Sydney’s Waverley Council is set to mark another major milestone in its Bondi Conservation and Restoration Project this week with the completion of the building’s dramatic new atrium.
The project has seen the atrium transformed from a courtyard with a Perspex roof to a sunlit space with an elevated glass roof and architect-designed sculptural concrete columns.
Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos said Council’s restoration and conservation of Bondi Pavilion was on time and on budget.
She said the restoration works were due for completion at the beginning of next year and had taken into account current impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on construction in Greater Sydney.
“Our head contractor Buildcorp and architect Tonkin Zulaikha Greer (TZG) have done an incredible job breathing new life into the atrium and celebrating the heritage elements of this most important space,” Mayor Masselos said.
“To see the centre of the Pavilion take shape fills us with excitement for when we can welcome residents and visitors back to the building which Council is restoring as a cultural hub of the future.”
Buildcorp Managing Director, Tony Sukkar AM said considerable planning and prototyping had been involved to restore heritage elements and achieve the design vision for the seamless precast concrete columns that feature in the new atrium.
“The atrium roofing also includes glulam timber beams which support a large glazed skylight, bringing sustainability benefits and allowing natural sunlight and ventilation,” Mr Sukkar said.
Situated right on Sydney’s most famous beach, Bondi Pavilion has a colourful history dating back to 1928 when the Pavilion was known as the ‘Playground of the Pacific’.
The Council’s restoration project includes:
- a spacious new art gallery;
- flexible cultural spaces housed within a new ‘Bondi Story Room’;
- a community radio station;
- two dining venues (a restaurant and a café);
- larger Pottery Studio including a second kiln;
- new toilets, showers and a family and accessible bathroom and change space;
- expansive refurbishments and upgrade to all the Pavilion’s unique existing rooms;
- landscaped internal courtyard spaces;
- new grand entrance to the north and creating additional east-west connections through the Pavilion;
- better connection from Campbell Parade to the beachfront.
For more information, or to register for project updates, visit: https://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/building/major_projects/buildings_and_facilities/bondi_pavilion_restoration_and_conservation_project
