Image Credit : All photos by Maegan Brown
Project Overview
Formerly a derelict industrial shell, this narrow building with limited fenestration was transformed into a light and bright multi-purpose space. Designed by Fleur Sutherland in collaboration with ANGLE, Artbank and Craft Victoria, the space showcases exclusively Australian artists, creators and makers, and is used as an art gallery, co-working space, display suite, event space, office, studio and to host meetings and presentations.
Harold Street Gallery is first and foremost a homage to Australian artists, creators and makers, while also being an attempt to advance and progress the residential property development sector. Designed at the outset of the pandemic and put on hold during the uncertainty of the lockdowns, seeing the project open its doors last year and being highly successful for our client has been incredibly rewarding.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
ANGLE
Fleur Sutherland
COBEN
Thomas Lentini
Project Brief
ANGLE, a Melbourne-based property developer, wanted a multi-purpose gallery space to host meetings and events that had no semblance of the temporality of a display suite, as well as the ability to use it as a workspace. Since opening, it has effectively become ANGLE's second studio, with the team splitting their time between here and Windsor.
With a focus on supporting the local design industry, a key element of the brief was to partner with Australian makers and creators.
Whilst the space was handed over in a derelict state with very little fenestration, the high ceilings and length facilitated the creation of a space that simultaneously feels intimate but voluminous.
Materiality selection was heavily influenced by the types of fixtures and finishes typically used in ANGLE’s own projects with the carpet, floor boards, lighting, sanitary-ware, textured paint and various natural stones all being sourced from existing partners.
The space features a combination of both permanent and rotating pieces; the former generally comprise items by designers that ANGLE has collaborated with in their projects including Anna Charlesworth, Den Holm, Dinosaur Designs and Thomas Lentini; and the latter being selected in conjunction with Artbank and Craft Victoria.
Project Innovation/Need
The combination of uses, being an art gallery, display suite, event space, office and a space to host meetings and presentations, is something we are not aware of being done previously.
With the requirement for the artwork from Artbank and Craft Victoria to be rotated on a regular basis, the colour and material palette needed to facilitate this whilst simultaneously meeting the client’s brief of steering away from being bland.
The space will continue to change and evolve in line with ANGLE's projects, with an upcoming take over from Edition Office on the cards to launch its next project in Studley Park.
Design Challenge
Creating a space that can be seamlessly used as an office and an event space on the same day was initially quite daunting but now it has been in operation for over a year, is working incredibly well.
The lease for the property was entered into on 9 April 2020 so timing couldn’t have been worse with respect to the onset of COVID. What was initially a 3-4 program, quickly turned into a multi-year project. But enough of that, everyone has had enough of talking about COVID.
As is often the case when renovating old buildings, you don’t really know what to expect until you are on-site. Unforeseen aspects included reconstruction of a number of roof trusses; underpinning a portion of the street wall; relocating an existing sewer vent; installing a steel lintel over an existing opening; and replacing a cracked terracotta sewer pipe.
Sustainability
Off-the-plan property sales campaigns too often place a heavy emphasis on appliances, expensive finishes and fittings typically sourced from overseas designers. Harold Street Gallery turns its focus away from all of this and instead prompts conversations about colour, materiality, art, furniture and most importantly, Australian artists, creators and makers.
From an ESD perspective, the industry has a lot of work to do, with property developers typically creating display suites that are unique to a single project. Once the pre-sales period is complete, often in a matter of months, the space is demolished and the contents destroyed. This is not only costly but extremely wasteful. By creating a more permanent and flexible space that can be used repeatedly for years to come, the project pioneers a new way of thinking about how off-the-plan property can be sold and has the potential to hugely reduce one of the most wasteful phases of the development cycle.
Interior Design - Co-Working & Studio Space
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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