Drawing strength from history
Bates Smart Brisbane
Bates Smart’s Brisbane team has established a permanent studio base at 2 Edward Street, within the heritage building known as Old Mineral House.
Located next to the Botanic Gardens and the Brisbane River, Old Mineral House was built as a warehouse in 1888. It is one of the few remaining Victorian buildings in the Brisbane CBD.
The design for the new Bates Smart studio honours the unique personality of Old Mineral House, with its grand sash windows, brick bones, timber columns and leafy views.
The building’s original brickwork forms a warm shell for the interior, defining feature walls for the workzone and meeting rooms. Timber joinery and furniture reference the original timber columns, their walnut colour glows against black metal finishes.
Materials are purposefully selected to exemplify Bates Smart’s cross-sector expertise. Their composition signals a wide-reaching portfolio of work across residential, hospitality, and commercial projects, loosening the idea of how a typical workplace should feel.
A key driver for the design is celebrating the people that form the studio. Ceiling heights are maximised and the plan intentionally configured to make visible as much of the studio as possible – the team is front and centre. The result is a workplace that echoes the blueprint of Bates Smart: collaboration, innovation and design rigour.
Details
Client
Bates Smart
Location
Brisbane | Yuggera and Turrbal Country
Sectors
Year
2024
Status
Completed
Photography
Andy Macpherson