Breathing new life into ‘Victoria House’, a 1950’s modernist office building in Geelong’s Moorabool Street, is a respectful redesign that transforms a dilapidated building into a high-quality commercial office space. Valuing both the historical context and urban surroundings, the adaptive reuse upgrades the  space to current sustainability and building standards and future use trends.

The design focuses on enhancing the building's facade and overall functionality.  A new gridded facade echoes the masonry character of surrounding buildings. A high-performance facade incorporates articulated shading fins, and shadow box spandrel panels to create layers and depth, while improving passive solar performance. 

The ground floor accommodates a revitalised street interface, amenities, and services, with a glazed tenancy facing Moorabool Street. End-of-trip facilities and services are located at the rear of the building in a new addition, accessible via Emerald Place, allowing maximum activation of the front facade.

The typical floor plates from levels one to five consist of open-plan office zones, which  allow for flexible layouts within the existing structural and glazing grids. Additional floor area has been unlocked across the five floors by careful planning, infilling an ineffective lightwell, and through the rear addition. An external terrace and new rooftop pavilion on level six offers sweeping views north to the bay and returns the building to its former glory.