The Brewery Yard

Tzannes Associates’ recent Irving Street Brewery project provides Central Park with a tri-generational plant through adaptive reuse of the Carlton and United Brewery buildings. The project has been awarded for its conservation success on two occasions by the Australian Institute for Architects (AIA). The project’s façade design and engineering posed a number of construction and installation challenges, due to the complexity of its geometry and its scale. AR-MA was engaged to provide a pre-fabricated solution to these issues, employing custom digital tools and customised construction systems to do so.

AR-MA worked closely with Tzannes Associates to rationalise the doubly-curved, freeform façade geometry to a point where it could be easily fabricated as installable, structurally-sound modules. This involved an initial research phase where various modelling techniques were trialled. Neither conventional lofting nor sweeping processes were found to be adequate, and so a custom surface modelling was developed to produce geometry that could be fabricated within material constraints. This included the use of conic sections to closely approximate the design surface.

Panel subdivision schemes were then developed and implemented to achieve a seamless, smooth curvature whilst minimising material waste and ensure no visual warping of the façade metals occurred. AR-MA was also responsible for detail design across the façade, including supports to the primary structure and all fixing details. The comprehensive parametric models developed in the rationalisation process were then used to output file packages direct to the manufacturer.

Each frame was fabricated and assembled by Craftmetals in their factory under controlled conditions and to tight tolerances before being transported to site for installation. AR-MA’s consulting services helped Tzannes Associates to design an intelligent addition to the urban fabric of the Brewery precinct.

Architect
Tzannes Associates

Fabrication
Craftmetals

Fabrication consultant
AR-MA