Retention and adaptation of our existing built environment through conversion of buildings, sites or precincts from one use to another can achieve robust, cost effective and sustainable outcomes and imbue such projects with spirit and ambience of place derived from their heritage. Through design strategies that lie between the extremes of demolition or turning a building into a museum, adaptive reuse can extend the history of a site, and by maintaining and interpreting heritage fabric, make both old and new available to new generations. In a range of commercial and residential projects, AJA has been able to demonstrate how such adaptive reuse can also add value through place-making or heritage-led regeneration strategy for a wider area.
200 Crown Street, East Sydney
Breathing new life into a former bootmaker’s factory for Ministry of Sound, the adaptive conversion of this 3 level building in a conservation zone retained the character of the built fabric in remodeling for a playful, contemporary fitout with open circulation to link separate functions.
Watermark, Wagga Wagga
Setting a new benchmark for retirement living in regional Australia, this complex of independent living units integrates communal facilities of a heritage listed former Catholic seminary with 56 contemporary apartments set in landscaped grounds on the banks of the Murrumbidgee River.
The Stables, Jacksons Landing
A key heritage remnant of the former CSR complex at Pyrmont built in the 1920s provided a challenging brief for conversion into four 2 level loft-style apartments, incorporating mezzanine studies within the retained roof trusses and new framed elements for balconies and entries.
Cockatoo Island
The former electrical plan building on Cockatoo Island has been converted to accommodate a ground floor cafe and upper level office space. A series of steel and timber framed awnings fan around the base building providing shelter and orientation for outdoor gatherings.
Sydney Harbour Federation Trust campus, Mosman
Transformation of an ex-military hospital and barracks buildings into a unified campus-style complex of studio offices involved preservation and reinstatement of key heritage elements integrated with new insertions to complement this landscaped headland setting overlooking Sydney Harbour.
Fuji Xerox Distribution Centre, Mascot
Branding identity and colour printing technology inspired the vibrant, playful palette for extensions to the Fuji Xerox administration and training facility, in which a new floor and street façade were added together with an extension to the supply distribution warehouse.
PMP Facility Upgrades – NSW and Victoria
Utilizing print media material to link PMP products with their workplace environment and reception areas, a range of upgrade work was undertaken in both production facilities and offices to generate a dynamic expression of the company’s more open and accessible working culture.
North Sydney House
This amalgamation of two existing small cottages to create a larger contemporary residence on a steeply sloping site was an exercise in careful spatial redefinition with respect for the quality sandstone walls of the original buildings.