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Location
Brunswick, VIC
Builder
TBC
Collaborators
Nonda Katsalidis, Urban Workshop
Photography
Tom Ross
Nestled in the heart of Brunswick, amidst the hustle and bustle of Sydney Road, stands an oasis of urban regeneration and timeless beauty — the iconic Hardwick Building.
The building itself was designed by the renowned H.W. and F.B. Tompkins and built in 1908 as the John H. Hooper Drapery Store, which opened then to much fanfare. A century later the building lay derelict after the retail decline in the 1990s and the building’s brief and unsuccessful reimagination as ‘Computer City’ an indoor computer and tech market.
In 2004, Mariana Hardwick, the Melbourne-based wedding dress designer and entrepreneur purchased the building and undertook to restore it and relocate the flagship Mariana Hardwick Bridal Emporium from Fitzroy to Brunswick.
Breathe worked closely with Mariana, Urban Workshop Architects and Nonda Katsalidis alongside the City of Moreland and Heritage Victoria to not only deliver the Hardwick bridal emporium but to also use this project as an opportunity to activate the entire building and an entire dormant city block and surrounding streets, Sparta Place and Tripovich street.
The centre of the building was carved out for Mariana Hardwick, with the heritage approach to express the structure, history and towering ceilings. The first floor was adapted as the Hardwick workshop where dresses were designed and created from fabric to finish.
We worked to activate the edges of the entire building block carving up the building into 17 ‘micro tenancies’ within the existing structural grid to provide affordable leases and tenancies to Brunswick start-ups and boutique traders bringing vitality to Sydney Road, Ballarat Street, Sparta Place and Tripovich Street.
We undertook the urban design and worked closely with the City of Moreland’s Open Spaces team to install seating and trees in Sparta Place and Tripovich Street.
Timber shopfronts were designed with care to respond to the heritage building and expressive canvas awnings were added to shade the north and the western windows to reduce the heat load on the existing glazing.
This project was an exercise in real historical significance. Today, heritage listed and renamed the ‘Hardwick Building’ it is home to great local businesses and beautiful local streets.
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which the Hardwick Building stands. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters, and culture.
Nestled in the heart of Brunswick, amidst the hustle and bustle of Sydney Road, stands an oasis of urban regeneration and timeless beauty — the iconic Hardwick Building.
The building itself was designed by the renowned H.W. and F.B. Tompkins and built in 1908 as the John H. Hooper Drapery Store, which opened then to much fanfare. A century later the building lay derelict after the retail decline in the 1990s and the building’s brief and unsuccessful reimagination as ‘Computer City’ an indoor computer and tech market.
In 2004, Mariana Hardwick, the Melbourne-based wedding dress designer and entrepreneur purchased the building and undertook to restore it and relocate the flagship Mariana Hardwick Bridal Emporium from Fitzroy to Brunswick.
Breathe worked closely with Mariana, Urban Workshop Architects and Nonda Katsalidis alongside the City of Moreland and Heritage Victoria to not only deliver the Hardwick bridal emporium but to also use this project as an opportunity to activate the entire building and an entire dormant city block and surrounding streets, Sparta Place and Tripovich street.
The centre of the building was carved out for Mariana Hardwick, with the heritage approach to express the structure, history and towering ceilings. The first floor was adapted as the Hardwick workshop where dresses were designed and created from fabric to finish.
We worked to activate the edges of the entire building block carving up the building into 17 ‘micro tenancies’ within the existing structural grid to provide affordable leases and tenancies to Brunswick start-ups and boutique traders bringing vitality to Sydney Road, Ballarat Street, Sparta Place and Tripovich Street.
We undertook the urban design and worked closely with the City of Moreland’s Open Spaces team to install seating and trees in Sparta Place and Tripovich Street.
Timber shopfronts were designed with care to respond to the heritage building and expressive canvas awnings were added to shade the north and the western windows to reduce the heat load on the existing glazing.
This project was an exercise in real historical significance. Today, heritage listed and renamed the ‘Hardwick Building’ it is home to great local businesses and beautiful local streets.
Location
Brunswick, VIC
Builder
TBC
Collaborators
Nonda Katsalidis, Urban Workshop
Photography
Tom Ross
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which the Hardwick Building stands. We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters, and culture.
Always was, always will be Aboriginal land. Breathe acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which Breathe stands. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.
