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How do you dovetail all of the key consultants and
suppliers for seamless work-flow?
MJ The construction phase often has different parts
of the building requiring different glazing provided by
different subcontractors. Even after all of the prototypes
and samples you need to ensure product consistency.
No parent ever admits to a favorite child. You’ve all
worked on different buildings, but is this building one
of your favorite children?
MJ It’s one of mine.
MH Absolutely. We’ve all dedicated a good slice
of our lives to it.
MJ Apart from our practices working well together,
Sydney City Council has been brilliant. They’ve
backed this the whole way.
Do each of you have a particular project highlight?
MJ For us it’s the atrium and the way it interacts with
all the floors and brings natural light deep into the building
— giving it a new a heart. The original 1916/1933 light-well,
which provided natural light to the centre of the large
floor plates had been infilled and degraded. The new
contemporary glazed atrium with a glass floor over the
reconstructed copperlight glazed lay-light to the Banking
Chamber, interprets and references the extensive original
decorative glass elements throughout the building and
transforms both the commercial floors and the former
Banking Chamber. As a team we’ve given a building
that’s 100 years old next year a whole new life.
MH That’s a difficult question to answer. This is a
building with many layers, rich in historical, cultural
and technological significance. I would have to say
the highlights of the project for me are the many new
innovations that have been realised as part of the
redevelopment; whether it be the remarkable steel
structure of the tower that facilitates its cantilever over
the heritage building, defining the atrium below, or the
novel ways that materials have been used and systems
developed to help ensure the continued relevance
of this building well into the future.