7
First floor entrance
foyer bathed in daylight.
THE RESULT IS A LOFTY CENTRAL
ATRIUM FORMED BY GLASS WALLS
NORTH AND SOUTH THAT LIGHTLY
ENCLOSE A LIGHT-FILLED
BOTANICAL CENTREPIECE
T
elevision is endlessly shaping and influencing
our lives – few programs more so than the
renovation hit series, The Block. It’s frenetic
pace, tears, triumphs and pressure-cooker deadlines
have led to a ratings bonanza since the program’s
launch in 2003. Eleven years and more than 300
programs later, the series remains a juggernaut
in large part due to savvy property selections.
Melbourne’s inner-urban Prahran is the backdrop
for the latest series, headlined ‘The Glasshouse’.
Viridian glass proved invaluable in taking a 1980s
office block to celebrate its 19th century origins
in 21st century style.
The Block’s creators, Julian Cress and David
Barbour, and program architect since inception,
Julian Brenchley, recognised the building’s lost
promise. Brenchley’s masterstroke saw the return
of the industrial vernacular including a saw-tooth
iron roof converted from iron sheeting to glass.
The result is a lofty, central atrium formed by
glass walls north and south that lightly enclose
a light-filled botanical Ce