˜ARK NORTH SYDNEY
Investa Property Group

˜Ark is an impressive new office building constructed in the heart of North Sydney with 28,500 sqm over 21 levels.  At the time of practical completion, there were lease commitments for 85 per cent of the building. Ark is now home to Coca-Cola Amatil, Vodafone and many other tenants.

The project was developed by Investa Property Group who made a major commitment to public art through art adviser Barbara Flynn and Architects Rice Daubney.

The art works include a dramatic painting on the foyer ceiling by Aboriginal artist Freddie Timms and an amusing reinterpretation of the wires from the old telephone exchange on the site.

The building excels in environmental terms through the use of Tri-generation as a single energy source. Rainwater is collected and recycled as grey-water. The building has achieved a 6 star Green Star rating.

The office building sets a new approach to architectural form, with its dramatic folded shapes, that can be seen by people flowing from North Sydney station towards the building. It has created a new optimism for North Sydney.

A sophisticated Building Information System (BIM) manages the buildings performance.

BLACKMORES CAMPUS
Blackmores

This amazing building epitomises the essence of the Blackmore brand ... it reinforces the values of longetivity, quality, sustainability and health ..... Blackmore's with Watermark Architecture have developed a building that staff and visitors will relate directly to the companys image. The building has 3,500 sqm of production space, 9,000 sqm of distribution centre space and 5,000 sqm of office space. The 220 staff enjoys the winter gardens and the "Wellness Centre" located at the heart of the building. 

Here staff can be involved in yoga, gym activities and use the lap pool. Environmentally the building sets new standards with heat stacks, labyrinth pre-cooling, rainwater harvesting and sewer mining.  Its estimated that the building will use 66 per cent less carbon emissions, than a conventional industrial building. The production systems have improved with the integration of production and distribution facilities that optimises materials handling from production through to storage and despatch.

The community has been involved in Open Days and 80 per cent of staff lives on the Northern Beaches. A tri-generation plant provides energy, water usage is dramatically reduced, recycled materials are utilised as the building presents a natural approach.

8 CENTRAL AVENUE - ATP
ATP Partnership

The Australian technology Park (ATP) has been struggling for some years to get a critical mass of commercial tenants.  The arrival of Channel 7, with its four TV studios and a 12 storey office building, with a GLA of 62,000 square metres, has given ATP a major boost. The building designed by PTW and built by Watpac Construction has a 4 star Green Star rating and a 4.5 star NABERS office energy rating. 

The building was completed two months ahead of schedule. The studios are now operating and producing shows such as "Home and Away", "Packed to the Rafters" and "The Matty Johns Show". The building required sophisticated acoustic treatment to ensure the studios were isolated and reverberation was reduced. Floating floors eliminated noise from the buildings structure.

Of the total 38,000 square metres of net lettable space, approximately 26,000 sqm was pre-committed at market rates to the Seven Network, Pacific Magazines and Global Television. During construction, an Aboriginal Participation Plan was implemented to support and encourage more employment and business opportunities for Aboriginal people. The studios use a chilled beam technology with high induction air diffusion to reduce energy usage.

ONE MINTO
Landcom | Housing NSW | Campbelltown City Council

This impressive project revitalises and completely transforms a public housing estate that was having social difficulties. It establishes a benchmark for the careful rethinking of many large public housing estates. From an estate with 100 per cent of tenants being in public housing the new One Minto will have 70 per cent of houses as private and 30 per cent as public.

A number of public housing tenants have been relocated nearby in the Campbelltown LGA. The "salt and peppered" approach to the new development is based on the principle of "indistinguishable streetscapes" to ensure that the quality is the same for all housing. Landcom selected four home builders - A V Jennings; Clarendon; Rawson Homes and Wisdom Homes, to work with design input from DkO Architects, to produce affordable land and home packages. There have been strong sales to date with 73 of the first 81 houses going very quickly.

House and land packages range from $330,000 to $600,000 ensuring access to a range of purchasers. The project rethinks the "Radburn" approach to planning from the 1970s with the front doors opening onto streets. Water sensitive urban design principles have been incorporated. The place management team used the slogan "Working together in Minto", new parks have been built and a new $2.4 million multipurpose centre constructed. The whole project is a giant step forward to reintegrating public housing into the broader community.

HOME HQ NORTH SHORE
Charter Hall

Charter Hall have taken a large robust industrial building in Artarmon, that had previously been a metal fabricating facility from 1950, and then adapted it as a Works Depot by Willoughby City Council. When Willoughby City Council vacated the building a new use was required.

The bold industrial nature of the building was retained as Charter Hall set out to adapt the building to a Home Centre. The design has led to a four star Green Star rated bulky goods centre ... the first in Australia.

The building has 22,200 sqm of retail space over three levels with parking for 500 cars and 60 bicycles.

