6 ANNERLEY
Woolloongabba has been a significant meeting place in the fabric of Brisbane since well before colonial settlement. It was a place of significance and ceremonial meeting grounds for first nations people, the Turrbul people. Later it became a thriving hub of industry and commerce when it was established as a rest stop for bullock drovers in the late 1800s. Charles Melton, a newspaper man of the 1880s, reflected on his childhood in Woolloongabba, describing the invigorating scent of the bush wilderness and beauty of the surrounding series of water holes connected to the Brisbane River.
The project at 6 Annerley Road included the redesign and refurbishment of an old commercial building on the site in order to transform the ground floor into a workshop and shop gallery and the upper level into office space. The building plays a supporting role to the Princess Theatre next door, therefore the two are intrinsically connected. The project is an ironic contemplation of the relationship of the once wild wattle-filled site at number 6 to the colonial architecture of the Princess Theatre.
The proximity of 6 Annerley Rd to the Princess theatre was a key consideration in the proposal. There was an opportunity to build a strong connection between the tenants of number six and the theatre as well as activate and occupy the spaces between the two sites to foster a lively atmosphere in the precinct.
All this while trying to retail a memory of the wilderness Charles Melton once described.
The site itself is set on a busy arterial road that leads to the city heart and has a lot size of 506sqm. It has an aged building (approximately circa 1975) with a foot print of 209sqm. The site is zoned mixed use inner city by Brisbane planning. Phase 1 (gallery, workshop and facade) are currently built. Phase 2 and 3 (office refit and courtyard still to be constucted).
This project was co-designed with my colleague, A.C.Barton, with all drawings, diagrams and visualisations being my responsibility.
