2015
We were shortlisted by the City of Sydney, amongst 5 architectural teams, to submit a design proposal for a new building in Hyde park as part of the Hyde Park South revitalisation and Museum Station upgrade works. An excerpt from our submission below:
DESIGN APPROACH
Museum Station is a place making heritage structure that invites corner entries into existing Hyde Park foot paths leading to the War Memorial, reflective pond and gardens.
The new cafe maintains a respectful connection to this historical building and provides an important transitional shelter from busy commuter corner into tranquil park.
The cafe footprint extends along the Western boundary, reaching into the park.
The cafe acts as a limit, the moment where the city ends and the park begins. Diaphanous screens offer shelter from traffic noise.
Accessible footpath portals invite pedestrians into the park through cafe areas while the front of house offers ef cient takeaway service for those accessing the park through Museum Station.
Low line pavillions and split level platforms are nestled into the landscape, offering both indoor and outdoor dining and flexible event spaces.
Deciduous trees provide summer shade and allow penetration of winter sun.
Delicate piloti convey a tent like quality and a lightweight canopy dissolves at its edges.
The cafe has an influence that extends far beyond its physical parameters, stimulating sunny lawn areas and the memorial walkway.
The result is a cafe that offers shelter from the city in the form of a park, whilst simultaneously activating its edges, a limit lending itself as a programme.
