Bates Smart ™

Headquarters Training Command Victoria Barracks
Paddington, Sydney

The project is located on the historic Victoria Barracks amidst examples of colonial military buildings. Bates Smart’s design is a modern form that abstracts the qualities of colonial military architecture which is characterised by its austere architectural expression, rational ordering, linear forms and integration of services. The new building respects the form of the adjoining building by aligning with its linear plan, eave and ridge heights. A cantilevered area to the south allows the continuity of the linear form and external landscaping.

The regular concrete structure is clearly expressed both internally and externally. The building has a column-free internal plan allowing complete internal flexibility. The depth of the columns is used to create a second skin on the building in the form of a cor-ten steel screen which provides solar protection for the glass and interprets the aging patina of buildings onthe barracks. To minimise the bulk of the building a folded plane of cor-ten steel plates wraps over the roof from the east to the west elevations.

The environmental and energy efficient principles of the design include orientation, solar shading, exposed thermal mass, night purging and natural ventilation assisted by thermal flues. These thermal flues are incorporated between the twin structural blade columns using natural convection with a steel chimney and wind deflector as accelerators.