Yarraberg Workspaces
Client | mab
TYPE | Architecture, Interior Design, Doucmentation
Sector | Commercial
STATUS | Complete (2024)
Location | RICHMOND, VIC
height | 26.6m, 7 storeys
SCALE | GFA: 7,870 SQM, 1,372 sqm
COST | confidential
CERTIFICATIONS | ACHIEVING 55% BESS (Built Environment Sustainability Scorecard) Score - Best Practice
Renders | plus Architecture + 4D Studios
PHOTOGRAPHY | ALEX REINDERS
With a seamless blend of contemporary design and historic references, the Yarraberg Workspaces development fits effortlessly into the rich, industrial landscape of Richmond – steeped in history and once home to some of Melbourne’s oldest commercial and industrial businesses.
The design draws from the rich fabric of the surrounds combining the typical brick warehouse typology of the immediate locale with the intricate and decorative facades found lining the high streets of Richmond. The street wall is a modern interpretation of these complex historical facades. The repetition of solid panels and glazed sections with intermittent brass coloured bands creates a rhythmic, contemporary façade which is a direct nod to the site’s history.
The set back of the upper levels reduces the visual bulk from the footpath along Blazey Street, with planting provided on these parapet edges to further soften the horizontal edges facing the street. The upper levels are clad in brick with clean window openings reflective of the surrounding industrial typology and use of the site – the gesture conceives to preserve a sense of memory for the site.
On the ground plane, the café and large openings to the commercial tenancies activate the streetscape. New street planting and on street car parking provides new opportunities for people to meet and gather, stimulating a previously barren landscape.
Inside, polished concrete floors, exposed ceilings and an abundance of natural light create a commercial space designed to inspire and motivate. Communal spaces throughout and an accessible roof terrace provide areas for informal meetings, coffee catch ups or a simple opportunity to reflect and recharge during the workday. Large, openable windows frame the magnificent city skyline views and provide cross ventilation throughout with passive cooling opportunities – simultaneously creating a light and airy workspace and reducing reliance on air conditioning and artificial lighting.
Mindful of the anticipated future growth of the area, the design doubles the statutory rates in relation to end-of-trip facilities and provides ample bicycle storage and a servicing kiosk to encourage bicycle use as an alternative means of transport, reducing the reliance on cars and associated parking.
The contemporary Yarraberg Workspaces are a quality addition to the streetscape and surrounding urban fabric of Richmond – designed to complement this existing urban realm and provide an architectural point of interest to this once uniform industrial landscape.
Featured
Photography courtesy of Alex Reinders, edited
Photography courtesy of Alex Reinders, edited
