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52 Reservoir Street

Private will - public benefit. A new laneway on a mixed-use building.

photo_credit Brett Boardman
Brett Boardman
photo_credit Brett Boardman
Brett Boardman

The history of Surry Hills is one of constant change, adaption and renewal. Occupying a postage-stamp-sized site, 52 Reservoir responds to this legacy with a fine-grain response to the surrounding streetscape revitalising an overlooked part of the suburb. Constructed almost entirely during Sydney’s lockdown, this joyful commercial building delivers ground plane retail, eight levels of boutique office space with landscaped courtyards and a roof terrace providing an oasis of green space amenity within a dense urban environment.

photo_credit Brett Boardman
Brett Boardman

An aquamarine façade sculpted from custom glazed bricks confidently announces the development’s presence on Reservoir Street. As the building rises to meet
the parapets of its neighbours it steps back to reveal a gently scalloping exposed concrete structure. A new laneway formed between 52 Reservoir and its western neighbour connects Reservoir and Foster Streets for the first time since the early 20th century.

photo_credit Brett Boardman
Brett Boardman

Floating above the new through-site link is an ephemeral installation of large format glazed panels by artist Marisa Purcell evoking a canopy of dappled light and shadow above the thoroughfare. In the centre of the laneway, an immersive timber lobby space welcomes visitors into the building - a beacon between the adjacent concrete spaces.

photo_credit Brett Boardman
Brett Boardman

Restaurants, bars and cafés occupy the ground floor and activate the street. Above, commercial tenancies enjoy column free floorplates, expansive glazing, sunlight and natural ventilation. If the site is a microcosm of Surry Hills, then 52 Reservoir adds a new commercial layer befitting the post-Covid era with its simple vision to change the way people live and work.

photo_credit Brett Boardman
Brett Boardman

Team:

Client: Cornerstone Property Group

Architects: SJB

Photographer: Brett Boardman

photo_credit Brett Boardman
Brett Boardman

Awards:

2022 NSW Architecture Awards, The Arthur G Stephenson Award for Commerical Architecture

2022 NSW Architecture Awards, The Lord Mayor’s Prize

2022 Urban Design and Architecture Awards, Commercial, Gold Prize Winner

photo_credit Brett Boardman
Brett Boardman
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