Capella Sydney
Our recently completed Capella Sydney project has transformed a former government building in Sydney’s Sandstone Precinct into a luxury hotel. Over a seven-year process, we worked closely with heritage consultants, Heritage NSW, the City of Sydney and Property NSW to honour the building’s history and architect George McRae’s original design. We retained the entire sandstone facade as well as the perimeter slab, and restored design details such as the heritage copper-lined roof lanterns on the sixth floor and the marble vestibules in the entrance lobby.
This project was an opportunity to celebrate Sydney’s architectural heritage while opening the building up to the public for the first time. We made space for three new hospitality venues on the ground floor, along with conference and events facilities, and we used the original bespoke directory boards in the Farrer Place entry to display modern artworks by Aboriginal artist Judy Watson, inspired by the site’s heritage.
Harrods
For the last decade, we’ve been involved in Harrods’s most recent programme of refurbishments. We’ve worked on a range of spaces across the Grade II*-listed department store, from its escalator halls to its facades to its luxury women’s fashion floor. Each project has been an opportunity for us to delve into the Harrods archives and discover architectural and cultural details that speak to the history of the building and the brand.
Our ongoing work for Harrods is a testament to our collaborative relationship with the team and our dedication to preserving and celebrating the building’s timeless elegance. We’ve consistently combined innovation and craft to design bespoke solutions suited to modern retail in a heritage setting.
Hornsey Town Hall
Currently on site, our restoration and expansion of the Grade II*-listed Hornsey Town Hall demonstrates the importance of reusing and integrating existing structures for evolving communities. We’re converting the town hall into a hotel and arts centre, complete with a cinema, theatre and rooftop bar. Most of the building will be dedicated to public use, with new community and events spaces as well a café and a co-working hub. Our redevelopment also includes a restaurant and new flats in the Grade II-listed annexe next door, plus three new apartment blocks.
As with Capella Sydney, we’re opening up previously private spaces to the public, welcoming locals and visitors alike. Drawing inspiration from architect Reginald Uren’s original art deco design, we’ve woven key details and materials – including terrazzo, marble, chevron flooring and timber panelling – throughout the scheme to unify it and celebrate its heritage.
The Temple House
Completed in 2015, The Temple House in Chengdu, China, remains one of our favourite projects for its sensitive unification of old and new. The design of The Temple House is wholly inspired by its context. From the Qing Dynasty-era entrance building to the contoured central courtyard, the hotel draws on centuries of local traditions and landscapes.
The hotel includes 100 guestrooms, 42 serviced apartments, a traditional teahouse, a premium spa and extensive public spaces, offering a contemporary interpretation of a typical Chinese courtyard house configuration, with two slender L-shaped blocks surrounding a quiet landscaped area in the middle. We retained and restored the abandoned Qing Dynasty building on the site to form a distinctive entrance lobby for the hotel, and we converted two historic courtyard houses for a unique spa facility.
The Exchange
Birmingham’s Municipal Bank is a prominent 1930s neoclassical building in Centenary Square. We’ve adapted it into The Exchange, a civic hub for the University of Birmingham and the city at large. It was important to conserve the rich materials and detailing of this historic Grade II-listed building, such as the formal stone and bronze main entrance, while adapting it to be flexible for a range of modern functions.
Now open to the public, The Exchange includes a café in the former banking hall, a gallery and events space in the former vaults, collaborative workspaces, a range of meeting and seminar spaces, and places for research and events.
