Gwynne Street Studio, Cremorne Victoria

Architects: Biasol, Biasol
Photographs: Ari Hatzis

Text description provided by the architects.

Ideas of culture and connectivity underpinned our design for the Gwynne Street Studio, a dynamic warehouse conversion in Cremorne, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne. The brief called for two new tenancies within a warehouse shell – a new office for Create Company and a new studio for our own practice, with a shared boardroom and breakout space.

The warehouse’s art deco exterior and the neighbourhood’s creative/industrial past provided rich inspiration for our design. Once a hub for manufacturing, Cremorne has seen an influx of young professionals, start-ups and creative industries in recent years, breathing new life into its mix of warehouses, factory shells and Victorian cottages.

We retained the warehouse’s brick bounding walls and the steel trusses that supported the roof. The exterior was refreshed with a vibrant pink and grey palette, which continues inside as a subtle highlight. New steel signage picks up on the building’s heritage, while a driveway entry ramp recalls its previous life as an offset printer.

Within, we imagined the interiors as a contemporary, unpretentious space with a modern industrial aesthetic. We installed a new transparent roof that floods the interior with natural light. Instead of solid walls, glazed floor-to-ceiling partitioning with black framework connects the interior spaces, creating an openness that reflects our way of working.

Where more privacy was required, panels of reeded glass provide a degree of separation.

The design responds to the individual character of the two tenants. For Biasol, we designed an open-plan studio space that encourages creativity, collaboration and the sharing of ideas. A subtle colour palette acts a backdrop to our creative output. For Create Company, we developed a modern and professional space accented with a rich teal colour.

The spatial configuration in both offices fosters interaction and collaboration, while providing enough flexibility to accommodate future growth. The kitchen acts as creative hub for both of the tenancies – filled with a curated collection of art, it is an inviting, almost home-like space.

The pared-back materials palette incorporates polished concrete floors, lime-washed ply, White Fantasy marble, and greenery from Glasshaus. Bespoke furniture – including custom work stations – defines each zone. While the project offers a respectful nod to the building’s heritage, it also incorporates twenty-first-century technology, with a Sonos sound system, underfloor heating and air-conditioning built in.

The result is a layered and highly functional interior characterised by detail, materiality and quality finishes.