San Remo Offices

Status: Planning approved January 2025

Design Summary:

Located along Marine Parade in San Remo, this four-storey mixed-use development celebrates the township’s eclectic streetscape of varied colours, materials, heights, and scales. The design reflects the natural interaction of the San Remo coastline, inspired by photographic essays of the sandbars, tides, and shimmering light at the entrance to Westernport Bay. These elements inform a contemporary and contextually sensitive architectural response.

At the heart of the design is a custom textured panel, created to capture the spirit of the San Remo sandbar. Developed through an intricate process of 3D modelling, wax printing, silicone moulding, and resin casting, the panel replicates the dynamic patterns left by tides and winds. Cast in bone-white concrete, the panels feature depth and detail that play with light and shadow, forming striking eastern and western boundary walls. Their modular design allows for seamless scaling, while a smaller feature panel is proposed near the building’s entry.

The north façade combines shopfront glazing and perforated metal balustrades, drawing inspiration from the fractured light beneath the San Remo–Newhaven bridge. Faceted steel planes reflect light and shadow dynamically, while the abundant glazing enhances daylight, activates the streetscape, and frames views for building occupants. The material palette, including Corten steel, hardwood timber, and galvanized steel, harmonizes with the natural tones of the adjacent foreshore landscape.

Designed as three distinct masses—ground level, unified middle levels, and a recessed top floor—the building maintains a sense of scale and integration within the Marine Parade streetscape. Seating nooks along the footpath feature galvanized steel and tea tree infill, reflecting the textures of the local environment and inviting activation of the public realm.

The project is the result of a collaboration between a local architect and developer, thoughtfully crafted to respond to San Remo’s unique character and identity while introducing a modern infill development that enriches the community.