Built for the future

Comprising a five level base and a 12 floor office tower, 700 Collins Street was designed jointly by Peddle Thorp Architects and Planners and Bligh Voller Nield. The former provided the driving force behind the development, while Bligh Voller Nield created the design concept.

Project coordinator for Peddle Thorp, Garry Calderwood says the H-shaped development expresses a new office typology large, flexible floors in a low height built form.

"The 6m-high, 20m-wide formal entry extends 10m into the building and echoes the scale of the office spaces overhead," says Calderwood.

From the foyer, separate stairways link retail verandahs running along the building at street level and the base building's carparking levels.

The brief for an adaptable, futureproof buildinggave rise to two innovative design elements, says Bligh Voller Nield's Bill Dowzer who took over from the original design principal Jon Voller.

"One was the expansive floorplates and the other was the concept of flexible Wintergarden atriums," says Dowzer. "The building comprises open floors with a central core, or Wintergarden zone. The net lettable area of the floors varies from a minimum of 2300m² to a maximum of 2670m², depending on the use of the Wintergarden areas."

All 12 Wintergardens are the private domain of tenants of the building. Their flexibility means tenants can tailor them to individual needs.

"They could become a forest of trees, a creek bed, a lawn, or a dramatic office foyer and client area with inter-floor open stairs," says Dowzer.

The Wintergarden atriums contribute to another important aspect of the building sustainability.

"Mixed mode air systems in the zones minimise energy usage and maximise air quality. In a sense these zones are the lungs of the building," says Dowzer. "Located to the east and west, they also flood light into the expansive floor plates."

The building has attracted a four star energy rating and meets VicUrban's Ecologically Sustainable Development guidelines.

"The facade has been designed to take other factors into account as well as solar energy. These include maximising views and breaking down the scale of the expansive floor plates," says Dowzer.

For details, contact Peddle Thorp Architects and Planners, Level 28, 140 Williams St, Melbourne, VIC 3000, phone (03) 9602 4766.

Story by: Trendsideas