Living Edge

Architect: TRCB

Photographer: Dion Robeson

TRCB was commissioned to convert Queen Street, a heritage-listed merchant building in Perth’s centre constructed in 1910, into a contemporary retail showroom with office and hospitality spaces. During the design process Living Edge, the high-end furniture supplier, was secured as a long-term tenant, allowing for a fully integrated approach to the entire three storey space building.

The City of Perth supported our approach to adaptive reuse with a significant heritage grant. Our engagement with the City early in the development process enabled this to form part of the project’s overall feasibility assessment and to expand its heritage ambitions and outcomes. Early contractor engagement allowed an efficient and collaborative approach that benefited the project program as well as its commercial feasibility.

Our collaborative approach extended to our work with our design partners, Living Edge, and their fit-out designers Hassell. The design team’s curation of the first floor hospitality area is expertly crafted and has become a welcoming and open space for, not only retail customers, but the broader Perth design network. Resultantly, it has successfully achieved Living Edge’s objective, for the building to be a place for the sharing of ideas.

The result is another century of health for this unique heritage building – an inherently sustainable outcome in material and energy terms. The integrated pedestrian thoroughfare has become an important link between Wellington Street, Northbridge and the CBD. Queen Street ultimately acted as a catalyst for a high-end furniture precinct, creating a viable long-term commercial asset that further activates a recognised heritage area.

In 2019 TRCB won the Design Institute of Australia WA Awards Built Environment (Retail) Award of Merit, the Property Council of Australia WA Awards WA commercial Property of the Year Award up to 20,000 sqm and the Outstanding Refurbishment Award: Secondary Grade.

We look forward to seeing you at Living Edge!

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