Cubitt Street, Cremorne

NTF Architecture designed a boutique office development at 3 Cubitt Street, Cremorne in Melbourne, Australia.

Their brief was to create maximum net lettable area for minimum cost.

They delivered that.

And they captured the essence of the client in the base building and tenancy fit out too.

From the entry at Cubitt Street, the experience connects with raw construction elements and immerses the user into a tactile relationship with the construction process.

The site has two street frontages (Cubitt Street and Stephenson Street) and a South Yarra rail corridor to consider.

NTF Architecture’s design delivered a building that sits softly within these three streetscapes.

The soft, natural, and raw palette of materials announces itself subtly from many vantage points.

And the built form is terraced, presenting a three storey form to Stephenson Street and a two storey presence to Cubitt Street.

The Cremorne suburban context is one of small industrial and commercial buildings. They vary from one to three storeys and mingle with residential cottages.

NTF Architecture’s response was to inject raw tones and robust forms into the area. This approach led to the concept of timber batten screens that incorporate a subtle wave form.

The screens undulate over the street allowing the Cubitt Street facade a degree of presence in the hard-to-the-boundary streetscape.

On the Stephenson Street frontage, the screens play on the changing motion of the South Yarra rail corridor.

Whether the arrival be by car, foot or rail the screens create a presence to the streetscape.

The project incorporated several sustainable design elements:

Exposed concrete ceilings acting as thermal mass
Low E glazing
Stormwater harvesting for ground floor toilet flushing and irrigation
Timber screens to East and West facades shade exposed glazing
Operable glazing to east and west also allow cross ventilation to work spaces

NTF Architecture created a pleasing, functional, and commercially successful building on a tight budget, within a hard height limit, and an irregular site with three visible boundaries to address.

They created an innovative solution that created an iconic form.

Their design solution maximized the commercial outcome for the client.

And the building captures the attention of its users upon approach by foot, car, or rail.

At entry and throughout the internal spaces, NTF Architecture’s design delivers a comfortable, efficient, and inspirational workspace.

Project Details

Completion date – 2010

Project Team

Architecture

NTF Architecture

Melbourne based practice NTF Architecture believes that a well-resolved, attractive, and functional piece of architecture doesn’t happen by accident.

It may seem simple, but that outcome only results from a great deal of consideration.

www.ntfarchitecture.com.au

Photography

John Gollings

Gollings has been the photographer of choice, the go-to guy for many Australian architects.

He is renowned for his ability to almost always compose the best shot, the one defining image that makes a building memorable, etches it into the psyche.

www.gollings.com.au