to forge a new identity for the area while preserving the old buildings.

Architect Chris Haughton was approached to con-vert the HPM block – a factory owned by an electrical company. “There are two old buildings on the site. The direction from the owner, Tepcorp, was to retain as much of the original fabric as possible, including old signs and fittings,” says Haughton. At the back, the factory building was restored and extended. A new building was added, and a courtyard created – leaving a mix of old and new with shared spaces in between.

With this design, the idea of Hill Street Precinct began to take shape. A tangle of small lanes, old buildings and new spaces, all locked within a sliver of busy Sydney streets. The exact location lies just below Taylor Square, which was for some time an undesirable part of the city, but is now experiencing a sudden renaissance as it more actively interacts with urban life. Flinders, Albion and Bourke Streets mark the other boundaries. Essentially, the precinct is a wedge between them, one that includes new bicycle paths and St Michael’s Church and garden – adding weight to the fact that this area has developed organically in varied directions to create a colourful new persona in what was once a shabby pocket of Sydney.

“Next, there was discussion about the Wesley Mission moving out and converting the building into a boutique hotel,” says Haughton. “This de-bate continues depending on what they want to do.” While this notion of a boutique hotel in the Surry Hills area began gathering steam, restaurant owner Khali Khouri arrived on the scene and bought a terrace site on the corner.

CREATIVE HUBAlong the bAckstreets of

surry hills, the new hill street Precinct hAs been steAdily

evolving into one of sydney’s most vibrAnt creAtive hubs

LEFT The Arthur G showroom window fronts onto Hill Street, displaying the interior to passersbyrighT A wall at the corner of Bourke and Hill Streets announces the new precinct

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dEvELoPEr TEPcorP dEvELoPmEnTsarchiTEcT chris haUghTonLocaTion sYdnEY | aUsProJEcT hiLL sTrEET PrEcincT

words PaTricia nELsoninTErviEws nicKY LoBoPhoTograPhY rogEr d’soUZa

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The design precinct was a really big drawcard. And, of course, it’s such a great building. It was

a wonderful find. We had definitely out-grown our previous building – we were there for 23 years – and it was time for clean, fresh, new and designer. We have a new building in Melbourne as well, and now we have two really great areas. This side of Oxford Street is so cool because it’s not as hilly, it’s groovier and now there are so many wonderful restaurants, cafés, bars and pubs. And it’s young.

There is a calm that has come over me and a calm that has come over the students, which I think is not fighting

LEFT Site plan of the Hill Street PrecinctBELow LEFT The view from Hill Street across the courtyard to the Whitehouse Institute of Design building

I hadn’t really investigated Hill Street Precinct before choosing to move Living Edge there. I knew the

area was being regenerated as I passed it in my daily commute to our previous office and showroom in Alexandria, so it was certainly an area of interest.

We knew that we wanted to move to Surry Hills or Darlinghurst to be near our Studio showroom in Common-wealth Street, Surry Hills. We looked at several options, from a loft-style ware-house to a large residential apartment.

AIDAN MAWHINNEY CEO, Living Edge

LEANNE WHITEHOUSE Director, Whitehouse Institute of Design

We didn’t have an immediate desire for Hill Street Precinct, but on investiga-tion it certainly became the best choice.

I think it’s better than expected. There is a sense of a growing commu-nity in the precinct, which I think will increase as people come together. We have only been here for six months and more creative companies have moved in since. We’re all in the ‘getting to know each other’ stage.

We had a much larger office and showroom in Alexandria and also had our main distribution centre attached to the building. The area, however, was very industrial and quite unappealing for the design community to visit. The building itself was also difficult to work with from a design point of view. In essence, there is no comparison. It feels much better to be close to the city, in a precinct of like-minded companies and our staff love the area too – we can actu-ally get good coffee now!

We feel as if we are part of a design community here, and I think this is growing on a weekly basis. I am sure in another year a well-established design community will exist in this particular part of Surry Hills.

the battle. Liverpool Street, where our previous building was, was incredibly crowded. And here you have trees – it’s a new sight for us!

It’s a creative environment. Our previous school was a warehouse look, but here we wanted to keep an industrial design look. That feeds the students beautifully. Change is as good as a holiday, it does revitalise.

Within the building, the space is greater, the natural light is better and it’s all brand new. We do have air condi-tioning but I much prefer a cross breeze. We’re still learning how we can get those cross breezes and create a more ‘green’ environment.

The classrooms of course are bigger and airier, and we have a wonderful au-ditorium for 500 people, where we can have our runway shows. And, of course, there is the sixth floor, which is the staff

kitchen area and executive offices. You can actually see the harbour and Botany Bay. It must be a very rare building in Sydney where you can see both bodies of water. It’s a treasure. I saw a huge liner coming in the other day, and I just stood there and took the time to watch it. I would never do that before.

THE PowER of Two

culturAlly And PhysicAlly, the new suPreme court in wellington resonAtes with A sense of PlAce

we will look back at this building and see that it says something to us about New Zealand of that period, the third Labour government term, and its environmental and national

concerns,” says Bill Gregory, project architect on the new Supreme Court in Wellington. Costing around $40 million and designed by Warren and Mahoney, the new courthouse puts the grand, sky-lighted court-room at its centre, with ancillary chambers, a library and core administrative section arranged around the outer edge of the building.

The establishment of a new Supreme Court had itself been contentious, so the building housing it was destined to attract attention. Located opposite Parliament on one of the city’s most prominent sites, it shares the precinct with the original and then-unoccupied Old High Court Building, which dates from 1879 and required complete refurbishment and seismic strengthening to the structure.

The project aimed to establish common ground between the two buildings that respects earlier legal traditions as well as creating the basis for a forward-looking institution to develop. “We felt the best way to integrate the new court architecturally was to work with the symmetry of the old court’s massing and floor levels,” says Gregory. “But provide a contrast to its

“

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archiTEcT warrEn and mahonEY archiTEcTsLocaTion wELLingTon | nZProJEcT sUPrEmE coUrT

words sam EichBLaTTPhoTograPhY PaUL mccrEdiE

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words lYnn TAnphoTogrAphY AAron pococK

ArchiTecT JoshuA Zinder ArchiTecTure + designlocATion singAporeproJecT wAKu ghin

HigHTeTsuya Wakuda’s neW resTauranT offers a mulTi-sensory experience

Dining

HIGHLAND APPLIANCES1263 Ferntree Gully Road

Scoresby VIC 31791300 511 072

highland.com.au

UNIQUE GAS / INDUCTION COMBINATION

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191 Janos Korban and stefanie flaubert196 lachlan allen and gavin harris

profiling the life and work of creators around the globe

JANOS KORBAN and STEFANIE FLAUBERT have furthered their manipulations of metal and diverse investigations with a series of large sculptures.

201 Design thinking for global issues?204 Melbourne’s afforDable future?

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ISSUES AND IDEAS AROUND DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE

a Schiavello initiative

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ISSUE 44OUT 16 FEBRUARY

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