Lahznimmo Architects

Armory Wharf

Armory Wharf
© Brett Boardman

ARMORY WHARF 

Lahznimmo Architects

STRUCTURAL CONSULTANT
Taylor Thomson Whitting

BUILDER
Inten

MECHANICAL CONSULTANT
Services Integration Management

ELECTRICAL CONSULTANT
Shelmerdines Consulting Engineers

CLIENT
Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA)

PHOTOGRAPHS
Brett Boardman

AREA
200.0 m²

YEAR
2008

LOCATION
Sydney, Australia

CATEGORY
Coffee Shop, Adaptive Reuse

Armory Wharf
© Brett Boardman

Text description provided by architect.

Adaptive reuse of Building 13 as a café was completed in 2007 as part of the Blaxland Riverside Park, within the historic Newington Armory precinct at Sydney Olympic Park.

When Building 13 was destroyed by fire in November 2007, Sydney Olympic Park Authority (SOPA) engaged lahznimmo architects to design a new café on the site of the original.

Armory Wharf
© Brett Boardman
Armory Wharf
© Brett Boardman

The Armory Wharf provides striking 270 degree views across the Parramatta River to mangroves and the post-industrial working wharf landscape.

The new Café draws upon the palette of existing materials and typological forms of the Armory Precinct, including the neighbouring camouflage covered shade structure to the east of the kiosk - designed by Lacoste + Stevenson architects.

In plan, the building matches the original Building 13 footprint, ensuring a continuity of wharf scale.

Armory Wharf
© Brett Boardman
Armory Wharf
© Brett Boardman
Armory Wharf
© Brett Boardman

Functional necessities of kitchen exhaust and gas flues have been encased in a chimney structure that references the silhouettes of retained cranes.

The rhythm of weathered steel and recycled timber blades, which survived the 2007 fire, are carried into the new building and set the pattern of solid and void along the southern elevation.

The other survivor of the fire, the inset railway tracks that originally carried armaments in and out of the building, have been retained and incased in clear epoxy resin.

Armory Wharf
© Brett Boardman
Armory Wharf
© Brett Boardman

The dining outlook focuses toward the river and the procession of activities along it. The café space has different degrees of openness and enclosure.

Similar to the mangroves, which progressively get less dense towards the waters edge, the new cafe structure and roof appear to dissolve from solid, progressively becoming more filigree towards the waters edge.

Armory Wharf
© Brett Boardman


Armory Wharf
Plan
Armory Wharf
East Elevation
Armory Wharf
North Elevation
Armory Wharf
Detail


Armory Wharf
Gif
Armory Wharf
Section

Lahznimmo Architects
T +61 2 95505200
Lahznimmo Architects
suite 404 flourmill studios 3 gladstone street, Newtown NSW 2042, Australia