The new United States Studies Centre is housed in the Arts and Crafts style heritage-listed John Woolley Building. The fjmt proposal houses the studies centre within a single floor in the ‘workshop wing’, exposing and reinterpreting the heritage structure of the building, consistent with the Conservation Management Plan. A new entrance addresses Science Avenue, combining a new reception, foyer and social hub with access to adjacent courtyards and the main landscaped entry forecourt as ‘informal extensions’ to the briefed requirements.
The original workshop character and volumes have been re-established and reinterpreted to reinforce the industrial nature of the original spaces by incorporating frameless glass office pods, custom joinery, carefully detailed open plan workplaces and the use of exposed chilled beams which reveal the original ceilings. North American timbers have been utilised and classic US designed furniture provided to emphasise the connection with the United States.