Woods Bagot launched their next generation studio in Sydney, amongst colleagues and industry peers, last night. Conceived in-house, Domenic Alvaro was charged with realising the design vision, supported by Sydney Principals Georgia Singleton, Sarah Kay and Robert Cahill.
"The design for the Sydney studio embodies and reflects our next generation global studio philosophy - not a single mind, not a single studio, but a collective intellect and authorship," commented Domenic Alvaro, Principal, Woods Bagot. "Our studio and our people will be the engine that drives our motivation to go beyond the normal, and create a new level of architectural engagement."
A dynamic design house located in Sydney's central business district, the One Global Studio model was at the forefront of the design philosophy.
"Enabling collaboration and collective knowledge to come alive and create a portfolio of work that is diverse yet consistent in its depth of investigation and interrogation drove the design," Domenic explained. "Project immersion, exposure and transparency, as well as harnessing a human environment that aimed to improve the quality of life for all who work and visited the studio both physically and virtually, was core to the design vision."
Upon entry, visitors are instantly immersed into the 'life of the studio,' playing witness to a continual commentary on design through the visibility of a series of varied spaces such as work zones, project spaces, meeting rooms and social spaces. Project engagement is also paramount, with the environment immersed in new technology to enable designers and clients engage both in the design process and the materiality of our work.
"Fundamental to how we work, is how we connect and interact - as one global studio. Our designs are the accumulation and reference to the knowledge application residing within our studio, and across the globe. Unlike any other architecture firm we have the 24/7 support of an agile team who embrace the rigour of being global," said Domenic.
A recent example of Woods Bagot's unified One Global Studio approach in action can be seen in the recent work with Shijiazhuang International Exhibition and Convention Centre - a significant new landmark cultural and mixed use project in north China. Collaboration from a series of studios, including Sydney was key to achieving the design solution, detailed design and documentation.
On the ground, Woods Bagot's Sydney Studio continues to showcase exceptional work to the local market and has been instrumental in the delivery and realisation of high profile projects such as the Ivy, the Sydney University Business School, Nan Tien University, the GPT' Groups and Westfield's new headquarters, Macquarie Group's Upper Shelley Street, Nepean Hospital, and the Randwick Racecourse Redevelopment.
Photos: Kyle Ford