This seven-level office building was designed for Crestwood Developments by Gray Puksand to engage and excite the residents of Sunshine whilst providing quality workspace to the major tenant VicRoads.
Located on a critical axis and an island site a short walk from Sunshine Railway Station, the robust building stands proud in a predominantly low-rise retail strip and has been a catalyst for redevelopment of the entire precinct into a priority zone within the Melbourne metropolitan area.
The sculptural façade is designed to be viewed from all aspects and responds to the Brimbank City Council’s desire for pedestrian activation at Clarke Street and Withers Street at each end of the lengthy site.
The white precast concrete panel design talks to movement and aligns with Vicroads, the major tenant.
Texture and form play an integral part in softening the impact of this building’s scale in the landscape.
The colour selection for the powder coated sunshades was inspired by the significant eucalyptus tree which sits in the adjacent carpark.
Gum trees that would have been in the area prior to development of Sunshine as a residential and industrial neighbourhood.
The tree’s sheer size and importance of it to the local community also meant that the building had to be set back from the title line to protect its roots.
This architectural solution the Gray Puksand team settled on enhanced a sense of arrival for staff and visitors and reinforced the notion of movement and robustness.
The setback also provides additional public realm to activate this critical axis in this sunshine precinct.
By providing a more pedestrian friendly environment around the VicRoads building, and a green corner which obscures the service needs of the site, this development sets the benchmark for the future evolution of this vibrant western suburb.
Project Details
Project Size – 13,500 m2
Completion Date – 2018
Building Levels – 7
Project Team
Architecture
Gray Puksand
Gray Puksand is a leading Australian architecture and integrated design practice with studios in Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney. They create places of integrity designed to improve the way people work, learn and live.
Photography
Tatjana Plitt
Tatjana is an award-winning artist and architecture/interiors photographer based in Melbourne. She completed her Bachelor of Media Arts at RMIT University and has exhibited her work throughout Australia and internationally.
Inspired by the power of architecture to shape how we feel, think and behave, Tatjana creates images that capture the mood and emotion of spaces.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Gray Puksand. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Tatjana Plitt. All Rights Reserved.
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