14
Vision Magazine
What was your first impression of 47 O’Grady St?
I thought it was a mess — a promising mess —
beautiful outside and scrambled inside. It had
always been a beautiful building and stood the test
of time as the Dux Theatre for silent films. It became
offices for Mushroom Records in the ’80s and ’90s
and the result was quite shocking. It had become
a rabbit warren of walls, out-of-level slabs and a
higgledy-piggeldy mess.
What persuaded you to think otherwise?
I remember looking around upstairs and thinking
that if we could remove ceilings and open it
up, then it might be salvageable. It was about
identifying a potential for size and scale. It turned
out to be quite an exceptional opportunity.
How difficult is it to imagine the possibilities when
you’re confronted with what is barely more than a
wreck?
That vision to see the potential in real estate is
certainly a real part of what the team does. I had to
stump up and demonstrate how we could make a
building hang together, but the credit really belongs
to the series creators Julian Cress and David
Barbour who had that foresight to imagine such a
program.
What is your role as architect on The Block?
I take a brief from the producers and research a
range of suitable properties that will work best
for the series. That will often involve short-listing
properties for the network that aren’t necessarily in
the brief. Then there’s the unseen work that involves
acquiring planning permits and background legal
approvals. I have to come up with the creative for
the building’s appearance as ‘value insurance’. The
completed project has to appear fantastic outside
and absolutely immaculate on the inside.
The New Kid On The Block