Completed I August 2016 I Photography by Florian Groehn 

Australian Institute of Architects, NSW Architecture Awards 2017: Commendation - Commercial Architecture

Good architecture and design is often about looking to ameliorate that which can remain. It means a completed project that offers an instant and firm sense of familiarity and attraction and, further, a strong sense of understanding in regard to the process that’s melded the new to the established.

This is true of Bowden St, a 4,000sqm site that was formerly the Slazenger Dunlop factory in inner-Sydney Alexandria. Largely disused since the 1930s, it had become a beacon for graffiti artists – an authentic street gallery featuring an array of striking works. The redesign was about working with that contemporary heritage and highlighting and maintaining some of the art – as well as commissioning new pieces by Fintan Magee and Numskull.

Beyond this – it meant a successful design that also celebrated the historical, industrial shell. Cue, among many other notable additions, new steel frame windows and doors with a fine grain texture, alongside roofing that was sensitively added to accentuate the grand proportions and take advantage of the building’s ample, ambient light.