Eco friendly

Whether we like it or not, in the public perception, a building generally carries a message about the quality and prestige of its occupants.

The new headquarters of Audi Australia in Sydney named The Lighthouse is the largest of the new Audi showrooms to be built worldwide and its aluminium and glass exterior is eye catching. The design, by Johnson Pilton Walker (JPW), had to conform to a global design concept that will be applied to all new Audi buildings.

The exterior of the eight-level Audi Centre is covered with a perforated, anodised aluminium facade or skin, and more than 50% of the building is naturally ventilated to fit the green initiative required by Audi Australia. Extensive natural light, 6m-tall glazed showroom walls incorporating state-of-the-art thermal and shading properties, automated external blinds and sophisticated water reuse facilities are just some of the other sustainable features of the building.

Architect Paul van Ratingen, director of JPW and lead architect for the project, says a real consistency and integrity of finish and design run right through the building, from the showrooms up to the workshops.

"Everything is carefully selected in this building. That was critical to Audi, because the Audi brand is more than just cars. The cars are very well engineered and very beautiful in their attention to detail and their performance. That's what's required of this building also," says van Ratingen.

The Audi Centre houses four showrooms, a workshop, customer service areas, a cafe, gallery and function space as well as the facilities required for the head office.

"The curved, organic forms of the interior of the showrooms intentionally contrast with the rigorous geometry of the exterior," says the architect.

Story by: Trendsideas