Besley & Spresser clads Sydney Harbour pavilion with oyster shell terrazzo
Bespoke terrazzo tiles made using the shells of local rock oysters clad this collonaded pavilion on Sydney's waterfront, designed by local architecture studio Besley & Spresser.
Named Pier Pavilion, the structure forms part of the regeneration of the western edge of Sydney's harbour in Bangaroo, addressing a lack of non-commercial, sheltered public spaces in the area.
Besley & Spresser's design is intended to look "clearly civic" and draws on the idea of a collonaded forum, with a large open space wrapped by six-metre-high columns and topped by a green roof.
"The Pier Pavilion sits between the vast horizontality of Sydney Harbour and the verticality of the city skyline behind it," director Jessica Spresser told Dezeen.
"It needed to mediate these contrasting conditions. The design response was to create a structure that is materially consistent, formally restrained, and scaled in a way that is clearly civic," she added.
"The perimeter array of six-metre-high columns supports a hill-like landscape roof. The spacing of columns was adjusted to address vistas and filter wind and sun in key directions. The pavilion behaves as both a building and a landscape element."
The angled plan of Pier Pavilion and its curved edges reference the curving section of pier on which it sits, creating three sides that address both the water, the neighbouring ferry wharf and the city.
Built from a steel frame topped by a cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof deck, the structure was designed to withstand its proximity to saltwater, with marine-grade detailing, joints that allow for movement and robust materials.
All of the pavilion's surfaces are clad in terrazzo panels, created from a mixture of recycled aggregates and rock oyster shells collected from nearby restaurants and farms.
"The special terrazzo material was developed over an extended period of prototyping and collaboration, and cast in large pieces which are fixed to all external elements in the manner of hand-set stone," Spresser explained.
"Each piece is capable of being demounted for maintenance and replacement to increase the long-term lifespan of the building as much as possible," she added.
Along the southern edge of Pier Pavilion, a long, narrow building contains a cafe, bar, store area and infrastructure for larger events occasionally held in the pavilion.
Concealed doors on large bronze pivots open up this service building when needed, revealing a contrasting interior lined in sea-green terrazzo, which Spresser compared to "the colourful lining of a coat".
Besley & Spresser added a long, double-sided bench on the city-facing edge of the pavilion to ensure that a rest space is provided for the public even during these private events.
The surrounding Bangalaroo South masterplan on Sydney's waterfront, recently completed by British architecture studio RSHP, includes a trio of office towers that overlook Pier Pavilion.
Other projects that make use of discarded oyster shells include a series of tiles designed by Fahrenheit 180 to show the "potential of overlooked materials".
The photography is by Rory Gardiner unless stated otherwise.
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