06 0265 Therocksyha Architect Design Statement

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Architectural Design Statement 1

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Tzannes Associates, Architects. 63 Myrtle Street, Chippendale, NSW, 2008.

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STATEMENT

Site Analysis

Environmental Factors:

Landform, Topography and Orientation:

The site has two street frontages Cumberland Street to the west and Gloucester Street tothe east. The site is bounded by The Australian Hotel to the north, and by existing residentialbuildings to the south. The site is approximately 2,650 square metres in area, and is dividedinto three sections by the undefined laneways Cribbs Lane (also known as CumberlandPlace) which runs from Cumberland Street to Gloucester Street, and Carahers Lane whichruns south from the mid-point of Cribbs Lane, through the site, and joins Longs Lane beyondthe site boundary.

The site is predominantly exposed bedrock, with remnant sandstone, concrete and masonrywalls, footings and paving slabs. Some areas contain fill, placed over a protective membraneat the conclusion of the 1994 archaeological excavation; other areas are not excavated. Thetopography of the site generally falls from the west to the east across the site, with thegreatest fall from the southwest corner of the site, down to the northeast corner of the site, bya height of approximately 5 metres. The highest part of the site is approximately 31.4 m inelevation above the Australian Height Datum (AHD) on Cumberland Street south, and falls to

26.2m in elevation on Gloucester Street, adjacent to the Australian Hotel.

The Cumberland Street frontage contains an exposed sandstone shelf which varies in heightabove the footpath from 1.4 metres at the southern boundary to a height equivalent to theexisting footpath level at a point approximately 5 metres to the north of Cribbs Lane. Thewestern end of Cribbs Lane at Cumberland Street is approximately 0.82 metres above thefootpath level. The Gloucester Street frontage contains an exposed sandstone shelf at theeastern end of Cribbs Lane, which is approximately 1.5 metres above the Gloucester Streetfrontage. The southern portion of the Gloucester Street frontage is approximately 1 metrehigher than the Gloucester Street frontage, and is composed of retained soil andarchaeological remnant walls and other features. The northern portion of the GloucesterStreet frontage is equivalent in level to the Gloucester Street footpath.

The discrepancy between the levels of Cribbs Lane at both Gloucester and CumberlandStreets is evidence of the history of rock cutting which has taken place throughout thedevelopment of The Rocks. Both Cumberland and Gloucester Streets were re-aligned and

levels were adjusted in approximately 1919.

Context

The site is located on the western side of Sydney Cove between Cumberland Street andGloucester Street, adjoining the Australian Hotel to the north and the Jobbins Buildings (andother structures) adjacent to the Cahill Expressway, to the south. The site was previouslyknown as the Dig Site and is an important archaeological site within the historic Rocksprecinct.

The site comprises sections of two city blocks originally granted in the 1830s and 1840s asSections 74 and 75 of the town of Sydney. Historical research indicates that the site has


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been occupied by Europeans from at least as early as c1795. During the 1790s and the earlypart of the nineteenth century it became a focus for settlement by convicts and ex-convicts. Ithad a rich subsequent history characterised by progressive intensification of occupationduring the nineteenth century. Following large scale resumption and clearing by thegovernment between 1902 and 1915, the site has also been used for various light industrialand public utility purposes. It has remained undeveloped since the 1950s, when a concreteslab was laid as the pavement for a bus depot which operated until the early 1907s. Since1972, the site has been under the control of the Sydney Cove (Redevelopment) Authority,now SHFA.

The site was subject to archaeological excavation in 1994. The archaeological excavation ofthe site exposed the remains of a variety of sandstone and brick features, footings and postholes relating to 46 historic buildings and other surfaces across the site. Sandstone rockfeatures, both natural and worked, were also exposed. Over 750,000 artefacts wererecovered from the site. These were catalogued and analysed, and the collection is nowheld by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority.

The site has remained as an open archaeological/historic site since the completion of theinvestigation.

Diagram 01 site within local and regional context

Existing Surrounding Recreational / Tourist Land Uses

The Rocks supports an active and varied range of businesses, which provide visitor andtourist services. To the north and east of the site, and within walking distance, the followingbusinesses operate cultural and tourism services Susannah Place Museum; Bridgeclimb;The Rocks Walking Tours; the Discovery Museum; Sydney Visitors Centre.

Visitor groups using these facilities participate in packaged educational programs providedby third parties such as Sydney Learning Adventures and The Historic Houses Trust.


