Design firm HASSELL has announced the launch of its new Sydney studio in the historic Pier 8/9 at Walsh Bay, NSW.

Located adjacent to the planned Barangaroo Headland Park and in the heart of the Walsh Bay creative industries community, the studio was a former industrial wharf building that stored and loaded wool unto ships bound for Europe. This re-imagination of old spaces for new purposes is not unconventional for HASSELL – its Shanghai studio is in a former motorcycle factory, its Brisbane studio was formerly a bakery, and in Melbourne it occupies what was once a clothing warehouse.

The focus of the studio is a large double height creative hub that reveals the historic fabric and function of the building. This space is also intended to facilitate everything from incidental get-togethers, to formal presentations and even performances for larger groups.

The main studio space on the mezzanine level overlooks the hub, allowing HASSELL’s design processes to be on display and visible from the entry below and throughout the large workspaces.

HASSELL Sydney Managing Principal Matthew Pullinger says that the move to Walsh Bay brings a new impetus and energy to the studio, which is designed to reflect the engaged, collaborative culture the design company has fostered over the years.

Established in Adelaide in 1938, HASSELL has operations China, Southeast Asia and the United Kingdom. It is also active in five Australian cities, with a significant track record in Sydney. Some of its more notable projects include the Sydney International Convention Exhibition and Entertainment Centre, a new glasshouse and tropical centre at the Sydney Botanic Gardens, the Biome Top End, and the Sydney Light Rail project from Randwick and Kingsford through the heart of the CBD to Circular Quay.

HASSELL also celebrated the launch of its new 2636sqm studio by contributing to the 2013 Sydney Vivid Festival.

“Our designers have produced four separate Vivid installations that may appear modest compared to some of the projects we work on, but they give our people a great opportunity to extend their creativity and sense of fun. It also demonstrates our commitment to making a contribution to enlivening creative places and the cities we live and work in,” says Pullinger.

The Dalgety Line

The four installations include The Dalgety Line by David Tickle and Emma Townsend, a site-specific installation that seeks to reconnect the Sydney city with its Harbour, and Field of Colour by Nicholas Elias and Clinton Weaver, a series of illuminated coloured tube clusters that are open to viewer interpretation.

Field of Colour

Rats

Rats by Jason Hammond, Sarah Meyer and Bridget Tregonning references the 1900 rat invasion in The Rocks and Walsh Bay area in Sydney that resulted in the bubonic plague outbreak.

Walsh Bay Whispers

Walsh Bay Whispers by Grace Tham looks to the Walsh Bay Wharves and the significant role they played in Sydney’s founding history and maritime past.

HASSELL's new studio will house 125 architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners and interior designers.

Geraldine Chua

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