Refurbishment

<html><body>
EXPERT OBSERVER
<div class="page" title="Page 1">
<div class="section">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
Close to one million square meters of office space will be added to the Australian CBD market over the next three years with half of this new space to be supplied to the Melbourne market, growing it by more than 10 per cent of its current stock. 
With this in mind, along with ​recent reports​ indicating that office vacancy in Australia is falling, there are many reasons to refurbish a building, even more so in urban areas where the usage, aesthetics and sustainability of a commercial asset need to be upgraded to remain competitive. 
During this process, it is important for architects and building owners to focus on what to look for in a space before refurbishing, but this first begins with considering whether a building is ready for refurbishment or not. 
Commercial interiors have a typical lifecycle of five to ten years. Post this timeframe, interiors will start to show wear and tear and become outdated, ultimately reducing the value of the commercial asset. 
Further to this, tenants may choose to opt out of their current lease due to the deteriorating condition of the building and the lack of services and features available, which results in loss of income for the building owner. 
Although there is an upfront cost associated with refurbishing, this is typically balanced out by the stronger yields, tenant retention and higher occupancy levels such upgrades can provide. 
End-of-trip facilities are an example of an interior that experiences wear-and-tear but can be commonly overlooked. These facilities are used daily by tenants who use alternative ways to travel to work and generally comprise of showers, lockers, changing facilities and bike racks. 
When these functional facilities are not up to an appropriate standard, tenants are less likely to feel satisfied with the building as a whole, and will be less likely to re-consider signing on for another year. 
This can also play into a buildings WELL rating, that is, a leading global rating system that has become the leading tool for advancing health and well-being in buildings on a global scale. 
Buildings are assessed by measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the built environment that impact human health and wellbeing through air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort, and mind - with environmentally friendly choices likely to boost your overall rating. 
If you have appointed a design firm to refresh your building, a typical oversight is choosing to replace, rather than refurbish. Some may view this as a cost saving method, when in fact, this can cost more over the long term with existing services 
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="page" title="Page 2">
<div class="section">
<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column">
such as partitions, floor finishes like stone or marble, and ceilings, simply retired to landfill, which can in turn negatively impact your WELL rating. 
By reusing existing resources, building owners can expect to pay less over time as the life of these resources are extended, as opposed to constantly being replaced each lifecycle. 
When it comes to taking steps to overcome waste, architects and building owners should always consider input from current tenants and use this information to guide the process. 
Tenant consultations are an effective way to source information about the current state of the building. This information includes what could be improved and what services and features are currently lacking, which can lead to further research into what assets of a similar class are doing to upgrade and retain tenants. This open communication channel with tenants is also likely to improve the overall tenant-owner relationship. 
It should also be common practice for building owners to review their investment strategy and market conditions to better understand their financial position on outlaying costs. Having a clear understanding of this will give them more assurance about how much to outlay to maximise yield in accordance with their investment strategy.
DYAN SISOUW is the Director of EnviroScope Maintenance delivering commercial maintenance solutions. 
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body></html>

jrobinson-rf4aSBido9

What architects and building owners should be looking for during the refurbishment process: Dyan Sisouw

<html><body>
ICON Developments in partnership with Camlen Property Group have breathed new life into an office building, following an extensive refurbishment which has created a unique offering within Canberra’s Civic precinct.

10 Hobart Place is driving the trend for building owners to refurbish existing property to meet growing market demand in the capital, in order to enhance tenant amenity and attract tenants. Through this refurbishment, two of the building’s ten floors have been radically transformed into chic and flexible workspaces.

With many adjacent buildings being redeveloped into multi-residential projects, 10 Hobart Place provides a point of difference within Canberra's burgeoning Civic precinct, surrounded by a range of commercial, retail and residential buildings. 

10 Hobart Place totals 4,500 sqm of lettable space offering flexible tenancy areas with office space catering for tenants from 65 sqm to 530 sqm.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/dmc_6193.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The refurbished interiors of 10 Hobart Place. Image: ICON"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/dmc_6193.jpg?itok=0UF6dBxw" title="The refurbished interiors of 10 Hobart Place. Image: ICON" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The refurbished interiors of 10 Hobart Place. Image: ICON</figcaption></figure>The charm of its 1960’s exterior has been maintained, with the redesign of 10 Hobart Place delivering modern office accommodation with an industrial-inspired aesthetic, including polished concrete floors, exposed ceiling services and glass internal corridor partitioning.

Canberra’s Civic precinct has experienced a significant amount of development activity in recent years in a bid to revitalise the city and make it a more vibrant and attractive place to work, live and visit, and to continue to attract investment.

Working with peckvonhartel on the redesign, ICON has updated end of trip facilities, building amenities, services and tenant spaces to set a new standard for commercial occupiers in the heart of Canberra’s CBD. 

The building now offers new premium end-of-trip facilities, including separate male and female showers, lockers and change rooms, as well as bike storage.

<blockquote>
Through this refurbishment, we wanted to stay true to what makes the city unique. Located at the heart of the CBD and surrounded by so much of what gives Canberra its distinct character, the building represents professionalism and style within a corporate business environment.

As a design-focused developer, we always endeavour to create iconic projects that will stand the test of time, and by combining old and new, we believe that 10 Hobart Place does just that. Through this refurbishment we were able to offer cutting-edge office accommodation as well as contribute to the wider urban renewal we have been witnessing in the city.

We really wanted to attract vibrant professionals and establish a creative community within the building which in turn will have a positive impact on the precinct. To promote this cohesion, we have introduced a ground floor café and an 80’s themed basement bar called ‘88mph’ which has been well received by tenants.

