This story explains how Terence Yong Architecture used colours to achieve the ambitious goal of a challenging brief that asked for a unique workplace amid time and cost constraints.

WorkHouse involved an extensive refurbishment of the first Harry Seidler-designed 1950s commercial building into a modern workplace in Haymarket, Sydney. Terence Yong Architecture aspired to return the dilapidated building to its mid-century heyday but with a homely twist. As there were only nine months for design and construction and a near-to-impossible project budget, Terence Yong Architecture had to resort to a cost-effective yet impactful means, like the use of colours, to turn their vision into reality.

The all-new workplace boasts a flamboyant 1950s colour palette that evokes not only a sense of nostalgia but also playfulness. On the inside, the vibrant yellow staircase encourages physical movement and supports fitness, while the quiet emerald green feature wall brings 'nature' into the workplace. In contrast, the neutral white perimeter walls work alongside a new set of external fixed louvre blades to maximise natural light.

On the outside, the rich emerald green and maroon red, which highlight the main entrance, remind one of the nearby Chinatown Archway's colours. The all-important white remains an integral mid-century feature of the building.

All in all, colours are undoubtedly a hero of the project.

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