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Diagram 02 recreational land uses surrounding the site

Existing Heights

The site is immediately surrounded by predominantly two and three storey buildings built tothe street boundaries. Four to six storey buildings form part of the larger context to the east

of the site. To the west of the site, the pedestrian walkway on the Cahill Expresswayoverlooks the site, and is approximately seven to eight metres above the highest level of thesite at the south west corner.

Diagram 03 existing building heights surrounding the site


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Existing Buildings on Site

There are currently no building structures on the site. The remains of a large concrete slaband structural footings are visible over the site; in particular a concrete driveway currentlyprovides vehicle access to the site from Cumberland Street on the northwest part of the siteadjacent to The Australian Hotel. The remains of footings date from the sites most recentperiod of occupation when the site was used as a bus parking station in the late 1950s.

Diagram 04 Aerial Photo of site - photo by Skyshots Aerial Photography

Public Domain

The Conservation and Management Strategy and Archaeological & Urban DesignParameters document requires managed public access to be provided to the laneways withinthe site boundary.

Views

The site is currently visible from the pedestrian walkway on the Cahill Expressway, fromsome buildings located around the northern edge of the CBD, and from surrounding areaswithin The Rocks, including the pedestrian pathways surrounding the site in Susannah Place.Long distance views towards the site from major public spaces are available from Circular

Quay and the promenade leading to the Opera House. Views towards the Opera House andCircular Quay are currently available from the pedestrian footpath on the Bradfield Highwayadjacent to the site.

Access

At present, there is no open public access to the site. Tourist group operators currentlyprovide managed public access, where groups are accompanied onto the site by SydneyHarbour Foreshore Authority, Sydney Learning Adventures or Historic Houses Trustrepresentatives. The site is currently visually accessible from both the Cumberland andGloucester Street frontages, and from the southern end of Carahers Lane.


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Architectural Design Statement

Key Design Objectives

1. To conserve and protect the archaeological remnants on the site;2. To manage the remnants through a long-term monitoring program;3. To educate the public as well as users of the site about the significance of the site;

the level of significance of the remnants; and to interpret the history of The Rocks;4. To achieve a high level of architectural design excellence;5. To re-invigorate this part of The Rocks by developing synergies with facilities in other

areas of The Rocks;6. To develop an environmentally sustainable development;7. To fund the ongoing conservation and protection of the remnants;8. To procure an economically viable facility for YHA NSW Ltd.

Process

Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (SHFA) called for Expressions of Interest frominterested consortiums for the site in early 2006. A limited number of consortiums wereselected to participate in a design competition for the site, which was held between April andMay 2006. In July 2006, the Minister for Planning, Mr Frank Sartor, announced YHA NSWLtd as the successful tenderer for the site, following which YHA began negotiations withSHFA involving the leasing of the site.

In August, 2006, SHFA appointed a Design Review Panel, composed of the followingmembers: Chris Johnson, Chair, (Department Of Planning), Susan Macdonald (NSWHeritage Office), Di Talty (SHFA), Wayne Johnson (SHFA). The panels charter describes

the role of the panel (in part), is to help ensure design excellence is achieved for the projectthroughout the design development and detail documentation phase. At the first DRPmeeting, held in August 2006, Chris Johnson described the role of the panel as a supportiveand positive body that will assist the design resolution of the proposal.

The competition scheme has progressively developed since August 2006, with the designteam meeting with the Design Review Panel in August 2006, February, April, May and June2007.

Concept Evolution

The design concept evolved from consideration of the key heritage planning documents forthe site, and for The Rocks (The Rocks Heritage Management Plan and The ConservationManagement Strategy and Archaeological and Urban Design Parameters Report). Thefollowing sequential process demonstrates the evolution of the design concept in point form:

The archaeological remnants of the site have exceptional value at a national level.Development of the site is dependant upon conserving these and making the remnantsmore widely available for appreciation;

The archaeological significance of the remnants on the site demands a unique andcarefully considered design which embodies the means to conserve and protect them;

The relative levels of significance of each of the remnants on the Dig Site, suggests asolution which intervenes with the ground minimally at locations of lesser relativesignificance;

The level of intervention prescribes a structural system which minimises intervention ontothe remnants, preserving their intactness and providing a rich palette from which a rangeof creative and effective interpretation approaches can be made over time;

The remnants should be visibly accessible to the public;


