Fitout and refurbishment company SHAPE Australia has received four awards and a commendation at The Master Builders Association of NSW Construction Awards.

The acknowledged projects are:

• The Star western precinct – Hospitality Buildings Refurbishment ($30M to $50M)
• WeWork 161 Castlereagh Street – Interior Fitouts ($10M to $15M)
• Flying Fish at The Star – Hospitality Buildings (Refurbishment up to $10M)
• The State Library of NSW building redevelopment  – restoration/reuse of an historic building ($10M to $25M)
• EY Wavespace – Merit in Interior Fitout ($4M to $6M)

"It’s fantastic to have our projects recognised for all the right reasons: excellence, workmanship, innovation and dedication," says Phillip Wicks, SHAPE NSW general manager.

"And our team is nothing if not dedicated. To come away with four award wins and one commendation is testament to the great work and commitment of not just one person, or one team, but to all of our people, I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and how committed the team is to delivering quality outcomes for our clients."

The Star western precinct

The Star Sydney is known internationally as one of Australia’s leading entertainment precincts, offering world class accommodation, dining experiences, retail collections, function and event venues and gaming facilities.

The brief was to create a unique world-class experience when first entering the property and provide the opportunity for guests to capture that ‘social media moment'.

Most notably, the Grand Foyer entry scope involved the design and delivery of an AV system and water display package that is unique to The Star and a first in Australia.

The fully programmable Aquatique water feature has the ability to interact with the other AV elements within the space while operating from 100 percent recycled water. All of these components come together to create an immersive, sensory experience for guests.

WeWork

The scope was to create a new WeWork space on levels 26, 27 and 28 of the Premium Grade ANZ Tower at 161 Castlereagh Street. The total working area was 4433 square metres. Demolition of an existing three floor legal fitout and reconfiguration of base building services was completed by SHAPE prior to the commencement of the new fitout works.

The design concept for 161 Castlereagh was produced in-house by WeWork and was driven by the surrounding green spaces of Hyde Park and the botanical gardens. The aim was to bring elements found in public park spaces into the premium building with the idea that these features would create a positive and healthy space for WeWork's members.

The project features several innovations, including:

• Installation of all partitions on top of the completed timber flooring to enable future flexibility in relocating partitions to suit the needs of incoming WeWork members.
• Creation of a custom room within the lifts shafts to accommodate a new commercial golf simulator. This provided an innovative selling point to attract new members to the space.
• Upgrading the software and controls system to suit the WeWork global security operating system. This innovation took many months of negotiation with the landlord and building lift supplier which was managed by the SHAPE team. The completion of this work enables WeWork members from anywhere around the globe to gain access to the space.
• FastTrack completion of a fully functioning sales suite. By completing an office within the first few weeks on site, SHAPE was able to assist the WeWork sales team in conducting dozens of sales tours in a live construction environment. This enables the entire space to be sold out to new members prior to practical completion.

Flying Fish

The Flying Fish is a well-established high-end seafood establishment that had been in operation within its previous tenancy since 2004. SHAPE was engaged early in the concept stage to help with the restaurant design, construction and transition on a holistic level, working collaboratively alongside the many stakeholders, including the restaurant owner-operators, Star Food and Beverage, head chefs, designers, consultants and artists.

Incorporating many bespoke touches such as hundreds of hand-blown glass feature lighting scattered throughout the restaurant, stucco finished feature walls, custom themed carpet and floor finishes, macramé draped columns, large on-floor red and white wine displays, an illuminated stone toped fish display as well as new feature bar where patrons can enjoy one of the restaurants many cocktails, the result is a fresh and unique dining experience that still holds reminders of the Flying Fish brand.

The State Library of NSW

Dating back to 1826, The State Library of NSW is Australia’s oldest library. Its renowned historical and contemporary collections, comprising more than six million items, hold the growing memory of our state and nation. At its heritage home on Macquarie Street at the heart of Sydney, the library is a pre-eminent cultural destination, attracting scholars, students and visitors looking to read, converse, learn, visit exhibitions or enjoy events.

For the first time in over 50 years, the library has completed its first major building project in the Mitchell Building – the Michael Crouch Family Galleries and John B Fairfax Learning Centre. The project scope incorporated the major demolition of redundant storage spaces and mezzanine levels on the east to make way for newly-created extensive galleries, new amenities for the growing population of public visitors and staff, as well as compliance and accessibility upgrades throughout five levels of the heritage Mitchell Building.

The project involved:

• Completion of the fitout with no disruption to adjacent areas and occupied spaces.
• Strict heritage and conservation management procedures to ensure all required items were salvaged.
• Showcasing a highly complicated yet exceptional quality fitout achieved in an extremely difficult working environment and heavily constricted program.

The project exhibited a strong and collaborative working relationship between client, consultants and builder through the various testimonials that were received post-completion.

EY Wavespace

EY Wavespace provides a collaborative environment that allows users to build and showcase technologies, as well as providing learning and development areas with a digital focus. The floor is also home to the in house EY Café and Terrace.

EY wished to provide a fluid space that would pull the visitor through the space with specialist finishes, lighting and AV. The function was for the floor to have multiple arrangements and operations in a relatively acoustic space without the addition of major walls. With the combination of an open floor plan, utilisation of heavy acoustic curtain, material selection and specific AV requirements, SHAPE and the consulting team delivered a space that can have a multi-function use and still provide a client collaborative space.

SHAPE says the Sydney Wavespace is the first of its kind to deliver and embody the idea of a wave – to deliver on function with form.