Opened in 1871, the Locomotive Workshops were dedicated to the servicing and manufacturing of locomotive and rolling stock to aid the expansion of the Australian railway network. The revitalisation of this entire precinct by Mirvac was an opportunity to reverse this trend and reintegrate the South Eveleigh precinct into the surrounding neighbourhood with a new workplace that would preserve and accentuate the cultural heritage values of the building.

The design intent of the development of the project was to remove all existing unsympathetic elements and provide a clear interpretation and expression of the industrial style and significant heritage fabric, including the existing moveable heritage collection.

The redevelopment included the Blacksmith and heritage interpretation spaces in Bays One and Two, preserving the tradition of a 130-year-long trade in this same location. The adjacent restaurant is part of the heritage experience, helping people to understand the people, history and origins.

As an adaptive re-use, this project has utilised the existing embodied carbon of the original building. The original cooling and ventilation strategy of the building, featuring thick perimeter masonry walls, and a large expanse of saw tooth roofs provided a unique opportunity to integrate ESD initiatives seamlessly into the redevelopment.

The work spaces celebrate the building’s origins delineating old and new. The interior has been opened up to exploit the original spaces and structures, with the opportunity to create state of the art collaborative work spaces for a wide variety of high technology tenants and users.

Photography: Simon Whitbread, Brett Boardman