The façade is inspired by the building’s relationship to the spires of St Paul’s Cathedral.  A weaving façade treatment is designed to highlight the Cathedral’s multi facetted appearance.

Subtle folding and faceting of the building skin will create the crystalline undulations.  Delicate angling of the cladding sections will help to fold the light from the sky into the base of the building.  It gives the whole building a lightweight ephemeral appearance.

 

 

The design provides visual articulation to the form without being overly dominant.  It maintains a quiet elegance - almost like restoring the sky as a backdrop to the spires of St Paul’s.

At podium level the building reinterprets the masonry heritage of Flinders lane into a language of glass and steel through a combination of opacity, transparency and textured surfaces.

171 Collins Street will deliver a prime new-generation workplace environment to Collins Street.  Equally important, the project positively responds to its urban context and provides a new pedestrian link between the sophistication of Collins St to the intimacy and vibrant atmosphere of Flinders Lane and embraces the latest in sustainable design.

Read more about 171 Collins Street by Cbus

Bates Smart was invited to participate in a Design Competition for the La Trobe institute of Molecular Science.

Our building design encourages discovery as living systems within. Our vision is to create an open and inviting building, fertilising the green campus garden setting and next generation research.

Students, academics, industry and the greater community engage in a warm, natural environment where the public space runs organically through and up the building to seek, explore and discover big problem scientific challenges under the ‘Knowledge Canopy’.

This architectural device provides shelter, shade, circulation and social breakout zones for students, staff academics and the community. It also creates a defined organic route for circulation, exploration and discovery. The new building seeks to embrace natural collaboration with a three dimensional tree like canopy experience at every level.

The new $AUD1 billion RCH is being delivered under the state’s Partnerships Victoria framework by the Children’s Health partnership (CHP) consortium.

The consortium comprises International Public Partnerships as sponsors, Bovis Lend Lease as contractor, Spotless Group as facilities manager and architects Billard Leece and Bates Smart.

Visit Healthy Parks Healthy People Central to read about Kristen’s approach

Read the Premier’s views on the New RCH

BS: What factors make a public artwork successful?
VW: The artworks integration and response to the architecture is critical.  Also an understanding of the building’s purpose. Most of all it helps if it is beautiful!

BS: The new Alexander Knox installation at 420 George Street, Sydney is a beautiful work. Can you tell us about the process of choosing an artist for the 420 George Street lobby?
VW: We asked 3 artists to provide proposals for the site and, after much discussion, Alex was selected. His work responded to the architecture and, in particular, the grandeur of the lobby. It brought in new textures and colours that enhance the lobby, making it exciting to move through the space.
 
BS: Building design is becoming increasingly ‘brave’ and individualistic. Can the same be said for public art?
VW: I don’t think installation art or public art is in fact brave.  It is an opportunity to work with highly skilled and talented artists to do something amazing that adds to the project. The artists are responding to factors that already exist – the site, the design, etc. so, in fact, the risk is low. Compromise is the risk factor.

BS: In what way can a public artwork serve a community?
VW: It serves the art community by providing artists with opportunities on a scale they rarely have otherwise. The general community is benefited by experiencing an environment that has thought,  design and care go into it.

Read more about Virginia Wilson