- Ashley Murdoch, ICON Developments
</blockquote>

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/dmc_7105.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="10 Hobart Place's premium end-of-trip facilities. Image: ICON"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/dmc_7105.jpg?itok=hjoKxd0e" title="10 Hobart Place's premium end-of-trip facilities. Image: ICON" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>10 Hobart Place's premium end-of-trip facilities. Image: ICON</figcaption></figure>Canberra's Civc precinct has become a highly sought after office market by both the private and public sector, having undergone a transformation in recent years into a mixed-use precinct, adding a diverse mix of residential and ground floor retail amenities within an established office location. 
Within the 10-storey building, two floors have concurrently been refurbished however further tenancy options from 180 square metres are available for lease.

The building is located in close proximity of the ACT Magistrates and Supreme Courts, The Australian National University (ANU) Action Campus, and Canberra Shopping Centre.
</body></html>

Laurence Dragomir

ICON breathes new life into a 1960's Canberra office building

<html><body>
Melbourne’s Rooftop Bar &amp; Cinema has been relaunched following a major revamp by Technē Architecture + Interior Design, which has given the space a more permanent feel and a consistent architectural language.

Technē's brief for the popular CBD venue was to raise the design standard, including the quality of materials and finishes to attract a "more discerning, sophisticated audience" via an architectural response which delivered a consistent and cohesive summit to Curtin House.

When it first opened in 2006, Rooftop Bar &amp; Cinema was the first of its kind in Melbourne, with its location along Swanston Street offering movie-goers and bar flys 360-degree views of the city skyline.

Following the success of its first decade, Technē set to work redesigning the venue with a view towards the next decade and beyond. They started by looking at how the Rooftop audience had matured and effectively outgrown what had, in its original state been a somewhat provisional design so they sought to provide a degree of permanence to the design of the refit.

The practice’s design response for the space features a series of overlapping ‘halo’ roofs that unite the service zones with each other and with the historic external form of Curtin House, providing a cohesive visual identity across the hospitality and cinema areas.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/rooftop-6.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The curved forms draw on the Art Deco Curtin House. Image: Image: Tom Blachford"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/rooftop-6.jpg?itok=ulYpsolx" title="The curved forms draw on the Art Deco Curtin House. Image: Image: Tom Blachford" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>The curved forms draw on the Art Deco Curtin House. Image: Image: Tom Blachford</figcaption></figure>The ‘halos’ have been designed as down-lit curvilinear planes that provide both operable and fixed roofing, and appear to float above the various areas of the rooftop bar. The halos’ curves draw on elements of the Art Deco Curtin House in addition to classic American drive-in cinemas.

Part of the rationale behind the halos was to allow the Rooftop Bar and Cinema to operate as an all-season venue, while also providing a visual marker from surrounding buildings and passersby on Swanston Street.

Across the rooftop itself, Technē has enlarged the bar and changed its orientation to maximise the space. Further a revamped cinema grandstand made of hardwood bleachers has been included, while the cinema screen area's design has been improved to accommodate an expanded burger shack and ice cream concession.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/rooftop-16.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="Technē's revamp of the Rooftop Bar &amp; Cinema builds on the venue's success. Image: Tom Blachford"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/rooftop-16.jpg?itok=sgUUJ4Gx" title="Technē's revamp of the Rooftop Bar &amp; Cinema builds on the venue's success. Image: Tom Blachford" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Technē's revamp of the Rooftop Bar &amp; Cinema builds on the venue's success. Image: Tom Blachford</figcaption></figure><blockquote>
We’ve reimagined the whole design experience so the bar and cinema can stand as a first-rate attraction for many years to come.

We wanted to create a stand-out design worthy of crowning Curtin House and its vertical laneway of creative, cultural and hospitality tenants.

It is a complete reinvigoration but, in our choice of materiality, we haven’t turned our backs on the humble, grassroots hospitality culture that the original bar championed. We’ve honoured that history by choosing materials such as hardwood timber, galvanized metals, and synthetic grass.

Melbourne’s hospitality culture has undergone a complete transformation over the same period Rooftop has been open. It was important to retain the 
soul of the original bar and cinema but look to the future, with a more sophisticated offering worthy of this incredible skyline location,.

We believe the redevelopment will allow for a varied clientele to enjoy the iconic location and views for many years to come.

- Steve McKeag, Technē Director
</blockquote>

The relaunch of Rooftop Bar and Cinema comes at a time when, according to Technē, Melbourne’s bar culture is undergoing a period of maturation, transitioning away from the temporal ‘milk-crate’ styling of recent years towards a more sophisticated design approach that seeks to ensure the city’s laneway bars have a sense of permanence and resilience.

<figure><a class="colorbox colorbox-insert-image" href="https://res.cloudinary.com/dz9xllyip/image/fetch/q_auto:good/https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/www.urban.com.au/s3fs-public/pictures/article-images/rooftop-13.jpg" rel="gallery-all" title="The next stage in Rooftop Bar and Cinema's evolution. Image: Tom Blachford"><img alt="" class="image-article-full-width-580px" height="387" src="/sites/urban.melbourne/files/styles/article_full_width_580px/public/pictures/article-images/rooftop-13.jpg?itok=1FoqgBQs" title="The next stage in Rooftop Bar and Cinema's evolution. Image: Tom Blachford" width="580"></a>

<figcaption>Rooftop Bar and Cinema's evolution has seen a re-imagining of the spaces. Image: Tom Blachford</figcaption></figure>
</body></html>

Refurbishment

Editor's Picks

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News

Refurbishment

Editor's Picks

Receive the latest news stories to your inbox

Have something to contribute?

Developments

New apartments

New townhouses

News