An Inspired Hub – Alexander House by Alexander&CO.
Carving a prototype of its own, Alexander House acts as the nucleus for the inner workings of Alexander&CO., facilitating experimentation, creation and ideation. The existing residence is transformed into a uniquely multi-disciplinary series of zones that bridge preconceived notions of home, work and studio spaces, brought together through an organic and softly textural approach.
Set in inner Sydney amongst a typified pattern of repurposed Victorian-era terrace homes, Alexander House sits comfortably restored and reinvented as its own unique offering. In response to the changing perceptions of the workplace and the move towards a more cross-pollination between home and hospitality, the spaces are conceived as both immersive and inspired. Spread over multiple levels, the previous home is reconfigured as a place of stirred living and work, created to encourage open communication, idea sharing and to turn the traditional studio model on its head. While Alexander&CO. calls the new space home, acting as an extension of the studio’s ethos and creative spirit, they also openly welcome larger conversations and change makers.
Careful attention has also been given to the ease of flow between inside and out, challenging the traditional notions of a studio being bound by its walls, encouraging an engagement with nature and the natural elements.
Built by Fairweather Constructions, closely collaborating with joinery by Jonathan West, Make Bespoke and CDF Studio, at the core of Alexander House is a celebration of craft. Each of the rooms engages in its own activated experience where specially designed joinery and curated artworks, objects and furniture conjure an individual sensibility, both in their representation of the artists and makers and those who use the space. In seeing clients, colleagues, and other designers and makers as a community of sorts, Alexander House becomes the village within which they all interact and engage with one another.
In its experimental setup, the spaces all support collaborative, individual or focused meeting purposes. Careful attention has also been given to the ease of flow between inside and out, challenging the traditional notions of a studio being bound by its walls, encouraging an engagement with nature and the natural elements. A cultural awareness is intended to be intertwined into the program of Alexander House, with a series of hosted events, allowing a wider cross-section of the community to be brought into the space, aiding in its evolution and the creation of its future chapters and use. An overall earthed feel connects the home, expressed through the use of reclaimed timber and rammed earth bricks from recycled materials, then further refined through the use of concrete, polished plaster, steel, brass and stone.
As a celebration of its makers and of the creative process, Alexander&CO.’s Alexander House is proposed as an experimental laboratory to engage in conversations about change and facilitate innovation in the process.