A range of tenancies have been let from 95 square metres to 3,000 square metres. Anchor tenants include JB HiFi, The Good Guys and Freedom. Leasing occurred during the Global Financial Crisis yet 91 per cent of space has been leased.

A community loop bus connects to St Leonards Station and a cafe/ restaurant is located in the centre. 60 per cent of steel was recycled, rainwater is collected and energy efficient strategies incorporated.

LANDSDOWNE GARDENS
Cranbrook Care

Lansdowne Gardens integrates three heritage buildings into a state of the art residential aged care facility. The local community was involved in the project with local groups holding functions in the buildings.

The buildings have been converted into 61 suites overlooking Sydney Harbour at Neutral Bay. The complex includes nine lounge areas, four dining rooms and a series of courtyards and gardens. The centre is clearly targeted at the affluent end of the market.

Prior to this development the buildings were in a rundown state as a boarding house. The original buildings were built from 1900 to 1910 in the Arts and Craft style as a high class Guest House.

The retirement complex has been successful financially and is seen as having a "boutique hotel-like feel".

˜NORTH MILSONS POINT
Rebel Property Group | Australand Holdings | Capitalland Australia

North is a remarkable adaptive reuse of a commercial office tower into a residential building. It has been developed by Australand with Rebel Property Group and Capitalland Australia. The design is by PTW. A 1960s office building has been converted into a state of the art residential tower with dramatic views over the harbour.

There are 76 spacious apartments over 15 levels, with a combination of studios, 1, 2, 3 beds and penthouses. Within one week of the launch, deposits were received for 50 of the 76 apartments. The original precast panels were removed, as was the original core.

To replace the structural integrity from the precast, the new core became a major structural element. Two new floors were added and floor slabs were extended. The resulting new facades give a rich layered appearance to the building, which is much more interesting than the original office building facade.

With the nearby railway line special attention was given to the acoustic performance of the facade.

POINT COOK, TOWN CENTRE
Walker Corporation

This town centre is a refreshing return to reinforcing the "main street" rather than allowing large retail projects to be a totally internal environment. The centre is located in Victorias Urban's Boardwalk Estate, it has four quadrants based on "New Urbanism's Main Street" principles.

Walkers have taken the key role with their in-house team and the Buchan Group Architects designed the centre. The Town Centre include the $6,6 million Point Cook community Learning Centre, 5,000 square metres of commercial space and anchor tenants, Coles, Target, Aldi, Harris Scarfe and 130 specialty shops. 100,000 visitors a week are flocking in to the new centre. Sales forecasts are to exceed $160 million in the first year.

The four quadrants have laneways cutting through them, reflecting the laneways of Melbourne's CBD. A significant wetland area has been retained and enhanced. Point Cook, Town Centre is a good benchmark for a town centre that reinforces the traditional values of the public domain, at a scale people feel comfortable with.

99 MACQUARIE STREET - TRANSPORT HOUSE
Mulpha Australia

This project is a refurbishment of the beautiful Transport House, built in grand style in 1938. The building had been vacant since 1989 when Mulpha Australia with Crone Partners Architecture Studios and heritage architects Truman, Zaniel and Associates developed a renewal approach to the building.

A delicate system of chilled beams was installed to provide air conditioning with minimal impact on the heritage fabric. The chilled beams are also excellent from an environmental perspective.

The breathtaking Registration Hall, with its double height, has been meticulously restored to its former glory. In a similar manner, the Executive Office Level with its ribbon-grained walnut panels in the Commissioners Room and the Board Room, have been restored to their 1938 character. The building is now fully let with impressive tenants like M C Saatchi.

The refurbishment has achieved a 4.5 star ABGR rating. The project demonstrates how a heritage building can be refurbished to attract top tenants and provide exceptional environmental outcomes.

SYDNEY HARBOUR YHA and the BIG DIG ARCHAEOLOGY EDUCATION CENTRE
YHA Ltd

Developed by YHA with architects Tzannes Associates and a guiding hand from the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, this is an exceptional project. The site is one of the most important archaeological sites in Sydney, dating back to 1795, yet a new 354 bed Back Packers Hostel has been built floating over the archaeology. It is in fact the largest archaeological urban development in Australia.

The project is also the first purpose-built environmentally sustainable hostel in a central city location. A two classroom education centre has been incorporated to interpret the archaeology. At the top of the building are terraces, with one of the best views possible of Sydney. On the terrace, is a webcam that anyone in the world can operate for two minutes.

Guests can connect live with their family anywhere in the world.  At a cost of $42 a night for a shared room or $128 for a double, the Rocks YHA is understandably becoming a worldwide hit. In the first 6 months 17,000 guests have stayed on average 2.6 nights.

The building has a five star Green Star rating, has recycled water, solar hot water panels and a gas powered generator. Adding to the buildings promotion, as a back packer tourist destination, are articles with the following headline: " Budget Beds with Million dollar Views".