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The site should be physically accessible to the public, with appropriate varying degreesof access to specific areas;

The inclusion of an educational use facilitates interpretation and enhances the capacityfor the sites cultural significance to be understood and accessed by stakeholders,visitors and the community;

A recreational use attracts visitors to The Rocks and supports and sustains existingbusiness, creating synergies within the local community;

A constructional system is determined by the need to minimise disturbances to the siteduring construction;

Building components involving high levels of site intervention are minimised;

Environmental sustainability is a key driver of built form; Historic urban structure and scale are referenced through reinstatement of Cribbs and

Carahers Laneways, and through interpretive screens along streets and laneways. Theinterpretive screens protect the remnants and increase opportunities for interpretation;

Existing context determines overall bulk and scale.

Description of Proposal

The proposed development is comprised of an approximately 350-bed youth hostel withcommunal kitchen, dining, and activity areas, staff areas, a small retail component andeducation centre.

The hostel is divided into two separate three-storey buildings by Cribbs Lane - the northhostel building, and the south hostel building. The two separate components of the hostel arelinked via a suspended glazed bridge suspended over Cribbs Lane. The southern building isseparated from the education centre building by Carahers Lane. Each of the hostel buildingsis suspended approximately one storey above the remnants, providing access to the majority

of the site. Both hostel buildings have an internal courtyard, which provides open walkwayaccess to the hostel bedrooms. This allows each of the bedrooms the potential for cross-ventilation, and provides visual access to the remnants from the interior of the hostel. Thecourtyard of the southern building is roofed to provide weather protection to the openwalkways. The roof of the northern building overhangs the open walkways to provideweather protection.

The structure of the proposed building is predominantly prefabricated steel trusses which arecraned into position from an off-site location, thus minimising contact with the ground duringconstruction, and limiting the number of points at which the building touches the groundplane. The location of the footings has been carefully negotiated between architectural,heritage, archaeological, structural and geotechnical consultants, while liaising with the

Authority and the Design Review Panel. All building services are suspended from thestructure of the building and exit the site close to the boundary to reduce impacts on theremnants. An at-grade service platform adjacent to the north boundary contains the majorityof service equipment, including fire control services, generator, greasetrap, rubbish and dirtylinen storage.

Metal screens with lightweight metal mesh infill provide security to the remnants and assistwith interpretation of previous buildings which existed on the site. The screens represent thescale and form of buildings in two-dimensional form. Openings in the screens will be locatedat the location of original window and door openings, and will provide both interpretivedisplay areas, and managed access to the archaeological remnants. The screens are locatedat Cumberland and Gloucester Streets, along both sides of Cribbs and Carahers Lanes andvary in height according to the original structures. The screens are supported from thestructure of the hostel buildings and do not require additional footings on site. The openarea adjacent to the education centre (along Carahers and Cribbs Lanes) is separated fromthe laneways by a one metre high metal fence. It is proposed that the fence will be supported


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from upright posts located at the location of original post supports, now removed (referDiagram 05 Cribbs Laneway).

Diagram 05 Cribbs Laneway showing previous post support locations

The hostel foyer is accessed from Cumberland Street at ground level, close to the location ofthe site of the original Australian Hotel. The arrangements of spaces within the original hotelbuilding have been referenced in the design of the proposed foyer to assist with theinterpretation of the original building. The proposed floor level of the foyer is slightly abovethe original external yard floor level, and original external walls and steps to the basementareas are visible within the new floor surface via glass floor panels. Small sections of originalstone paving slabs to the yard area are also visible through glass floor panels. New stonepaving slabs adjacent to the original slabs infill the remainder of the original yard area, anddemarcate the northern boundary of the original hotel allotment via a change in floor finish.

As parts of the foyer are located over what was previously the basement area of the Hotel,access is provided via walkway panels, suspended over the basement rooms, allowing visualaccess to hand-hewn sandstone walls, original stone steps and stone paving. These panelsare removable, allowing occasional access to basement areas for cleaning and maintenanceas required. Part of the eastern wall follows the outline of the original external wall of thehotel and is proposed to be glazed, allowing a view to the original throughway access to therear yard. A proposed stair and lift give access from the foyer to the main floor level of thehostel and reception areas above. The lift pit requires approximately 750 mm of excavationto the basement floor surface. The proposed stair is suspended from the structure above.

