Diva Works has won Silver at the Sydney Design Awards 2021, in the category of: Pop-Ups, Display, Exhibit and Set Design. This award celebrates innovative and creative design for a temporary building or interior, exhibition, pop up site, installation, fixture or interactive element.
Diva Works were engaged by Mirvac to design, build and fit-out a cottage, set within the historic township of Menangle, where sleepy rural charm meets modern family life – and transform it into a sales office for Mirvac’s new residential community, The Village Menangle.
The Project Brief:
The brief to Diva Works was to adapt the original 1920s workers cottage located within the site, for use as the sales centre for the Menangle development. The intent of the sales centre for The Village was a high-quality, elegant space that complements the natural landscape and rural village character of Menangle.
The key project challenges included:
- The dilapidated condition of the cottage, which lacked structural integrity and posed a health and safety risk
- Multiple small rooms, a narrow entry hallway and the amenities did not comply with current accessibility or fire safety requirements
- The architectural heritage and local significance of the original cottage
- Windows and brick chimneys that needed to be incorporated into a modern internal sales fit out
Luckily no challenge is too great for the Divas!
The Diva Works Approach:
Overall, heritage has played an important role in the approach to the Menangle sales centre, ensuring the historical character from the past continues to remain intact today.
Externally, two original brick chimneys from the cottage were preserved, however the rest of the cottage was so dilapidated that it needed to be replaced with like-for-like materials.
Internally, the beautiful fireplaces needed to be seamlessly integrated with the branding and selling tools, in order to create a modern approach to selling Mirvac’s new community.
Project Innovation:
Our construction methodology was truly innovative; we de-constructed and then re-constructed the cottage into a sales office, successfully integrating parts of the existing structure with the new prefabricated wall and floor systems.
After carefully stabilising the existing dilapidated chimneys, we salvaged original materials and building elements so that they could be repaired, restored or recreated.
The angled ceiling lines, internal timber wall lining and exterior finish colours match that of the original design. The repaired existing brick chimneys are a significant feature in the sales centre fit out and will remain as a functional element in the future conversion back to a home.
Sustainability:
Our initial plan was to restore the worker’s cottage, by salvaging much of the original materials and repairing the cottage where necessary. However, if became evident that due to the poor structural integrity of the cottage, the potential safety risk of the construction team working on it and the hazardous materials/finishes it contained (asbestos, lead paint, etc), a decision had to be made to deconstruct the cottage, salvaging any building elements for possible re-use.
With sustainability in mind, prefabricated construction techniques were used to reduce waste and carbon, reducing the safety risks posed on the construction team, decreased construction programs and therefore costs, as well as providing a better quality product overall, as the workmanship is quality controlled in a factory.
The Outcome:
The Diva Works Team created a cohesive sales experience that welcomes people to Mirvac’s new community in one of the Macarthur Area’s hidden gems.
The Village Sales Office for Mirvac
The Village Sales Office for Mirvac
The Village Sales Office for Mirvac
The Village Sales Office for Mirvac
The Village Sales Office for Mirvac
The Village Sales Office for Mirvac
The Village Sales Office for Mirvac
The Village Sales Office for Mirvac
The Project Team:
Divaworks, led by their founder Fiona Jefferies, celebrated these heritage elements and made them visible from every aspect of the internal space by omitting any non-structural internal walls from the final fitout.
Fiona Jefferies – xyz
Person 2 – xyz
Photography: Alexander Mayes Diva Works / Shutter Speed Studios Quentin Jones
Link to the Sydney Design Awards Press Release:
