Goodhope | Those Architects

The aim of the project was to create a cohesive space within two buildings; one a former mechanical garage (circa 1940’s), the other a nondescript 1960s commercial building stepping down the hill on Goodhope Street, around 700 square metres in total, combined. “The idea was to restore the building fabric of the old mechanic’s garage, and then to sleeve in the new offices under that existing structure, so it reads internally like a building within a building, highlighting the contrast between old and new,” explains THOSE Architects Director, Ben Mitchell. “We had to apply a different approach to natural light in this space, using skylights in the restored ceiling, and then glass ceilings and timber-framed glass walls in the new offices.” Entry to the space is via Seasaw Film Productions who have fifteen offices under the restored gabled roof. Through the courtyard to the new building there are two executive offices and open plan workspace for eighteen people is set out over two levels. While the buildings function discretely and look unrelated from the street, inside the distinction dissolves. They share a spatial logic, a tight material language of off-form concrete, Victorian ash timber work and a white brick skin, the unifying element, weaving its way from outside to in.

Conceived as a continuous (but broken) ‘ribbon’ through the site— the brick walls are curved to either frame specific views, or screen internally for privacy. The bricks (Ghost by Krause) are handmade in Melbourne, in muted chalky tones — a departure from the polite Paddington facades of clay and terracotta. They are also all slightly different, making craftsmanship critical.“…their colour was chosen to desaturate the whole material palette,” says Ben Mitchell. “Given the tight nature of the site, we decided to keep materials simple and straightforward, allowing the buildings to be more expressive.”

Like much of the conservation work on site, the sustainability measures are substantial, yet unseen. The retained old building hosts a massive solar PV array on its north facing roof, generating power for the whole building, while storage tanks beneath the courtyard hold rainwater off both buildings. There is an elevated domestic sensibility to these spaces, a trait common to the work of THOSE Architects, who straddle the residential / commercial divide. “We don’t really shoehorn our projects into typologies. We tend to come at things from a looser perspective, looking at how the spaces will be used, and taking our cues from there.” —Ben Mitchell, Director, THOSE Architects.

Stylist: David Harrison

Builder: Reimer Developments

Engineer: Partridge,  R Balas Consulting

Landscape Designer: Inspired Exteriors

Photography: Luc Remond

Website: https://lucremond.com/