harrison and white + archier merge offices with landscape in parks victoria

through a collaboration between australian studios harrison & white and archier, melbourne’s albert park sees a newly completed office space titled ‘parks victoria.’ the combined office and depot is expressive of its layered history and the area’s complex pattern of use, with the formula one grand prix race taking over each year. the team investigates this condition, exploring how the site is activated each day, to design a combined office and depot facility that services both the park and wider region. given the highly-visible nature of the site, the building is approached from multiple directions, which is reflected in the outward-looking project. the team maintains a design-minded approach in the creation of fence lines, gates and hardstand areas to avoid the atmosphere of a ‘back of house’ facility.

images by peter bennetts

during the beginning stages of the parks victoria proposal, harrison & white and archier sought to merge two separate elements — the office and the depot — into a single building. this strategy enables a greater integration between the depot and office staff, while reducing the overall footprint in the park. the project improves and re-activates this corner of the park, replacing an underused building and improving the surrounding landscape. the structure seeks to remain public, despite the secure depot functions, as members of the public can walk into the heart of the building and the main courtyard which serve as the conceptual park-space. the boundary of the building features an in-situ concrete seat, in the tradition of park benches, to offer the building as a piece of familiar park infrastructure.

a joint venture between harrison & white and archier, the ‘parks victoria’ project presents excellence in sustainability, integrating building and landscape. green spaces are used to shade, cool and activate the building, and the project is organized with a centralized courtyard space at its heart. this brings landscape into the center, acting as a source of ventilation and light. the central courtyard further introduces a space for gathering and mixing. the upper level is a ‘donut of space,’ screened with vegetation of varied species for different orientations.