Cox Architecture has designed the refurbishment of a 1970s office building that will become the new Sydney headquarters of technology company Canva.
Located 8–24 Kippax Street, near to Sydney’s Central Station and an emerging technology hub, the office building was the original home of Canva when it was founded in 2013. The company acquired the building in 2022.
The proposed redesign aims to retain as much of the existing nine-storey building as possible, with the addition of a new rooftop terrace.
“The proposed additions will offer a benchmark model in the re-use and rejuvenation of an existing tired commercial building,” said Cox Architecture in a development application submitted for the project.
The rooftop will include additional planting to contribute to City of Sydney’s vision for a greener Sydney, as well as a green roof integrated with solar panels. Arcadia is the landscape architect on the project.
The project will retain as much as the existing building as possible.
Image:
Cox Achitecture
The project also includes a community cafe/restaurant on Sophia Street, laneway upgrades, public art on the northern and eastern facades, and the removal of all car parking to be replaced with a gym, bike parking and end of trip facilities.
The design also proposes to relocate the existing building core to create a floor plan more suited to a single tenancy.
“We’re taking a “do more with less” philosophy to the overall design of this new campus by aiming to reuse the existing building as much as possible, and only rebuild where necessary to meet current standards or optimize sustainability,” said Canva in a statement. “We’re disconnecting gas, powering all energy usage with renewable electricity, and introducing a green roof to foster biodiversity and generate green energy.”
Canva is also collaborating with Indigenous design consultancy Yerrabingin on incorporating First Nations principles to inform the design of the space.
Designs have been submitted to the City of Sydney for assessment. If approved, the project is expected to be completed in 2026.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
