Kew Office

The project was to design a bespoke Green Star Office Building that embodied a sense of the monumental and timelessness to reflect the corporate values of the client which have been in operation for 60 years. In addition, the client would make the building their headquarters and occupy the top level. The cultural and philosophical values of the client were an integral part of the brief that covered several key considerations ranging from a building that embrace best Green Star practices that would also future proof technological advances into the future. In addition, the building was to embody a strong dramatic and bold architectural language that would not require ongoing maintenance with spaces that have and abundance of light and natural cross ventilation. The Kew Office project is a departure from the ubiquitous glass office box. The building transforms concrete from a material of utility and structure, to a delicate tension of a soft and fluid motifs as the primary architectural language. Exploiting the plasticity of concrete resulted in a series of frozen sculptural and ornamental artistic expressions. Using the latest technology, the concrete facades are a series of complex mouldings to execute the design intent. A bespoke 3D model was carved out of high-density rubber to capture the tessellated floral patterns on boundary walls which are a significant component of the design expression, as opposed to the traditional blank boundary wall. In addition, the large north facing fluted forms also serve as a sun shading mechanism to ensure optimal light penetration into the spaces. This project had a number of challenges that influenced the design and the method of construction. Primarily, the small site envelope of 528sq/m adjoins a complex network of infrastructure interfacing with the building ranging from tram lines, inground services, buildings and a three level basement car park with very little access for large machinery. Given the façade is primarily a series of complex forms and finishes we had to consider prefabricating many of the elements off site and assemble. This presented a design challenge to ensure that we achieved the continuity and concealed or expressed junctions of the sculpted concrete forms and floral embossed motif. The Kew Office is a 4 Star Green Star Building which involved a plethora of environmental sustainable initiatives. This ranges from the 5,000L rainwater tanks for toilet flushing, solar hot water and PV systems and 90% of waste being diverted from landfill. In addition, 100% green power energy from electrical supply through an embedded energy supplier. Operational and software management systems have been incorporated though a BMS (Building Management System) which enable the software to control all aspects of the building services to optimise consumption and thereby reduce the carbon footprint . This was also a future proofing intervention that provided flexibility to compartmentalize the floor spaces without the need for additional hardware, metering and wiring. Motion sensor and energy efficient lighting throughout the project reduces the energy consumption and is also linked to the BMS.