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Fronting a laneway, most people require instructions to find the office of Bird de la Coeur Architects. "We came across this building three years ago. It was one of those properties you don't have to talk yourself into. It seemed to offer everything we were looking for," says architect Vanessa Bird. Built in the 1920s, the warehouse is now both office and home for Bird, her partner, architect Neil de la Coeur and their two children.
"It was ideal. It already had a commercial permit and it was in a residential area. The park and beach are only five minutes away," says Bird, knowing that these facilities would need to compensate for the absence of a backyard.
The warehouse, located behind shops in the Melbourne bayside suburb of Albert Park, was originally a bakery. Concrete floors on the first level (now a home for the architects) were required to support heavy machinery for making biscuits. In the I970s the warehouse was used to store costumes and divided into several smaller studios. While the original structure was intact when purchased, the interior had been carved up. "We basically gutted the place and re-worked the entire space," says Bird, The staircase to the first floor was removed and, to replace the side entrance on the ground floor, a new shopfront glass window and door were designed. Fortunately, the original timber door to the warehouse was still intact, The large worn pine door, which gives the office the appearance of a stable, adds character to both the building and the laneway.
As the office space is relatively compact (approximately 180 square metres) it was designed with efficiency in mind. With ten staff in the architectural practice, the office had to include workstations, a library and print room, a meeting area, and reception area. There also had to be kitchen and bathroom facilities. At the core of the office is a folded aluminium cubicle. Referred to as the 'hard working box', aluminium panels on the outside of the box conceal many of the services, as well as providing valuable storage. Inside the box is a small kitchen and bathroom facilities. This contemporary insertion into the warehouse also separates the public spaces from the workspaces, the latter taking the form of an open plan office.
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