Traditional lands of the Bidiagal, Birrabirragal and Gadigal people
NSW
A new civic precinct has been formed by linking the Heritage-listed Boot Factory to the Mill Hill Centre, with upgrades to Norman Lee Place and a covered terrace on the top floor allowing the functions within both buildings to engage with the Bondi Junction context.
The Boot Factory has been adaptively reused to create a Community and Innovation Hub. While it seems counterintuitive to place a hub for innovation within a Heritage building, the scheme prioritises the creation of a series of flexible rooms, enhancing the qualities of the original building with natural light and ventilation. Rather than introduce soon-to-be redundant technologies, the design references the architecture of the Enlightenment to connect to the natural environment with a long-term view.
We are thrilled to have seen how the precinct has been embraced by community, with a wide array of council programs demonstrating the flexible programming potential of these new spaces.
The Boot Factory celebrates interiors and architecture dissolving as one, forming spaces rich with soul and purpose. Archer Office has sensitively revived this 1892 heritage-listed building and adjacent sister Mill through restrained yet powerful interventions that honour the past whilst future proofing this site for many years to come.
The journey through the factory is immersive and highly sustainable, lined with crafted Australian timber hardwoods and local Glulam structure, creating warm, flexible and engaging community driven environments. The journey culminates in the jewel on the crown – a timber structure elevating toward the sky and framing a central skylight. This quiet crescendo is breathtaking to experience – both monumental and grounded in equal measure.
The connection between old and new is of light touch, illustrated beautifully by the new low-tech apex timber roof which over-sails the entirety of the Mill, framing views and offering generous outdoor amenity for its occupants.
The Boot Factory and Mill Hill Precinct has created a civic hub that brings together community and Council programs within Bondi Junction. Archer Office were first commissioned to consider options for restoring the Heritage-listed Boot Factory building, with a brief to create a Community and Innovation Hub. The proposal joined the Boot Factory to the Mill Hill Centre, enabling amenities to be shared while creating a link at each level to create an integrated precinct with Council offices in proximity to community programs. The opening weekend demonstrated precinct activation, including bands playing on the stage of Norman Lee Place.
Tomek Archer, Design Architect
Carmen Blanco, Project Architect
Christine Lee, Project Manager
Josh Wrathall, Project Architect
Luke Pigliacampo, Project Architect
Asier Celaya, Graduate of Architecture
Partridge Structural, Structural Engineer
Matt Devine & Co, Heritage Consultant
Aspect Studios, Landscape Consultant
Partridge Hydraulic, Civil Consultant
Jensen Hughes, Access, BCA and Fire consultant
ADP Consulting, Services Consultant
Brendan Van Hek / Event Engineering, Artist
Douglas Partners, Geotechnical Engineer
Earthscape, Arborist
Elephants Foot, Waste Consultant
Extrablack, Wayfinding and Signage
GYDE Consulting, Town Planner
JMY Consulting, Traffic Engineer
The Mack Group, Hospitality Design
MBMpl, Cost Consultant
Philip Chun, Certifier
The ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
