Concealed within the vibrant and eclectic precinct of Brunswick Street,
Fitzroy, this conversion of an existing warehouse into eight
residential units transforms a neglected industrial space into an environment
that is ecologically sustainable, and functionally and emotionally relevant
for a new generation of users.
Built before 1920, the building became a textile manufacturing plant in
1925. Owned by the same family for 75 years, the building’s functional
shift began in 1999 when the potential of the property was recognised and
purchased for redevelopment.
The redevelopment is a sensitive integration of the old warehouse
shell with a more modern interpretation of industry – defined in this project
as an ‘integrity of purpose’. Respect is given to the heritage of the site
through the careful and succinct choice of materials – selections which are
representative of the industrial past, but which also combine harmoniously
to form a crisp composition of space and light.
Whilst the evidence of the new life of the building does not readily reveal
itself to the outside viewer, it is on the inside – where the remnants of the
building’s past reflect upon the new spaces within – that a rich and unique
sense of place in urban space and time is created.