Product
LowE Plus with Clear for highest clarity and visible light transmittance – while also excellent Insulation performance (low U-Value).
Specification
- Outer: 6mm Clear Toughened
- Spacer: 12mm Warm Edge + Argon Gas
- Inner: 6mm LowE Plus Toughened
Site Address
39 Collins St, Alexandria, NSW 2015
Fabricator
Builder
Architect
Photos courtesy of
Challenge
Having grown up with the Caroma plumbing brand, many Australians are familiar with its quality, innovation and durability.
So when Caroma asked Archier to design its central Sydney showroom and head office, its brief was simple. “Make physical the values and history of Caroma,” recalls Archier director Chris Gilbert.
However, he notes that within that seemingly simple brief was a much deeper conversation around Australian culture, innovation and sustainability.
For Archier, this deeper conversation translated into two key design challenges:
- To create a space that reflected on Caroma’s past while invigorating the present and setting a firm direction for the future;
- And to find the best approach for articulating this narrative into a spatial experience that showroom visitors would instinctively and physically recognise.
Solution
Caroma needed a space that could communicate its unique Australian identity, a place that would resonate with those who grew up with its products. Gilbert says Archier aimed to turn the showroom experience into something akin to a “stroll through the bush,” capturing the essence of Australian culture and the sustainability that the brand represents.
An environmental approach was fundamental to Caroma’s identity. The project needed to demonstrate a clear commitment to reducing resource consumption and pollution, reusing material, and creating an environment fostering comfort and health.
Gilbert says Archier’s instinctual understanding of space, and the company’s history and values guided Archier’s design decisions for Caroma on Collins. Symbols like galvanised water tanks referenced Australia’s pioneers, while long-lasting materials like milled steel and spotted gum provided texture and further symbolism.
The resulting customer experience focuses on slowing down, exploring, and experiencing rather than overt product promotion. Gilbert says the space is designed to welcome without feeling vacuous or intimidating.
The project’s sustainability was intertwined with design, reducing resource consumption. The plan included the adaptive reuse of an existing warehouse and using 40,000 litres of rainwater storage for irrigation to create an indoor/outdoor atmosphere, reducing the need for active heating and cooling.
Gilbert explains that integrating Insulglass LowE Plus® double glazing was pivotal in ensuring a comfortable climate within the space. LowE Plus provides maximum visible light, passive heat gain in cooler weather and excellent insulation, making it an ideal solution for the project’s unique demands.
The thoughtful integration of symbolism, materiality, sustainability, and the utilisation of cutting-edge solutions like LowE Plus created a rich, resonant space that reflects Caroma’s cultural heritage.
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