VISION Issue 51 | Page 8

VISION 51 — FLYING HIGH Rather than squeeze occupancy into a pre-determined flighty form, the design is shaped by a practical, disciplined program. And instead of antiseptic, astringent spaces, interiors offer generosity with full height central atrium, clerestory, glass-walled meeting rooms and timber lined voids. The foyer/atrium space encourages visitors to engage with, and be educated about, RFDS culture and operations. Glimpses of aircraft in the hangar or flying in and out, ambulances driving by, and an architectural connection to the sky and land through the floating glass skylight over the atrium stairs, are all vital components of this connective and cohesive aspect of design. Vision’s Peter Hyatt met with project architect Andrew Frazer of Walter Brooke to discuss a project requiring technical excellence and empathy: A project highlight? One is the main entry foyer viewed from the ground floor. There was a focus on giving visitors an impression of what RFDS was all about just by entering the building. VISION  ANDREW FRAZER  There is a work-in-progress quality with such high visibility throughout. You walk in and see everything. You see the RFDS aircraft and staff at work. You can look out to the apron and the main Adelaide airport control tower. You can also look up through the atrium and see the sky. They are the main three aspects and it was about selling RFDS. A regular challenge for architects is to prioritise levels of transparency. That was a key aspect here. The organisation was previously split into different building sites. There was a cultural shift in bringing people together. While there’s a slight disconnect between operations and administration, visitors can see through the hangar what the operational people are doing – and vice versa. It was all about transparency and making the building visually open.