Australian Wine Selectors
The internal refurbishment of the Civic Railway Workshops to accommodate the new headquarters of the Australian Wine Selectors has required an adaptive reuse of some of Newcastle's important heritage listed buildings. Located in the vibrant Honeysuckle precinct, the refurbishment needed to provide high quality commercial office space whilst still respecting the importance of the building and acknowledging its past.
The design uses glass and stainless steel to create clean lines which contrasts with the rough textures of the existing building. This provides the space with a sleek corporate feel while still retaining and enhancing the integrity of the existing architectural features of the building. This use of glass coupled with the mezzanine design emphasises the height and form of the space. The gunmetal grey steel used in the stairs and mezzanine is in sharp contrast to the original rafters and timber columns, which remain exposed to give the space a determinable link to the buildings heritage and past use.
The use of Jarrah flooring on the mezzanine level lends a feeling of warmth, and offsets the hard edges of the steel and glass creating harmony between the textures.
The design and construction required a sensitivity to ensure the buildings importance as a heritage item was not compromised and aimed to complement the existing space using a modern design to express the historical character.
