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Civic Green

The new Hume City Council Offices stand opposite a shopping mall and near a railway station in the northern Melbourne suburb of Broadmeadows. The 7,500-square-meter (80,700-square-foot) project earned a five-star Green Star certification (on a scale of six), and was recognized in the commercial category of the Australian Institute of Architects awards program.

Lyons designed a compact six-story office building with a narrow footprint that allows substantial daylighting. Concentrating the elevators, fire escapes, and amenities at the ends of the building freed the space in between for offices. Open stairs create an internal circulation axis, with meeting rooms located nearby to encourage sharing.

A bright white external skin wraps the building, accented by a green line. In addition to good solar orientation, shading, and high-performance glass, a subfloor displacement air conditioning system efficiently delivers air at the occupant level. Collected rainwater is used to flush toilets, and graywater is recycled for use on public landscaping.

The council offices received praise from the jury for a "bold and inspired design" with well-planned interiors and a thoroughly integrated sustainable approach, despite the modest budget and unremarkable suburban location.

Repurposed Workshop

The carriage workshops in the Eveleigh Railway Complex were built in 1888 for the New South Wales rail network. Tonkin Zulaikha Greer has now respectfully converted the historic building into a performing arts center.

The CarriageWorks at Eveleigh combines preservation and adaptive reuse of the existing structure with distinct modern additions. Clearly articulated new concrete boxes house rehearsal rooms, three flexible theatre spaces, administrative offices, workshop space, and amenities. A foyer spans the full width of the building, holding remnants of the building's industrial past, such as old rail track, cranes, and lifting beams.

"The potentially alienating scale and rugged character have been masterfully addressed," remarked the jury, "with a hierarchical approach to detailing — raw and robust for new enclosures and refined for tactile elements such as stair handrails."

In addition to conserving the embodied energy of the original structure and certain deconstructed elements, the project's environmental impacts were reduced through skylights, limited air conditioning, passive ventilation using the existing roof monitor louvers, and the use of durable new materials.

Repurposed Wharf

An older Sydney theater facility demonstrates the lasting potential of adaptive reuse projects. The Wharf opened as a new home for the Sydney Theatre Company in 1984. Vivian Fraser created the performing arts venue, in association with the New South Wales Government Architect, on an old timber cargo wharf. This year the building received the national 25 Year Award for Enduring Architecture.

In 1985, an Australian Institute of Architects awards jury remarked: "Wisely, Fraser elected to regard his new work as simply another layering of the old building's history. This means that he did nothing to obscure the visual integrity of the wharf and made sure that the new work was clearly distinguishable as a layer — albeit a transparent one — which allows us to see through to something older underneath."

The 2008 jury commended the project as "a skilful blend of sound urban design, conservation, adaptive reuse and contemporary architecture," noting that "The Wharf remains an essential community and tourist facility after more than two decades of continuous, robust use."

Containers for Play

PHOOEY Architects transformed four used shipping containers into a Children's Activity Centre at Skinners Playground in Melbourne. A tight budget and a goal of zero waste shaped the form and details of the structure.

The containers are linked in a staggered arrangement, each one oriented to create visual and physical connections to surrounding playground spaces, and to conduct summer breezes. Fragments cut from the containers were reused as balustrades, sun shades, and decoration. Other materials — including decking, windows, carpet tiles, and joinery — were reclaimed, salvaged, reused, or chosen for their durability and sustainable sourcing. Rainwater is conducted from the container tops into a pond and reed bed.

"The project has become an important and well-used part of a disadvantaged community," commented the jury. "It provides a valuable resource, much needed infrastructure and a flexible, inspiring space."

Urbane Education

Like the girls' school in Brisbane, Melbourne Grammar School also earned honors for a bold new educational building. The Nigel Peck Centre for Learning and Leadership consolidates the school's library facilities and provides a new campus entry and lecture hall.

John Wardle Architects realized the program as a series of linked pavilions, echoing the rhythm of surrounding buildings. The architects also captured a wide variety of landscape and contextual views, toward both the city and the historic campus.

Glass appears in many forms. The main library facade comprises a series of giant oversized steel-framed windows of varying shapes. Glazed links in between the pavilions provide views through the Peck Centre into the campus. The seminar rooms cantilever toward the street, and reflective glass louvers provide views to the gardens from inside.   >>>

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SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE Nearly the full perimeter of the Hume City Council Office building's main facade is outlined in green. Photo: John Gollings Extra Large Image The Hume City Council Offices earned a five-star Green Star certification for sustainable design. Photo: John Gollings Extra Large Image SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE A sculpture outside the CarriageWorks at Eveleigh incorporates wrought-iron roof trusses removed from one of the rail car bays to create a performance space. Photo: Michael Nicholson Extra Large Image The recent renovation by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer respects the original 19th-century Victorian structure of the CarriageWorks, part of a former railroad workshop complex in Sydney. Photo: Michael Nicholson Extra Large Image The Wharf theater, an adaptive reuse of a 19th-century cargo wharf, received the 25 Year Award for Enduring Architecture. Photo: Courtesy Australian Institute of Architects Extra Large Image The Wharf was adapted into a theater by Vivian Fraser with the New South Wales Government Architect. Photo: Max Dupain Extra Large Image Built from modular cargo containers, the Children's Activity Centre in South Melbourne was designed by PHOOEY Architects. Photo: Peter Bennetts Extra Large Image Reclaimed, recycled, and otherwise sustainable materials were used in the Children's Activity Centre. Photo: Peter Bennetts Extra Large Image Cut fragments of the shipping containers were reused in the Children's Activity Centre. Photo: Peter Bennetts Extra Large Image The Nigel Peck Centre for Learning and Leadership in Melbourne received honors in both the interior and public architecture categories. Photo: Trevor Mein Extra Large Image   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.