254 Montreal Street

The well-proportioned three storey design respects the built context and holds the street edge to reinforce the city grid. The ground floor is broken into three separately identifiable volumes, including café retail and a highly interactive office tenancy to create variation and activity at footpath level.

The practical issues of seismic structural performance and solar shading form an integral part of the architectural aesthetic. The buckling-restrained brace frame and pin connections are expressed on the façade to clearly communicate a new level of structural resilience and to permit ease of maintenance and repair. This honest structural composition identifies the building within the context of its modernist neighbours on Cambridge Terrace.

Sustainable design solutions have been integrated into the earliest design thinking. The balance of solid elements and glazing within the façade provide a sculptural quality to the architecture creating an office environment that is comfortable, energy efficient, with good daylighting and outlook. Internally, precast double-tee ceilings are exposed to increase thermal mass and reduce peak temperature fluctuations and expressed services develop the visual language of the building.

Warren and Mahoney’s 1000m² studio demonstrates current workplace design thinking though clear identity, flexible floor plates and a diversity of work and meeting spaces. The functional office environment promotes a culture of open innovation. A generous amphitheater stair provides a collaborative and social heart that caters for presentation and interaction with clients, consultants and creative professionals.