NoMad | Alexander & CO.

Nomad is an interior alteration to an existing storage/industrial building, specifically a commercial office suite, within a low rise tower in Surry Hills Sydney. The building is concrete framed with concrete slabs separating levels, is fenestrated with traditional steel frame industrial windows and resides within the podium of the tower. Our project involved the de-fit and replanning of the apartment. We remediated the existing structural chassis and repositioned the apartments planning, and then completed an interior fit-out including new finishes, services, lighting, and furnishing. 

The three bedroom apartment has been conceived as a contemporary urban oasis, a gentle and ambient gallery within the hustle of the city. It is inspired by the sculptural language of Brancusi’s workshop and home to this professional couple.

Client Design Brief

Nomad had undergone several decades of use prior to our client taking possession. Originally industrial storage, then commercial office space, and finally an adapted apartment, our clients purchased the home to provide for their city sanctuary. The structural envelope possessed a beautiful scale reminiscent of its industrial heritage, however had did not have the amenity for habitation as an apartment.

Our client approached us with the brief to create an urban sanctuary. They wished for the apartment to bring calm, quiet and curation to their professional lives. Although they accepted the project would be an intervention into much of the existing fabric, they were clear to retain the charm of the gallery-esque proportion and ambience of the Piet-a-Terre. The apartment would have low demand on storage and maximise living space. Its success would be measured based upon the feeling it imbibed. Lighting was key, and white space was cherished.

At the conclusion of the project the result would be a three bedroom and two bathroom apartment, with new kitchen, laundry and storage, and a completely reinvigorated ambient narrative which would both celebrate and reposition its history.

Response to The Client’s Brief

Although the resulting apartment feels deliberately sparse, it’s the result of a substantial scope of works which saw the space entirely replanned with all services replaced.

The home contains 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms including an ensuite, a laundry, entry hall, retail inspired dressing room, living and dining gallery.

The structural frame of the building has been refurbished and the lighting and furnishing have been designed to imbibe the apartment with a gallery style openness. Full-drop curtains soften and provide privacy and feature concrete benches in both the kitchen and bathroom areas bring a statuesque sculptural language to the otherwise reductionist interiors.

The space is conceived as an artist’s studio, a gallery of daring handmade shapes in concert with one another.

Were There Any Design Challenges in The Project That Were Overcome?

The existing structure required a statutory approval and followed an orthodox design and documentation procedure with the exception of the many class 2 building upgrades which ensued, however the interior fit out was to utilise complex concrete forms which were both massive and difficult to fabricate. This included various concrete benches which could be only brought onto site via a crane through the window. The concrete manufacture tested the structural capacity of the apartment, but also the technological capacity of their manufacture.  

How Did We Achieve Excellence/Beauty/Innovation in Our Design Outcome?

The apartment has a lightness of touch, and the intervention can be in places hard to gauge, which was consistent with the clients hopes. There is ample white space, and yet ample ambience too. The rooms feel atmospheric, calming, and sculptural. There is a spaciousness in the experience, a little like the time to consider the objects of curiosity within a gallery or sculptors’ studio. It is a living gallery for two people who have chosen a life of quiet calm.

Principal Architect: Jeremy Bull

Interior Design Team: Sophie Harris, Carolin Schmidt, Mengxi Deng 

Landscape Architect: Nil

Project Size: 300 sqm

Photographer: Anson Smart

Editorial Stylist: Claire Delmar