Ronstan International tensile façade for Lonsdale St, Melbourne

The extension to this heritage listed building in Melbourne's CBD by SJB architects sort to erect two new levels of office space. The requirement from the architect was for these to appear as a separate building, ethereally hovering above with respect to the existing structure.

SJB understood that in order for the illusion to succeed the façade element needed to appear as light as they could make it, structure needed to be minimized and recede bringing the finish of the mesh to the fore. The folded shape wraps itself around the structure more like a skin then what we know as a facade in today's buildings and cleverly hides the regular form of the building behind. It has a "lightness" and transparency achieved through the use of tensile elements that with the woven mesh filter and protect the glazed wall behind. The façade is accentuated with the recession of the support elements and internal glazed wall through the use of colour.

If you would like to read more about the Lonsdale St project, see further images or see recent Ronstan Tensile Façade projects then please visit;
www.ronstanarchitectural.com/arch_au/application.asp?ap=4