Kevin Murphy
Practice Director / Operations Manager
kevin_murphy@bvn.com.au

BVN’s design solution enables VicUrban to foster a more creative and collaborative work ethic through increased visibility and transparency, as well creating both active and passive project and meeting spaces within the building’s central zones. A feature timber stair interconnects the main entry/reception with the display collaboration space on the ground floor.

The area is designed to enable large gatherings and presentations, as well as to expose the visitor visually to the workings of the organisation and the openness of the unique heritage building. Existing materials such as the old shed doors and the original slate from the roof have also been reused as design features within the space.

The end result is the creation of Victoria’s most sustainable historic building - the first 5 Star Green Star heritage-listed building in the state. The VicUrban workplace is registered for a Green Star Office Interiors v1.1 rating and targeting a 6 Star Green Star rating.

The apartment tower comprises one unit per floor, ensuring a sense of privacy and exclusivity. The upper levels enjoy panoramic views across New Farm Park to the south, over Teneriffe and Newstead to the north and beyond the CBD to the west. The apartment building has been designed to maximise its potential as an iconic building, signifying the entry to the park and enhancing the presence of the underutilised library and associated carpark concealed beneath a dense grove of existing vegetation.

In contrast, the more private and articulated three-storey terrace houses to the rear rely on a distinct character for each house to convey a sense of identity within a larger contemporary subtropical expression. The exterior form and detail of the houses is further informed by, and derived from, a discerning selection of colours and materials which give a sense of deep shade, protection and coolness to the outdoor living areas and interiors.

The project strives to create a celebration of contemporary subtropical city lifestyle and aspirations. It is a place where the resident can feel relaxed and enjoy a rich subtropical lifestyle within the context of an inner-city suburban environment.

A key design approach was the integration of the football field and grandstand back into the overall landscape strategy of the regenerated park. This was achieved by embedding the oval and new grandstand within the park, allowing the landscape to wrap around the built forms. The football field itself has been sunken in reference to a university library lawn or quadrangle, which both formalises it as part of the landscape and connects it to the historic formal Victorian landscape of the original park design. The oval and grandstand are surrounded by a perimeter planting of figs which over time will grow taller than the grandstand, allowing the landscape to dominate and presenting a ‘green’ face to the surrounding context.

The grandstand houses tier-seating for 2,500 spectators, with public facilities and grounds stores below. Team change rooms, support rooms and a 600m2 training facility for the South Sydney Football Club is contained in a basement below ground-level with direct separated access to the sunken playing field. Housed in an element separated from the tier-seating but still contained under a single unifying roof is a Kiosk and commercially operated Café with a Community Meeting Room above, all with views of the park and playing field. The separation of this element is symbolic of its multi-use activity which is not dominated solely by activity associated with the sports field and creates a visual and physical relationship with the whole park.

Challenger chose to leave a prestigious high rise city building to reinvent the Challenger Workplace within a low rise refurbished “B” grade 1960’s building. The old office represented the old organisation planned around a central core focusing out to a spectacular view of the harbour. The new workplace design is inward looking creating a new focus to the business.

The briefing process disclosed that their previous premises with it’s stereotypical clean lines and prosaic finishes, which are often associated with corporate office fitouts, did not reflect the values of the company they were growing into. 

The new environment provides a vast atrium space, inserted into the existing building, providing a centralised hub of activity consolidating all meeting spaces and public spaces within. The atrium is unified by a continuous stair from top to bottom linking all floors. Clients directly experience the energy and previously unseen machinations of the business by entering the atrium space on a bridge on the second floor. The challenge in the design and construction of the atrium space was that is located between L14 and L17 of the existing building. The design overcame the fire engineering and structural constraints associated with an existing building. All demolition and construction for the project was restricted by the only access to the site being one passenger lift. The other project constraint was that all works had to be completed in a fully operational hotel and tenanted office building.

The highly consultative design process continued beyond the construction phase to accommodate the unanticipated growth of the business which resulted in the integration of a satellite floor with its own distinctive functions and external deck area. The design concept was based on a set of principles developed with the business. Key to this success of the design was the honesty in which the existing building was revealed.

