Jury citation
In Yirranma Place, the architect has sensitively woven a fitout for the Paul Ramsay Foundation into the heritage-listed former First Church of Christ Scientist building in Darlinghurst. The distinction between new and old is clear, and the language for the new works is diverse yet coherent.
Vaulted forms, rich textures and bold colours successfully transform the interwar Beaux Arts interiors into joyous spaces befitting of the charitable organization they now house. Integrating lifts, fire stairs and a basement carpark into this heritage structure was no doubt a challenging project. But designing for disassembly and holding the new structures off existing walls has resulted in many beautiful moments and surprises. This “loose fit” allows the building’s original volume to be read distinctly from the newly inserted parts.
Yirranma Place is located in Darlinghurst, New South Wales on Gadigal Country.
Project credits
Architect: SJB; Project team: Adam Haddow, Sevda Cetin, Yvonne Cai, Stefanie Hughes, Charlotte Wilson, Angela Chun, Simone Rego, Zhenyu Liu, Daniel Gullen, Charlie Cummins, Stewart Cowan, Ashleigh Elliot, Howe Law, Nemanja Stanar, Alex Gilmore-Johnstone; Builder: Mainbrace Constructions; Heritage consultant: NBRS ; Wayfinding: Garbett; Landscape consultant: Black Beetle; AV Consultant: POMT.
