The prominent site on the corner of South Dowling and Fitzroy Streets offered an extraordinary opportunity to create a striking 5-storey landmark commercial building for leading creative agency Howatson + Company.
The project establishes this highly visible corner location as the eastern gateway to Surry Hills. Seen on three sides, the bold new extension is responsive to its prominent site.
The twisting form of the contemporary addition to the adjoining restored terrace house is achieved by angled zinc fins attached to a curtain wall of double curved glass. These fins control solar access to the office spaces and screen them from its exposed environment, while allowing an abundance of natural light into the space.
The design respects the scale of the surrounding built forms by building up to the South Dowling Street corner and stepping down at the back lane. The tiered rear addition enables landscaped balconies for the building’s occupants to enjoy. Patinated zinc is a robust material suited to a fine grain urban context whilst the brick podium provides a visual link to the neighbouring terraces.
The interior fitout, designed by Those Architects, places long central desks on the four levels of the new addition, while different types of meeting rooms are housed in the restored terrace. The lower ground floor has a communal kitchen and canteen seating that has been shielded from the footpath with a vertical brick screen, resulting in a private yet inviting light-filled space.
While the existing three-storey Victorian terrace house is not a heritage item, Smart Design Studio have faithfully restored it as a building of contributory significance. The removal of the unsympathetic rear additions allows the extension to envelope the existing building. The 70’s orange brick façade to the east was removed and the missing front verandahs carefully reconstructed based on photographic records, using materials and detailing aligned to contemporary building regulations.
The crest on the southern façade along with other features like the main entry arch and mouldings have been restored and celebrated in the interiors. In addition, many internal walls have been retained where possible. Where it was not possible to re-use elements, they have been replicated and reinstalled.
The project embraced the challenge of delivering an ambitious architectural vision within a commercially realisable form. It achieves this with an economy of materials, of detail and, where possible, of resources. By preserving the existing footprint of the historic building, new construction is kept to only 60% of the built footprint. The remainder comprises reinstatement and infills to the existing built fabric.
Within the office space, continuous concrete soffits represent a reduction of built fabric, generous thermal mass, and the maximum volume of space and light. This striking outcome is achieved with an efficient building core and reverse membraned roofs which treat excess heat gain externally. The building also features rooftop solar panels which significantly offset energy use, and on-site rainwater detention tank, which, while a natural response to site flood levels, is also used for landscape irrigation.