The education centre is accessed via Carahers Lane and contains two classrooms,bathroom facilities, ancillary storage, and a simulated archaeological dig area. The dig areais constructed as a steel pit which is supported from existing masonry and sandstoneremnants walls and is capable of being removed without impacting on the remnants. Thefootprint of the education centre references the historical subdivision and building orientationand allows the area of the last incarnation of George Cribbs property to be fully visible.


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Physical access to the remains in the open area adjacent to the Education Centre iscontrolled and occurs either as part of a structured, supervised program, or by authorisedpersonnel.

Access to the site is via new stairs and landings at the east and west ends of Cribbs Lanebuilt outside the site boundary to prevent intervention with the existing bedrock. The stairsare to be constructed from concrete, with metal handrails and balustrades. Access to eachof the laneways from outside the site is controlled via a gate, which is locked by YHA staffduring the evening. An additional stair, constructed similarly, is located at the southern end ofGloucester Street, and provides access via a locked gate to the education centre. Each of

the separate hostel buildings has a fire escape route through individual stairs down to groundlevel, across the site to exit on Cumberland Street. An additional fire escape route isprovided via the central suspended bridge which exits to Cumberland Street via the foyer.

Derivation of Scheme:

Building Heights

The site is subject to a height control for this part of The Rocks; namely the Sydney CoveRedevelopment Authority (SCRA) Building Height Control Diagram XXXIV (1984). TheSCRA Scheme provides a maximum height limit of RL 45.00 (comparable to the height of theadjacent Bradfield Highway road platform and rooftop ridge of the Terraces adjoining thesouthern boundary along the majority of the Cumberland Street frontage, and steps down toRL 41.00 adjacent to The Australian Hotel. The entire Gloucester Street frontage is subject tothe lower height limit of RL 41.00.

Although the height of the building is generally consistent with the maximum heightsprescribed above, the proposal does not comply with the SCRA Scheme at the followinglocations, (see Diagram 06):

1. Cumberland Street - north building, roof plant (approximate RL 46.7 at top);2. Cumberland Street north building, adjacent to The Australian Hotel (approximate

RL 45.0 at ridge);3. Cumberland Street - south building, roof plant (approximate RL 46.25 at top);

courtyard roof (RL 46.6 at ridge);4. Gloucester Street north building, roof terrace balustrade (RL 42.3).

Site Areas

The site is redefined into three historic sub-areas by the reinstatement of the two historiclaneways. The two largest sub-areas are occupied by the hostel buildings, which are builtpredominantly to the extent of the sub-areas. The hostel buildings are built to the streetboundaries, with the interpretive screens located outside of the site boundary. The smallest

of the three sub-areas is occupied by the education centre, which is aligned to the south ofthis area. As an interpretive measure, the portion of this sub-area which is not occupied bythe footprint of the education centre demarcates the landholdings of one of the historicalowners of the site, Cribb. The building has a presence on both Gloucester Street and onCarahers Lane. The site sub-areas and laneway boundaries are further defined by theplacement of the interpretive screens.


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Diagram 06 View of Proposed Building from Cumberland Street with SCRA Building HeightControl exceedances shown in Red/Grey.

Diagram 07 View of Proposed Building from Gloucester Street with SCRA Building HeightControl exceedances shown in Red/Grey.


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Built Form

The development envelope is derived from the sub-division of the site into three sub-areas;from client brief requirements; from SCRA Scheme height controls; and from the heritagesignificance of the site. Physical access, when required, is possible to almost all of the sitearea by locating the underside of the first level of the building at a height of approximately 2.1metres above ground level. At a limited number of locations, the height clearance to theunderside of the building is less than 2.1 metres. Areas which do not provide physical access(less than 2.1m head height clearance) to the sub-floor areas include the foyer, retail, servicedeck, fire escape routes, education centre, and small parts of the area below the Level 00hostel rooms along Gloucester Street, and the Level 01 hostel rooms along CumberlandStreet at the southern boundary. However, visual access is available to parts of the site andremnants under the foyer floor, and to the areas below the Level 00 and Level 01 hostelrooms listed above. The two hostel buildings are both composed of three and four storeybuildings arranged around a central courtyard. The central courtyard makes cross-ventilationto the hostel rooms possible, and allows visual access to the site from most areas in thehostel. A room depth suitable for achieving cross-ventilation generated the depth of thehostel building.

