Page 121 - AIT1219_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Smart Design Studio, AU-Surry Hills
Grundriss 1. Obergeschoss • Floor plan level +1
Grundriss 2. Obergeschoss • Floor plan level +2
Bauherr • Client City of Sydney Council, AU-Sydney
Standort • Location 456 Kent Street, AU-Sydney
Nutzfläche • Floor space 4.728 m 2
Fotos • Photos Ross Honeysett, AU-Sydney
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More information on page 158
TOWN HALL
IN SYDNEY
Obsolete relic or icon worthy of preservation? The
Town Hall House is at the centre of a controversial de-
bate about the preservation of architectural moder-
nism in Sydney. Smart Design Studio renovated the mi-
lestone of Australian brutalism with a sensitive refur-
bishment and redesign of two reception floors and
seven office floors rising above.
T he City Hall House, which was opened in 1977, ranks among the
nine hand-picked modernist landmarks that the City of Sydney
is currently putting up for discussion about their entry in the local
monument register. The votes of the online vote have not yet been
counted, and it remains exciting to see the significance citizens at-
tach to protecting modernism against the booming wave of new
buildings. The Town Hall House, in which the entire city administra-
tion works together under one roof, was designed by Ancher, Mort-
lock & Woolley as an extension to the historic town hall dating from
1869. The Sydney Town Hall in the style of the French Second Empire
with a facade made of local sandstone is mainly used for represen-
tative tasks. Contrary to this, the brutalist concrete high-rise with 23
storeys is a citizen-oriented contact point for services and advice of
all kinds. Smart Design Studio added new entrances to open up the
foyer with a café, express library and citizens' office towards bust-
ling Sydney Square and the surrounding streets. Wood panelling,
ochre leather covers and red floor coverings give the renovated re-
ception area a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Like a continuous lu-
minous landscape, round pendant luminaires connect the public
zones on two floors to form a unit. The renovation and redesign by
Smart Design Studio removed improper renovations and brought
characteristic features of brutalist architecture to the fore. The pre-
served exposed concrete and natural stone surfaces in the foyer
areas were carefully renovated. Like a journey back in time to the
1970s, the exposed concrete spiral staircase connects the two recep-
tion levels. The sandstone cladding of the colonnades in the exhibi-
tion hall housing the model of the city is also visible again as a con-
temporary testimony. In accordance with the "Back to the Future" re-
furbishment concept, current details and colour accents in the new
break and meeting rooms on the office floors complement the con-
siderate refurbishment of this controversial, but for Sydney very cha-
racteristic, modern building.
AIT 12.2019 • 121