Under the Australian sun joining hands is an organization with a common goal and purpose, Taylor Robinson Chaney Broderick. TRCB, a union of Taylor Robinson Architects, Chaney Architects, and Broderick Architects, was formed in 2018.
The Principal of Chaney Architects, Fred Chaney, is an award-winning architect with twelve years of experience in Melbourne, three years in the United Kingdom, and over twelve years in Perth, Western Australia. Having principles based on pragmatism, inventiveness, the vitality of cities, restorative qualities of nature, and nationalism, they excelled in projects related to the university, training centers, secondary education, justice, master planning, and urban. Meanwhile, Broderick architects run on bylaws, codes, BIM, economic, and practical measures in ecclesiastical, commercial, institutional, and multi-family & single-family residential projects.
Out of the three, they set the foundation on flexible, functional, sustainable, and inspiring solutions to design and construct civic, hospitality, commercial, tertiary education, and retail projects. Here is a list of the 15 best projects of TRCB that might inspire you to make your next move.
1. The Merrywell (2012)
The ‘hero’ pub accommodating 500+ seats sits comfortably in the Entertainment Precinct at Crown Perth. Reflecting its features on the eastern banks of the Swan River, the pub sings a warm tone of timber cladding to cover the courtyard, multiple dining spaces, and lounges.
Large asymmetrical archways swim across the façade as a small garden crawls around the building spreading and converging in areas to imitate the character of an urban laneway and luscious landscapes.
The interior encompasses modern ecclesiastical, diverse ambiances played through different aesthetics. Ply trees line up in the sunken dining area, while a sculptural timber blade wall separates another lounge.
The bamboo garden is blessed with an exclusive view through the collage of wall-to-ceiling artwork frames in the named Green Room.
The project was later awarded WA Awards: Commendation for Interior Architecture in 2013 by the Australian Institute of Architects.
2. The Garden (2009)
Winning an Australian Interior Design Awards: Best in State Award for Commercial Design, and WA Awards: Commendation for Commercial Architecture by Australian Institute of Architects in 2010, the garden is a mediatory project that blurs the line between the interior and exterior of Perth’s historic pub in Leederville.
Developed as a multi-stage development program, the pub is a flexible and relaxed venue that will continue to evolve.
TRCB took charge and renewed the original sidebar and bottleshop into a vast venue to mediate between the indoor and outdoor spaces. The preceding elements glorify the modern inclusion of building fabric and materials.
The final look portrays an elegant contrast of what was and what stands today. Forever whispering, the walls say that there is something to learn from the days passed by to move on into the future.
3. Our Lady of Mercy College
Our Lady of Mercy College, situated in Australind WA, is a Catholic co-educational secondary school. Adding value to its former name and land, the school aims to infuse civic and intimate qualities to provide provisional spaces for communal engagement and relevance to students individually.
TRCB delivered the project in four stages (one of which is still ongoing.) In its earlier stage, masterplanning dictated a ‘town square’ at the heart of the college. The buildings sequenced along the streets pedestrianized to connect to a focal point noted as the town square.
The buildings were smartly designed as two-storeyed structures encouraging urban quality. The urban scale was given an identity by bent forms, brightly colored interiors, and capricious brickwork details.
TRCB was later commissioned for further development in stages and awarded by the Australian Institute of Architects in 2016 and 2017.
4. The Rocks (2019)
Winning multiple awards, TRCB recreated Geraldton’s city center streetscape into an open and pedestrian-friendly urban platform. The objective was to rejuvenate an ordinary main street building, ‘The Rocks,’ in a space that worked for communal activities linking the main street and the waterfront.
The project conceived through the collaborative efforts of TRCB, UDLA, and artist Trevor Richards, offers a steel-framed pavilion erected, while a 300-meter long meta-graphic artwork ran down the streetscape. The original building, ‘The Rocks,’ was stripped back to allow a passageway and a sheltered community space.
The project added life to the underutilized spaces of Geraldton’s city center, strengthening its local identity.
5. Karrinyup Shopping Center
A project due to completion in late 2021 promises to emerge into a large communal hub accommodating cinemas, playgrounds, restaurants, and the main street. TRCB collaborated with Hames Sharley and HOK (London) to minimize existing disturbances and add context references of textures, forms, contrast, and colors.
