Client Brief The original design of 31 Commerce Crescent was for a multi-tenanted space for furniture showrooms to align with the rest of the Commerce Crescent Precinct . Once the two tenants , a high end car dealership and a supercar customisation workshop , were on board , the design had to be adapted to suit the tenants ’ needs .
The brief was to create a design that integrates into the new Commerce Crescent Design District while at the same time anchoring the northern corner of the precinct on the corner of South Road and busy Bowling Avenue . The building thus needed its own identity while paying tribute to it predecessors .
Façade Performance glazing gives the building a view towards the street and also allows the passer-by to interact visually with the building interior while keeping the internal space comfortable .
Design and Cohesion The design of 31 Commerce Crescent is centred around using mass and voids to explore form . Finding a balance between these two elements is also reflected in the contrasting material use - the rough heavy concrete elements versus the more elegant and refined brickwork . Material use is certainly the main element that ties the buildings in Commerce Crescent together .
Mass and scale was also considered carefully , with the site sloping away towards the north and No . 31 sunk away next to No . 33 to the east . To address this the architects added a considerable concrete element to the east façade to ensure balance between the two buildings and not let No . 31 disappear in No . 33 ’ s shadow .
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