33 Bligh Street
A building of international standard for Sydney. It adds positively to the skyline, it strengthens the existing street alignment, vistas and patterns of the city.
It creates a point of difference, its own expression, yet it is a good neighbour to the surrounding buildings.
It bridges the surrounding commercial hubs of Sydney, by providing a mid block link, an important amenity for the users of the city and building. It allows filtering and movement through the site, continuously activating the streetscapes.
The innovative approach and careful proportioning of the entry element adds a new and innovative character to the streetscape, but closely relates to the neighbouring heritage buildings in colour, material, scale and detail.
The form of the tower maximises the opportunity offered from the site without impacting on surrounding buildings, and the amenity of the area. The tower becomes identifiable from afar, yet sits comfortably in the city skyline. The façade, creates a visually rich screen of constantly changing patterns of light and movement, expressing its internal functions whether plant, workspace, breakout or lobby, adding an ever changing layer of visual delight to the cityscape.
Service, parking and cycle access are carefully considered, providing simple and secure facilities without impacting on the pedestrian movements through and across the site.
A simple palette of materials detailed carefully, creates an impression of quality and longevity. The lack of applied decoration masking the design is clear. Decoration is applied through the layering of light and shadow over the building.
A solution inspired by a massing, formulating a structural response, creating a visual expression, responding to the urban fabric.
The design of the 33 Bligh Street workplace is a response to this pattern of generational change, learning and accepting from the best of the past, and challenging the interpretation of the workplace of the future.
The analysis identifies the separate developmental paths of qualitative and technical office space over the last 150 years. It also demonstrates that in the drive to maximise the design opportunities of these spaces, the simple elements of what a space needs to deliver to exude comfort and "pleasantness" has maybe been overlooked.
Simply, the workplace needs to provide enclosure and protection from the elements, yet offer the opportunity to simply adapt or modify this envelope to allow one to experience these elements at varying amplitudes.
The design solution proposes to promote the experiencing of natural changes to weather and season. It proposes an analogue or manual process of control, where the user can modify their workplace simply in response to these changes, creating an environment which responds to their needs, which in turn forms a pattern or use and informs the aesthetic of the build form.