
Volunteer Space
Conducted in 2017, this project saw the redesign the old Alternative Technologies Association building on the Ceres site to accommodate the new function of housing the site office and providing a volunteer space within the building.
Built in the early 80s, the ATA building was a collaborative project with the stone mason students of the former Fitzroy Tafe collage and volunteers from the ATA, including the original architect Simon Harvey. The building was constructed with bluestone walls and an A-frame structure supporting a polycarbonate cladded northern facade.
This project breathed new life into this structure, constructing partition walls in the space, diving the space with a large sliding door controlling privacy. The eastern end catered for a new volunteer space which catered for socialising and communal cooking needs.
The feature of the space is a large, curvaceous desk in the site office which was constructed from reclaimed timber, reused both from the timber removed during the renovation process and salvaged from the blowing alley lanes from the recently demolished Northcote Bowl. The design of the desk was a practical solution to the glare on computer screens within the space from the northern facade, angling each member of the site team towards the large, translucent wall.




