The Textile Centre is a large 3,700m2complex of heritage buildings fully occupying a whole block in the tone of the oldest industrial precincts. Constructed between 1908 and 1922, it was originally built as a wool store, the building was later used as a warehouse and has since been slowly converted into offices. 

Renovating and upgrading the building has been a delicate process, as work needed to be planned around tenancies that remained occupied throughout the redevelopment.

Our involvement began with the seismic upgrade of the building, before moving into the refurbishment and renovation of the interior. Alongside the Project Architect services, we also provided Design Management, Project Management and Contract administration services. As the lead consultant, we procured fee proposals from other consultants and set timelines for production of information and design, and managed coordination between disciplines (fire, structure, services),

During the seismic upgrade, our design approach was to expose and preserve as many of the original features as possible and honestly express the new structural steel. The warm, fired clay bricks were exposed on the interior, and the original timber columns and beams (that had been re-purposed from ship ballast) celebrate the rich textural history of the building.