Project Overview
Out of 35 firms in an open tender across NSW, we were selected by North Sydney Council to design a public car park and Woolworth’s façade in Crows Nest.
The redesign of Woolworth’s in Crows Nest was needed to improve the overall aesthetics of the current building in such a prominent setting. We were also required to fit within the current building context while successfully responding to the increasing demand for community car parking.
Our vision was to design a façade that does more than a static screen. We believed it should be not just a beautiful object but serve a wider purpose and have a symbolic meaning that makes reference to the location.
Travelling up Falcon Street towards Crows Nest the streets are dotted with small colourful buildings. We photographed these houses, then pixelated them in Photoshop. It was from this that we extracted our palette and applied them to our vertical screen louvers. The façade is an expression of the local heritage fabric expressed in to a striking and appealing design.
Designed to feel like a nest made of ribbons, wrapping around the building it is a symbol for vibrant new life
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Project Brief
We needed to create a car park and shopping area that made the best possible use of the provided existing space. It was vital to design a beautiful façade as it would not only act as a land mark but a gateway to Crows Nest. The site sits at two major intersections, one being Falcon and Alexander Street and the other at Alexander and Burlington Street.
The reasoning behind some of this developments elements were to delineate certain public uses. We articulated the façade upwards, narrowing the screen and pushing the awning up to open up the Woolworths shop front and at the other we widened the louvered building face to add a colourful punch to the public entrance and main at entry a glass lift.
Our design has been softened by a large green wall that almost covers the length of Alexander Street and ends with a café. There is a ramp entrance to the car park off of Burlington Street and the exit is off now off of Alexander Street to stop queuing and improve egress. The exterior curves are a gesture extrapolated from the existing architecture shared by the neighbouring Crows Nest Hotel.
Project Innovation/Need
How you apply the screen without looking cage like was a difficult balance to achieve. The articulation of the screens and the way they seamlessly attached to the façade was key to overcoming these issues. All the blades were different sizes and the placement was important – so we innovated a lightweight aluminium louver and using a layer of specially designed brackets, (fixed in to the precast concrete) they became part of the face of this building.
Design Challenge
Public interface with the design of the building needed to respond in a way that was both practical and functional. The car park and shopping entrance have now been integrated and are undercover.
Budget was a design challenge because as well as tight construction costs we had to understand the ongoing maintenance is a publicly funded and has to be as low as possible. We could not afford large green roof treatment for example as the ongoing costs would be too high, therefore it was an interesting project to create a building that could be close to self-sustaining.
Sustainability
Our façade promotes the concept of green buildings and streets by implementing smart design principles such as:
Green lighting strategy – passive, solar and active LED
Green air strategy – purify air using our façade system
Green water harvesting strategy – via collection rainwater for irrigation and WC
Green Art – to promote green streetscape in the form of vertical garden
Green bike strategy - to allow bicycle parking facilities for a commuter
Tags
Architecture - Proposed
This award celebrates the design process and product of planning, designing and constructing form, space and ambience that reflect functional, technical, social, and aesthetic considerations. Consideration given for material selection, technology, light and shadow. The project can be a concept, tender or personal project, i.e. proposed space.
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