SJB

52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building

52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman

52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building

Sjb

ARCHITECTS
Sjb

CLIENT
Cornerstone Property Group

PHOTOGRAPHS
Brett Boardman

YEAR
2021

AREA
2400 m²

LOCATION
Surry Hills, Australia

CATEGORY
Mixed Use Architecture, Commercial Architecture

The history of Surry Hills is one of constant change, adaption, and renewal.

52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman

Occupying a postage-stamp-sized site, 52 Reservoir responds to this legacy with a fine-grain response to the surrounding streetscape revitalizing an overlooked part of the suburb.

Constructed almost entirely during Sydney’s lockdown, this joyful commercial building delivers ground plane retail, eight levels of boutique office space with landscaped courtyards, and a roof terrace providing an oasis of green space amenity within a dense urban environment.

52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman

An aquamarine façade sculpted from custom-glazed bricks confidently announces the development’s presence on Reservoir Street. As the building rises to meet the parapets of its neighbors it steps back to reveal a gently scalloping exposed concrete structure.

A new laneway formed between 52 Reservoir and its western neighbor connects Reservoir and Foster Streets for the first time since the early 20th century.

52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman

Floating above the new through-site link is an ephemeral installation of large format glazed panels by artist Marisa Purcell evoking a canopy of dappled light and shadow above the thoroughfare.

In the center of the laneway, an immersive timber lobby space welcomes visitors into the building - a beacon between the adjacent concrete spaces.

Restaurants, bars, and cafés occupy the ground floor and activate the street. Above, commercial tenancies enjoy column-free floorplates, expansive glazing, sunlight, and natural ventilation.

52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman

If the site is a microcosm of Surry Hills, then 52 Reservoir adds a new commercial layer befitting the post-Covid era with its simple vision to change the way people live and work.


52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
© Brett Boardman


52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
Plan - Ground Floor
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
Plan - 7th Floor
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
Plan - Rooftop


52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
South Elevation
52 Reservoir Street Commercial Building
East Section

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T +61 2 93809911
SJB
2/490 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW 2010, Australia