With a foresight to provide a bustling destination of exquisite international standards, Karrinyup Shopping Center will offer a palette of coastal colors and local materials to enhance the glazed entrances and lithe rolling skylights. It will mirror the local culture and scenery of iconic Western Australian beaches.
6. Ocean Keys Shopping Center
Inaugurated in 1998, the Ocean Keys Shopping Center held only 35 outlets and a single primary retailer. Going through five development stages, the shopping center now houses more than 120 stores and ten residential apartments. On growing demand, TRCB engaged with AMP Capital conveying a strong urban response with a mix of interactive spaces, support programs, and a transparent street front for attraction and inclusivity.
The rich texture and tones and the curving ceiling planes in the interior of the Shopping Center calm the mood and senses. The highlighted play of natural light optimizes the environmental performance, sense of well-being, and the importance of sustainable innovation.
7. The Alexander Buildings
To revive the heritage fabric of the given venue, the team of architects proceeded to restore the Art Deco façade, renovate the arcade, and design an extension accommodating an office space over retail and hospitality rental areas.
The arcade’s opening reoriented to face the intersection of the Beaufort and Walcott streets. Integration of the artwork lightened up the arcade improving the pedestrian network.
Moreover, Whitworth’s Drapery Shop inspired undulating rails to shade the area with permeable canopies. A kinetic screen sunshades the office space sitting on the cantilevered upper floor. A variety of paving types and textures and brickwork reimagines the voice of the existing heritage.
The rejuvenation of the arcade and buildings brought life back to the underutilized heritage areas. It energized the pedestrian connections, commercial tenants, and the MrLawley neighborhood.
8. The Curtin Engineering Precinct Masterplan
The Curtin Engineering Precinct focuses on giving a symbolic identity to the campus, respecting its context with buildings from 1970. The bright and vivid façade welcomes the students, industry, and partners to the campus.
The masterplan was designed and executed in multiple stages, adding two buildings to the center while renovating the basement café and improving pedestrianization.
9. Northshore Christian Grammar School
Northshore Christian Grammar School is a collage of activities and values originating from the heart of an existing street network. It is proof that design can diversify the use of space by bringing together context, people, and the environment.
The application of sustainable infrastructure and materials with the coastal background flawlessly demonstrates the purpose behind its idea. Durable materials such as rammed earth, colored glass and concrete, timber, and galvanized steel beautify the complex. An interactive flow of rainwater harvesting finds its way of expression through large open downpipes, while the vertical colored glass reflects the beauty of the lighthouse.
The masterplan links the interactive hub of assemblies, learning, and exhibitions by an axial network of an internalized pedestrian channel. Thus, the classrooms pair with respective activities. The idea and concept — Invitation & Collaboration — align the values of the system and positively inculcates it in the young generation.
10. His Majesty’s Theatre
With minimal impact on the 1904 heritage fabric of the theatre, the TRCB team of architects carefully enlivened the historical essence with a contemporary and stylish touch.
Fluted glass shopfronts attract and invite the consumer, while the steel glazing and sleek design elements ensure its old identity. The jarrah bar was also a part of the mission as it spoke volumes of its history and past. On being dismantled and reassembled, His Majesty’s Theater is now back to life!
11. Scarborough Foreshore Arbors
Scarborough Foreshore Redevelopment chose TRCB to design a concatenation of arbors and an amenities pavilion accomodating public space and park on the beachfront.
The beachfront was once a dominated and disconnected car park. Artists Anne Neil and Sharyn Egan collaborated with TRCB for design and Arup for devising the structure of the vibrant canopies inspired by Voronoi geometry. The design outcome sheds light on the significance of the Noongar cultural heritage of Perth’s coastal places. The arbors act as visual drawcards for the busy pedestrian locality.
The amenities pavilion greets its neighboring inter-generational skate park, satisfying the need for maintenance, security, and access allowance. Change rooms, sitting in a series of boxes, behind a hardwood timber screen beneath a sculptural roof that transforms the area into a playful, civic center that promises long-term performances.
