Green Infrastructure Centre
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The Green Infrastructure Centre (GIC) is located on the site of the former Royal South Sydney Hospital in Zetland, Sydney. The project involves the adaptive re-use of the former hospital Administration Building, a heritage listed 1913 brick structure, into a tri-generation power plant and storm water recycling facility. Its conversion will make the GIC the heart of the green infrastructure for the Green Square Town Centre and be a showcase project for the City of Sydney's 2030 Vision for a sustainable Sydney.
The existing brick building has been altered multiple times over the past decades to adjust to the changing requirements. Our design approach builds upon these layers of history to convert the building into an energy generating facility.
The projects architectural expression is primarily one of a sculptural vertical extension that has been driven by the technical and spatial requirements as well as the aspiration to reclaim the original 15 metre heritage curtilage which originally framed the Administration Building. The new addition has been conceived as a contemporary layer built on top of the existing stratum of bricks.
The roof-top "Crown" will be formed from bays of interlinked, self-supporting blades of varying depths providing a high level of ventilation whilst giving a degree of visual screening. The variation in depth of the blades creates the visual effect of a light dynamic veil covering the roof top plant equipment. The silhouettes of these technical elements will be visible through the screen on certain angles and projected in the shadows of the building. An ever-changing visual play of light, shadow and transparency will take place as the sunlight finds its way through the enclosure over the course of the day.
Green Square Development Context
The brief required an addition to the side of the existing building which would have negatively impacted the future positioning and original heritage curtilage. Our response was to extend the building vertically.
Site Strategy
Plant requirements dictated a facade with a 80% open area while visual screening of the equipment was desirable.
The screening blades are preassembled into self supporting bays to allow replacement access to plant equipment and for precision in fabrication.
The vertical extension builds upon the various layers of history and alterations the building has undergone.
Evolutionary lineage.
Infill treatments to the heritage fabric.
Ground Floor Plan
South Elevation
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