Cutting Edge is a 4500 square metre four level building for Australia’s leading film and television post-production company. Strategically located at the south-western corner of the Brisbane City Frame, the prominent site fronts the Brisbane River and Davies Park at West End. The design responds to this site by addressing the landscape and views to the Kurilpa Reach of the river. Constructed of white insitu concrete and zinc wall cladding, the four-level building has a significant two-storey wall of operable blinds on the river elevation.
This strategic and important site is located at the southwestern corner of the City Frame – it is a critical juncture where the city ends and the sub-urban qualities of West End begin.
The site has 3 street frontages all with very differing scales and relationships with the immediate context. The concrete fins rotate on the critical corner junction to reveal different views of the river and it is this device that connects the differing elevations to the River (transparent open) and to the Park (closed articulated openings). The concrete for the walls and fins contains a white oxide additive, a white aggregate and a white Ravensbourne sand which produced a vibrant white hue to the concrete walls when used externally. The deletion of the fillets allowed the concrete elements to have much stronger reading within the building presentation.
As the concrete had a rich depth of colour and texture these walls were also used internally to produce a seamless transition between interior and exterior. Internally the white concrete walls were used to identify the public spaces and foyers and were typically light where possible by natural light.
