Sydney Water’s new facility is situated next to a reservoir and a tree-filled reserve in Potts Hill, so it was only natural that architects Bates Smart used this as the inspiration for their design of the new space.
Hardy, raw materials were chosen that reflected the building’s context and complemented the surrounding landscape.
The building’s standout feature is its spacious, light-filled office building atrium, with a striking wall cladding running along its lengths.
“We had the idea of using a rough recycled timber,” said Bates Smart Interior Designer Bradley Schott.
Big River’s ArmourFloor Spotted Gum Ultracote provided the perfect colour and slightly satiny finish.
The prefinished boards allowed for easy installation and maintenance.
For maximum visual effect, the boards were angled at 20°. When viewed across the atrium, they give the illusion that they are twisting and climbing up the building walls.
Timber used for the core doors was positioned at right angles so that it contrasted visually with the wall cladding.
The Sydney Water facility was recently awarded Best Use of Timber Panels by the Australian Timber Design Awards.
As well as being visually arresting, the Big River timber used in the facility’s wall cladding is accredited under the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS), which is in turn certified by the international program for endorsement of forest certification (PEFC) – the largest assessor of forestry management in the world.
The Sydney Water facility also has a five star GBCA green star rating, and is a benchmark for use of timber from certified renewable forestry sources in Australia.
PROJECT PROFILE
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