A state significant development (SSD) application is currently on exhibition with the NSW government for the transformation of the historic MLC building at 105 Miller Street in North Sydney, which was originally designed by Bates, Smart and McCutcheon in 1952 and completed in 1957. While plans prepared by Bates Smart and filed with North Sydney Council in December 2024 sought adaptive reuse of the existing structure into a commercial office complex, the new proposal from FJC Studio proposes that the building be transformed into a tertiary education campus.
According to the exhibited environmental impact statement by Beam, the two schemes have been pursued by property developer Investa “due to the uncertainty in relation to leasing and the need for the landowner to take some action with the site.” The development application for Bates Smart’s commercial proposal is currently under assessment with North Sydney Council.
FJC’s architectural design report notes that the two firms have adopted a “coordinated design approach,” which has guided FJC Studio’s campus plans since being commissioned in 2024 by property developer Investa. “While each proposal includes elements specific to its intended function, the two schemes share a common architectural language,” their report reads.
Despite now being recognised on the North Sydney local environment plan (LEP) and state heritage register, for the past five years the MLC building has been the subject of a dispute between Investa and members of the public seeking recognition of the building’s historical significance, in part to avoid the demolition initially proposed by Bates Smart’s July 2020 proposal.
In response to this context, both proposals seek retention and refurbishment of the building’s Miller Street wing. The Denison Street wing, however, would be replaced with a new 22-storey building.
FJC notes in the report that being “now over 67 years old, the MLC Building requires significant renewal to support its next phase of use.” According to the practice, “A purely restorative refurbishment may retain the building’s original aesthetic, but it would not meaningfully improve its civic performance.”
“The education scheme […] proceeds from a position of respect – proposing adaptive reuse that honours the site’s architectural lineage while enabling a new public use and civic presence within North Sydney,” the report reads.
Developed with stakeholder engagement from the Heritage Council of NSW, North Sydney Council and the North Sydney Design Excellence Panel, FJC Studio’s design “retain[s] the heritage character of the Miller Street wing, while introducing new educational infrastructure that responds to programmatic needs. These include efficient and flexible teaching spaces, improved vertical and horizontal circulation, and the integration of active public interfaces across the podium.”
The form and language of FJC’s design for the new Denison Street wing is informed by mid-century towers such as Bates, Smart and McCutcheon’s ICI House (1958) in Melbourne and Skidmore, Owings and Merril’s Lever House (1952) in New York while ensuring the restored Miller Street wing retains “architectural primacy within the overall composition.”
All three of the site’s public interfaces – on Miller Street, Denison Street and Brett Whitely Place – are reimagined to introduce public seating and retail spaces with an emphasis on accessible, all-weather pedestrian wayfinding connected with Sydney Metro and activated frontages to enhance visibility at the building’s threshold.
Drawing upon the site’s original landscape design by Ilmar Berzins, as well as its pre-colonial heritage, as investigated by WSP Australia, the ground plane, podium and roof terrace are imagined as an integrated architectural and landscape experience with the aid of landscape architecture practice 360 Degrees.
The application for the adaptive reuse of the MLC building into an education campus is on exhibition with the NSW government’s major projects hub on the planning portal.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
