Alfred Stables
Commendation for Workplace Design in the Australian Interior Design Awards 2021 

After years of underappreciation, The Stables, located on Alfred Lane, had become a storage facility for the maintenance department of the hospital. The project brief required this heritage building to be revitalized and become an executive office for the staff at the Alfred Hospital. We proposed an industrial aesthetic, in line with the building's historic use and chose a subdued material pallet to showcase the existing features and detailing. Celebrating the existing building materials was key to the design across the three floors. Weaving steel and glass elements through the floor plate allowed separation but transparency for working spaces. Structural incisions were made to create vertical circulation and entry to each floor. The paint was stripped off to reveal the existing brick and lime-washed bluestone wall. As layers of paint were revealed, historical swatches of colour became visible. These colours then informed decisions about the interior material palette. The refurbishment of Alfred Stables brought back its former glory and became the new home for 150 administrative staff, providing a new ecosystem for the Alfred personnel, and creating new possibilities around work and interaction with colleagues.

Photography: Shannon McGrath