The addition of a roof to the courtyard of the south building provides the means to controlenvironmental exposure to the remnants below; and to control the environmental conditionsto the internal walkways connecting the hostel rooms. The roof structure is elevated byapproximately 1.5 metres above the highest roof of the hostel building to allow throughventilation and smoke exhaustion in the event of fire. The elevation of the building one storeyabove street level also allows members of the public visual access to the interior of the sitefrom both street frontages.

Street Frontage

The external face of the proposed hostel buildings are built to the site boundary on bothGloucester Street, (northern hostel building) and Cumberland Street, (northern and southernhostel buildings), to reinforce and define the street frontages. The metal interpretive screensare fixed to the external face of the building located approximately 0.1 metres outside the siteboundary. Adjoining existing buildings along Cumberland Street encroach on the streetboundary by 0.23 metres at the southern boundary, and 0.08 metres at the northernboundary. Adjoining buildings along Gloucester Street encroach on the street boundary by0.43 metres on the southern boundary.

Access to the hostel foyer, service areas, and retail component occur at ground level alongCumberland Street. Two fire egress routes exit the building along Cumberland Street, onefrom each of the hostel buildings. All of the openings approximately align in plan withhistorical openings. Access is also provided to the rear of the Education Centre fromGloucester Street via a new stair.

The frontages of the laneways are defined by the placement of the metal interpretive screensat the approximate locations of the historic buildings, and by the placement of the metalfence around the site of Cribbs allotment, adjacent to the Education Centre.

Scale

The predominant scale of buildings surrounding the site is of two to three storey buildingsbuilt to the street boundary. The existing SCRA height control for the site prescribes amaximum height which is comparable with the height of the Bradfield Highway pedestrianwalkway opposite the site and the ridge height of the southern boundary terraces. When the


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SCRA height control is overlaid, the height control is approximately just above the ridgeheight of the highest building adjoining the site along Cumberland Street.

Diagram 08 Cumberland Street Elevation showing context

Materials / Colours

North and South Hostel Buildings:

External Cladding Material:Terracotta cladding system; colour equal to Austral Bricks DerwentFolded metal profile sheeting; colour equal to Colorbond WindsprayMetal sheeting; colour equal to Colorbond WindsprayDoors / Windows: aluminium frame; finish: metallic powdercoatGlass Louvres: glass, aluminium frameShutters: sliding aluminium frame; finish: metallic powdercoatLouvres (to plant area): Aluminium, finish: powdercoatRoof: Metal sheeting; colour equal to Colorbond WindsprayMetal Screens: GalvanisedMetalwork: Galvanised

Education Centre Building:External Cladding Material:

Terracotta cladding system; colour equal to Austral Bricks MartiusCement Rendered Brickwork; paint finishDoors / Windows: aluminium frame; finish metallic powdercoatMetalwork: GalvanisedRoof: Metal sheeting; colour equal to Colorbond WindsprayHandrails / Fence: Metal

External Areas:Stairs: MasonryHandrails: Metal


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Security

Physical separation from the remnants is provided by the metal screens located along thestreet boundaries, and along the internal lanes, with the exception of the sub-area to thesouth east of the site. A one metre high metal fence is proposed to be located here ratherthan the higher interpretive screens to provide increased visual access to Cribbs allotment.

Access to the laneways is unrestricted during YHAs operating hours (the gates to thelaneways will be unlocked from 7am until 10pm each day or until sunset for securityreasons). Outside these hours, the gates at both ends of Cribbs Lane and the southern endof Carahers Lane at the site boundary will be locked. Security cameras are proposed to belocated at various locations over the site to provide security to the site and to members of thepublic (including hostel users). Details of the cameras are provided in the YHA Plan ofManagement.

Consideration of Alternatives

The design competition entry, submitted in May 2006, the result of approximately 6 weeks ofintense design development, described a scheme similar in concept to the current proposal,with the following differences:

The proposal contained split floor levels which responded to the fall across the site,from Cumberland Street to Gloucester Street, which were connected via continuoussuspended ramps;

Footings at critical locations were located outside the site boundary to minimiseintervention impacts;

As the floors of each level of the hostel were able to be accessed via the ramps, theproposal did not contain a lift. The foyer was located less than one full storey aboveground level, and was accessible via a stair and platform hoist which required

minimal excavation; The proposal placed all communal areas (kitchen, dining, recreation areas) at the top

level of the building in response to the expected increase in noise levels due to theproximity of the Bradfield Highway;

