Business-in-Residence Suites Deliver Discreet Luxury in Historic Paramount Building
An innovative adaptive re-use has transformed the upper ground level of the iconic Paramount House in Surry Hills into a tailored shared working environment, with 22 handcrafted suites for creative and niche business activity. Decidedly modern, then design honours the building’s heritage with traditional joinery and artisan details. The result is a less transient, more stable and deeply authentic workplace grounded in human experience.
Through a collaborative process between designer, maker and client, the design is intrinsically conscious of place, original concept, quality of delivery and user experience. Marrying an innovative use of space and form with high functionality, Paramount achieves a discreet luxury and sets a new bar for workplace design.
Talk to Domenic Alvaro about The Paramount
A handpicked site, the 1940s heritage building set the geometry for the interiors. Careful consideration of floorplate efficiency and scalability of suites (ranging in capacity from 1-3 people) supports and reflects the growth of the businesses housed within. Circulation in and around the modules promotes collegiality by encouraging serendipitous encounters.
The interior renovations were thoughtfully carried out to complement the original Art Deco elements of the building—the existing curved shell and its internal fabric of timber-clad walls. A refined scheme, materials were predominantly carved from a single source, while contrasting elements such as tan leather, stone and brass signal a transition between the old heritage fabric and the new.
World Architecture Festival, INSIDE (2016) – Winner, Office
Royal Australian Institute of Architects, NSW (2016) – Winner, Interior architecture
Belle Coco Republic Interior Design Awards (2016) – Winner, Commercial Interior
Interior Design Excellence Awards (2016) – Shortlisted, Workplace under 1,000 sqm
Australian Interior Design Awards (2016) – Shortlisted, Workplace design
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