Smart Design Studio’s Office in Bourke St, Surry Hills, while built 5 years ago, still provides an interesting approach to retro fitting within the terrace house module. The frosted glass plates on the building exterior respond the original placement of windows. The tactility of the glass, steel bolts and softly rendered exterior walls (graffiti is a welcome addition) provides, on the exterior at least, a distinction between new and old materials. The Architect and Creative Director of Smart Design Studio, William Smart, has inserted an apartment in steel and glass on top of the structure breaking above the line of the existing streetscape, creating a parasitic structure upon the existing parapet. Interiors have been stripped and replaced with a minimal material pallete of white and soft greys contrasting to the texture of the original brick walls which remain.