The exposed soffits exhibit new and existing services, meeting rooms are designed as “objects” within the atrium space.  These were all conceived to reflect Challenger’s desire to retain a reminder of their transition from prestigious location to the 1960’s host building. All the spaces architecturally and materially reflect the ‘lean, paired back and dynamic’ business attributes, where functionality presides over aesthetics. This is most prominent in the atrium’s meeting rooms which are designed to have the minimum amount of surfaces for acoustics and functionality, while the remaining enclosure was glazed to reinforce Challenger’s transparency to its Clients.

This project represents the design opportunities that have been created in partnership with the client and maximum user consultation in order to not only meet business demands but create a unique place proudly owned by the people of Challenger.

The location is prominent on the corner of River Street and Nelson Street with easy access to the riverside parklands including the city’s new swimming lagoon, the retail and business precinct in the city centre and the Canelands Shopping Centre. Lanai will represent a new way of urban living in the tropical north. The building form is determined by arranging apartments for a maximum frontage to the north-eastern aspect and spectacular views, as well as to provide maximum opportunity for taking advantage of the prevailing breezes. All apartments enjoy a floor plan which enables cross ventilation, all living areas and master bedrooms opening on to the major balcony area and the view and adjustable screening to control tropical sun and glare conditions.

Community facilities at ground level include gym, sauna and residence recreation spaces opening onto a large outdoor loggia overlooking tropical gardens and a resort quality pool. A generous car park is provided at basement level and top floor apartments include a mezzanine level which allows double height space to the living areas and an extra bedroom on the 11th floor.

Significant effort went into designing the building for maximum structural and services efficiency by getting the right balance between standardisation of apartment layouts, whilst providing maximum flexibility in individual lifestyle.

BVN has created a unique environment that reflects Virgin’s brand and entrepreneurial character. The conversion of an three-storey commercial premises into a state-of-the-art fitness centre reflects Virgin’s sustainability commitments through the re-use of an existing building, maximised natural light and ventilation, installation of energy efficient fixtures and fittings, and use of low VOC materials. Virgin Active is made up of three main areas; the Gym zone, Aquatics zone and Mind & Body zone.

The creation of a welcoming, friendly and impressive entry provides clear way finding on entry, supporting the notion of a journey through the space that is both physically and visually memorable.

Within the double height Aquatics zone, the central focus is a 25m pool, spa, wet relaxation and sauna area. The zone is filled with natural light, ventilation and views. The Mind & Body zone incorporates Yoga studios and relaxation areas, while the Gym zone, spread over three levels, includes cardio, weights, a state-of-the-art cycling studio and children’s crèche. The spaces have proven to be extremely successful in this prototype for Virgin Active’s new suburban business model.

The design outcome brings nature into the building, creating a vertical and horizontal community and supports the ‘pulse’ of the new environment.

The club has been designed to be a tangible expression of the character and values of Virgin by providing customers with an inspiring, fun, sustainable, innovative health club environment. BVN worked closely with Virgin Active’s team to understand the concept for this new business venture in Australia and to develop a new model for best practice health club environments. The Bourke Street club is the prototype for Virgin Active’s new city business model.

Further developing the initial design competition proposition, the design outcome for the Virgin Active Melbourne club brings nature into the building, fosters a vertical and horizontal community and supports the heart of Virgin’s new business.

The building required a strong identity that would not compete with its context; BVN in collaboration with Lend Lease Design has designed a grey building, precisely detailed, smooth and sharp - a portrayal of elegance, and modernity. Consequently, the timelessness that is implicit in the Myer mark is embedded in the design of this building.

The office accommodates over 1000 people in a single tenancy at 800 Collins Street with the first level for visitors and meetings and a café.  Above are eight levels of office accommodation with training facilities, a gymnasium and a roof terrace.

Floor plates of 2800m2 provide studio spaces that enable the business units to work efficiently
and effectively both internally and with external customers.

The design creatively and uniquely expresses Myer’s aspirations and needs. The result is a place fundamentally designed for Myer and its people. The building’s experiential quality is a celebration of Myer’s values, history and progressiveness as a business and an employer.

The GBCA Sydney Head Office fitout has received a 5 Star Green Star - Office Interiors v1.1 rating.