George Street Plaza

Working with an existing building is an act of transformation through addition and subtraction, and so the question arises: what role do the additions play? Here, the basic structure and form of the building were to remain unchanged, with new work addressing poor circulation and habitation conditions both internally and externally.

The sharp corner adjacent to the building – an existing triangular remnant of the original street configuration – was developed into a new public space. Analysis of the existing topography and the need for new connections led to morphing and folding contours such that the various levels were reconnected in a single fluid piece of spatial choreography.  The final configuration combines a formal entry and axis, a flat area for café seating and a textured, sloped plaza for casual occupation and seating. A small canopy sits in the north-east corner of the space, which evolved from an analysis of sun, wind and tenant use requirements.