Good Morning all, bucking the trend this week in favour of getting this three-parter out, as such today we're looking at the commercial half of the Armadale site.
A brief reminder, that the commercial wing was to house four retail spaces of 60m2, two offices and a cafe to seat 25. The retail spaces were required to face Green Ave, being the main road and offices had to be above the ground floor. One of the more curious restraints was that the commercial frontage needed 3m high glazing for 80% of the street-facing wall. Notably, I've employed an awning over the face of the cafe and retail to protect passers-by from the rain/sun.
With the sheer amount of foot traffic likely, being right next to Armadale train station/ visible from the platform itself, the cafe lies on the southern corner. Positioned further so that the outdoor seating is also visible, offering passive enticement to commuters and locals alike. I've leveraged a take-away window along Green ave for much the same reasons, as people generally associate busy cafes/restaurants with being good quality. The Cafe kitchen itself features ample storage space with a private rear entrance for delivery intake. Behind the cafe, is a set of stairs which lead to above the cafe, where a green garden is located for the Cafe's use, this allows for sustainable re-use of green-waste and plenty of fresh produce.
The retail spaces, each featuring the aforementioned 3m high glazing offer excellent exposure to foot and vehicle traffic. All posting just over 60m2 of net lettable area, with a kitchenette unit to the rear and similar rear access doors for deliveries. However largely,these spaces are empty templates, ready for future tenants to fit their needs.With plenty of room between the ceiling and the floor above for a/c ducting to be moved about. Taking a look up-stairs, the two offices of 112m2 and 143m2 respectively have a largely similar layout to the retail spaces, with a kitchenette and bare-bones room, ready for fit-out to the tenants’ needs.
A little bit more on the building itself, atop the offices are a series of solar panels to help reduce on-going power costs to the building. It features end of trip facilities, with secure bike storage, showers and lockers to reduce the need for workers to drive. To deal with the issue posed by having so much glass on the west face, I've designed an articulated shading system to help bring down heat load, while also adding some colour to the facade. Further to that point, a series of trees along the street assist in this matter.
This concludes today's installment, as always if you have any questions feel free to ask away! Next week we will take a look at the residences on site.