Lightweight steel trusses were located perpendicular to street frontages and werecontinuous through courtyard void areas;

Education centre was smaller and oriented with main frontage along Carahers Lane;

Ramps and stairs at both Cumberland and Gloucester Streets provided access fromstreet level to Cribbs Lane;

Fire egress routes were not shown in the competition entry;

The scheme did not contain a retail component;

Non-conformances with the SCRA Scheme were as follows:o At the northwest corner of the site, where the proposed building adjoined the

Australian Hotel, the height limit of RL 41.00 was exceeded by 1.4 metres;o Along Cumberland Street, the proposed building form extended over the site

boundary and into the street reservation by 0.6 metres at a height of one

storey above ground level.

An i terative process involving presentations and liaison with the Design Review Panel wasundertaken in the period August 2006 to June 2007.

The main points of discussion and feedback received from the Panel which have resulted indevelopment and / or changes to the overall scheme are summarised as follows:

1. Lift: The inclusion of ramps versus inclusion of a lift In October 2006, the panelqueried the inclusion of the ramps to the split levels, and asked that the design teaminvestigate replacing the ramps with a lift. This resulted in the addition of a lift within


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the area of the excavated basement to the first Australian Hotel site to minimise siteexcavation. The inclusion of the lift resulted in the loss of the split floor levels whichallowed a close relationship between the natural site falls and the floor levels of thehostel. The original foyer level of the building was less than one storey above thestreet level; with the inclusion of the lift, a full storey was required under the first floorlevel of the building to serve the ground level and thus the platform hoist was deleted.The key result of this change was the increase in the overall height of the building.

2. Site Boundaries: In August 2006, the design team noted to the panel that locatingsome footings outside the site boundaries would result in the minimisation of heritageimpacts. In April 2007, the Design Review Panel advised YHA that it would not be

possible to locate structural supports outside the site boundary. As a result of thisdecision, some footing locations were amended to be located fully within the siteboundaries. The key outcome of this decision was an increase in heritage impact tosome remnants.

3. Structural System: The initial structural concept proposed steel trusses running inparallel and located on site perpendicular to the street frontages. This allowedfreedom for the design of window and doors within the bays between the trusses, butrequired the open courtyards to have exposed trusses running through them. Thepanel expressed concern in August 2006 that the structural system may be posinglimitations on the design, and suggested the design team consider alternativestructural systems to reduce those limitations. The design team considered variousalternatives for the structural system, including steel post and beam constructionwhich involved an increase in number of column and footing supports overall; and avariation to the steel truss system where the trusses ran parallel to the streetfrontages. This second option has been adopted as the basis of the current proposal,with modifications to parts of the system to enable the location of window positionswithin the diagonal truss components. The trusses are now not exposed within the

courtyard voids.4. Extent of accessibility: The competition scheme contained accessibility ramps to both

the Cumberland and Gloucester Street frontages so as to provide disabled access toboth ends of Cribbs Lane. Because of the height difference between existing footpathlevels and the end of the lanes, the ramp length required was considered to beexcessive in terms of the amount of footpath space required. Other options forproviding access were investigated, including the re-grading of part of Longs Laneand Carahers Lane (outside the site boundary) and the installation of a ramp at theeastern end of Longs Lane to provide an accessible route from the southern end ofCarahers Lane to the Education Centre. Due to the high level of intervention requiredby this solution, a third solution has been adopted, which provides an accessibleroute from Cumberland Street via the foyer of the hostel to the western end of CribbsLane.

5. Inclusion of a roof to the courtyards: The design team noted in August 2006 that theroofs would not be provided to the courtyards on the basis of the atrium provisions inthe BCA, and the ensuing complexity in terms of fire control. In May 2007, YHA madethe decision to provide a roof to the courtyard of the southern building for the purposeof improving amenity to the internal walkways and for the control of environmentalconditions to the courtyard space. The inclusion of this roof has increased the overallheight of the southern building.

6. Education Centre: Following stakeholder input, the brief for the Education Centre wasdeveloped in consultation with an educational consultant. This expanded thefunctional requirements of the education centre and increased the overall size of thebuilding beyond that shown at the time of the competition. Discussions with the panelconcerning the siting of the building and the street frontages resulted in the revisedlocation of the building with frontages to both Carahers Lane, and Gloucester Street,and a larger exposed area of site available to the north of the Education Centre forinterpretive use.

06 0265 Therocksyha Architect Design Statement

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