Church House by Cameron Chisolm Nicol

The design of Church House recognises that Cathedral Square will evolve to include a diverse range of spaces with individual character and hierarchy.

CHURCH HOUSE

Church House is an integral part of the redevelopment of the Cathedral and Treasury Precinct in central Perth. The precinct includes some of Perth's most significant historic buildings, such as the Town Hall, St George's Cathedral and the Treasury Buildings.

Church House is one of several interdependent projects, which will transform this currently under-utilised part of the city into a vibrant new public space, centred on a redeveloped Cathedral Square plaza.

The project involves the adaptive re-use of the Public Trustee Building, a 1960s office block between Hay Street and the Square. The 11-storey building has been stripped back to its structural skeleton and redesigned with new services and amenities, and a more open ground plane.

On Hay Street, extended floor plates to the lower levels create a podium that restores the building's alignment and relationship with the streetscape. This is enhanced by a new terracotta facade, which echoes the colour and detail of the masonry in adjoining heritage buildings. The existing Hay Street shop fronts are lifted to provide highly visible and transparent frontages.

By removing part of the ground floor, a laneway to the east has been widened to enhance visual and physical connectivity with the Cathedral and Square. The laneway is activated by a retail colonnade, which provides improved passive surveillance and contributes to an emerging pattern of permeability across the CBD.

The building is designed to achieve a minimum 4-Star Green Star Rating, and will make a positive addition to the Cathedral and Treasury Precinct.

PROJECT PROFILE

CHURCH HOUSE
ARCHITECT & INTERIOR DESIGN | Cameron Chisholm Nicol
CLIENT | The Perth Diocesan Trust
DEVELOPMENT ADVISOR AND ASSET MANAGER | Beck Advisory
BUILDER | Northerly
BRIEF | Adaptive re-use of the Public Trustee Building (a 1960s office building) to incorporate 340sqm of retail space and 7590sqm of Grade A commercial office space.
BUILD TIME | 2 years (due second half 2014).
FEATURES | Terracotta and double-glazed, screen printed glass facade. Enhanced visual and physical connectivity between Hay Street and Cathedral Square. New retail and hospitality tenancies.
LOCATION | 565 Hay Street, Perth.