The arbors and pavilion promote the locality of the coast as a practical and poetic response with visual and spatial elements making it one of Australia’s most iconic urban beach experiences.
12. DFO
DFO stands as a retail hub proving to be one of Perth’s premier shopping centers in Western Australia. It generously houses a 400-seat casual dining area, over 100 fashion tenancies, and multiple external spaces.
TRCB brings its idea to life from flight patterns evident from the bold lines sweeping high in the front façade canopy. The interior arcades boast of their exposed layered structure. The centralized and circular walkways are placed dramatically in a racetrack formation for easy navigation and circulation.
Instinctively, TRCB did not overlook the sensitivity of sustainability and local culture. Natural lighting and interior gardens find their way through the casual dining area at the Northern end of the building. The F&B area faces the slow-speed street with grassed terraces, allowing the integration of a playground and urban furniture to cast an animated public space for the locals and the visitors.
13. Beaux Lane
Working on the three features, TRCB succeeds in retaining, exposing, and adapting the character of the existing building. A prime civic space functions as a resulting combination of food & beverage areas and a retail hub.
The soft and hard material used responds to the history and character of Mount Lawley. Today, the pedestrian influx increased with the invitation of new tenancies. Beaux Lane is a dynamic play of an urban hub that empowers the sense of community and creativity.
14. Queen Street
TRCB rejuvenated a heritage merchant building in Perth’s center in Queen Street on commission by Across the Sea. The multi-level space accommodates a contemporary retail showroom with office and hospitality spaces.
The merchant warehouse, constructed in 1910, adapted over time. Its original façade with tuck-pointed brick facework was painted and adjusted to ensemble a modern shopfront. Working on a strict budget, a complete restoration of the original facework reached its final stage.
Consequently, the heritage building was re-energized in sustainable terms of material and energy. The integration of pedestrian passageways activated the urban stage as a significant link between Wellington Street, Northbridge, and the CBD.
15. Koorden in King’s Square
Koorden is a sculptural art, standing in the Telethon Gardens in the heart of Perth’s Kings Square, narrates the cultural and ecological significance of Perth’s city center. These sculptural figures commemorate the Noongar leaders who represented Aboriginal communities at the Federation gathering in Perth in 1900.
Many Aboriginal elders and advisors were involved with the team, including the TRCB director, Fred Chaney, in the concept development of the sculpture series. The process adds value to the masterpiece symbolizing Aboriginal custodianship and layered social, cultural, and environmental importance of the wetlands of the Swan Coastal Plain.
References:
- TRCB. n.d. DFO — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/dfo-perth-airport> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. His Majesty’s Theatre — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/his-majestys-theatre> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. Karrinyup Shopping Centre — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/karrinyup-shopping-centre> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. Koorden in Kings Square — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/koorden-kings-square> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. Northshore Christian Grammar School — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/northshore-christian-grammar> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. Ocean Keys Shopping Centre — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/ocean-keys-shopping-centre> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. Our Lady of Mercy College — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/our-lady-of-mercy-college> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. Queen Street — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/queen-street> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. Scarborough Foreshore Arbors — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/scarborough-foreshore-arbors> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. State Library of Western Australia (SLWA) — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/state-library-of-western-australia> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. The Alexander Buildings — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/the-alexander-buildings> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. The Curtin Engineering Precinct Masterplan — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/the-curtin-engineering-precinct-masterplan> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. The Garden — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/the-garden> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. The Merrywell — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/the-merrywell> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. The Rocks — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/the-rocks> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- TRCB. n.d. Beaux Lane — TRCB. [online] Available at: <https://www.trcb.com.au/projects/beaux-lane> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- Broderick Architects. n.d. Design Philosophy – Broderick Architects. [online] Available at: <https://www.broderickarchitects.com/profile/design-philosophy/> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- Chaney Architecture. n.d. About | Chaney Architecture. [online] Available at: <http://chaneyarchitecture.com/about/> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
- Tefma.com. n.d. Taylor Robinson Chaney Broderick – Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association. [online] Available at: <https://www.tefma.com/node/5619> [Accessed 11 January 2022].
