Tonkin Zulaikha Greer
“TONKIN ZULAIKHA GREER ARCHITECTS (TZG) have been acknowledged as one of Australia’s most inventive and acclaimed architectural practices since their inception in 1987. Their work ranges across the entire spectrum of architecture in a large city context: from iconic public buildings to the detailed restoration and adaptive re-use of historic structures; and from pragmatic community-minded inner-city housing to expressive and unusual private houses.” Geoffrey London, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, Pesaro Press, 2005.
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Projects:
Paddington Reservoir Gardens
Paddington, NSW, 2009
When TZG and JMD were commissioned to convert the Paddington Reservoir into an urban park, the general expectation was that the site would be capped off and a brand new arrangement built on top. However, we were captivated by the possibilities of revealing the 19th century structures as a ruin through which members of the public could wander, taking in the dramatic spaces and play of light across the remnants of historic walls and vaults. Listed as a site of state heritage significance, the Paddington Reservoir was originally constructed in two stages, completed in 1866 and 1878. The water chambers were built below street level with a grassed park above, opened to the public in the 1930’s. The operational life of the reservoir ceased in 1899 and the site was used as a workshop and garage until 1990 when roof collapses forced its closure. We believed the concept for the project was embodied in the existing artefact. An accessible sunken garden and pond, surrounded by a raised pre-cast concrete boardwalk, has been inserted within the conserved ruin of the western chamber of the former reservoir. The edges of the ruin are contained by concrete up-stands in such a way as to amplify the distinctive curved characteristics of the original brick vaults. The Victorian tree-fern garden hints at the era in which the Reservoir was originally built.
Glasshouse Arts, Conference & Entertainment Centre
Port Macquarie, NSW, 2009
The Glasshouse: Arts Conference and Entertainment Centre comprises a 600-seat performing arts theatre, a 600m2 Regional Art Gallery, a studio theatre, conference facilities and a community workshop located in the centre of Port Macquarie, a rapidly-growing coastal city north of Sydney. The project brief was to establish the Cultural Centre as the pre-eminent performance and exhibition arts facility in the region. The design takes advantage of a view of the Pacific Ocean and is based on ‘openness’ and accessibility. The gallery is located to share the foyer space of the theatre, allowing appropriate exhibitions to fill the public spaces of the building and, in low-visitation days, the centre to be operated with minimal staff. Wrapped around the sculpted form of the tall auditorium, the foyers are open and glassy, and are naturally ventilated. The foyer and building expression is generated by the contrasting orders of the city grid and the voluminous form of the theatre shell, with it’s level 3 echo, the glass ‘skirt’ cantilevering over Clarence Street. Shaped voids and overhangs are created to facilitate street shade, airflow and an exciting architectural journey from street to auditorium. The auditorium is a semi-traditional proscenium horseshoe, with a fully equipped lyric stage and fly tower. Operable sound-screens enable the space to be used for classical concert music.
Carriageworks Performing Arts Centre
Eveleigh, NSW, 2007
CarriageWorks is a new home for contemporary arts in Sydney. Developed by the NSW State Government through Arts NSW, the former 1888 Carriage Workshops building at Eveleigh has been transformed into an innovative new centre committed to the conception, development and presentation of a wide spectrum of performance. Tonkin Zulaikha Greer
