Sydney-based architecture studio Besley & Spresser has opened a new permanent public pavilion, constructed from recycled oyster shell terrazzo, on Sydney Harbour, Australia.

Named Pier Pavilion, the building is a public building where visitors can enjoy the space and take in views of the harbor, as well as host special events.

The location is a part of a larger harborside revitalization project that focuses on Barangaroo, the western outskirts of Sydney's city center. 

The Pier Pavilion's numerous formal and material elements all allude to the earth, sea, and sky.

Besley & Spresser won a national competition in 2020 to design the Pier Pavilion.

The design responds to Sydney Harbor's distinctive bay and peninsula geometry. In addition to supporting a landscape roof, a sophisticated arrangement of columns screens and regulates both indoor and outdoor areas. 

In order to balance daylighting from the inside and the outside, a circle of light from a big roof oculus wanders across the ground and double colonnade. A second, independent structure inside the Pavilion houses a servery with a bar, shop, and event-supporting technical space.

"We wanted the pavilion to have a distinctly civic feel; all are welcome here," said Peter Besley, the director of Besley & Spresser.

"The Pavilion references human gathering by the sea through its use of recycled Sydney Rock Oyster shells. We wanted to pay respect to the long history of oyster feasting in the area, and to celebrate the use of a unique material in the public realm," said Jessica Spresser, the director of Besley & Spresser.

"Oyster terrazzo," a material created especially for the project by Besley & Spresser by blending whole Sydney Rock oyster shells with a range of recycled materials, makes up the envelope of the Pier Pavilion. 

Peter Besley added that "the Pavilion is intended to remain for a long time, and to figure in people's memories of Sydney. We think the shells will be particularly memorable for children."

Jessica Spresser stated that "we began the design process by focusing on the natural elements that compose the site. Sydney Harbour is an idiosyncratic landscape, and the building is uniquely positioned to respond to it."

"This is achieved through materiality as well as form. The plan opens like a book toward the mouth of the Harbour. The building also contains a large oculus which is open to the sky, allowing light and the elements to enter," Spresser added.

After a year of testing and experimenting, the final product exhibits the unique and diverse shapes of the shell on its face when refined. 

The oyster terrazzo material connects to long traditions in architecture of materiality and adornment and binds the structure to the location where these oysters have thrived for millennia. Instead of ending up in a landfill, about half a million oyster shells were recycled and used in the construction.

With roof trusses that resolve around the oculus and are only supported at the periphery by 86 moment-resisting columns, the structure permits a lengthy free span. The oyster terrazzo is suspended from the fascia, walls, columns, and ceiling in a stone-like fashion. 

Sandstone, hollow logs typical of the neighboring headlands, and endemic plants make up the landscape roof, which is supported by a folding laminated timber deck. 

In order to establish microhabitats, species that would draw in local insects and birds were sought. Instead of exposing downpipes and risers, the building's service routes—such as drainage, electricity, and communications—are housed in columns.

Site plan

Floor plan

Roof plan

Roof deck plan

Sections

Elevations

Besley & Spresser is a studio of architects based in Sydney, Australia. The practice delivers concept-driven projects in both public and private contexts.

The core of Besley & Spresser's strategy is creating visually striking architecture that is based on study, with an emphasis on material investigation.

Project facts

Project name: Pier Pavilion

Architects: Besley & Spresser

Client: Infrastructure NSW

Project manager: NPC

Lead consultant: Besley & Spresser

Builder: Stephen Edwards Constructions

Oyster Terrazzo: Terrazzo Australian Marble

Structural Engineer: SDA Structures

Facade Engineer: Ironbridge Engineering

Lighting, Services: Steensen Varming

Landscape, Hydraulics: CJ Arms

Planning Consultant: SJB Planning

BCA, Access: Group DLA

Crown Certification: Philip Chun

Marine Engineer: AW Maritime

Wind Consultant: Windtech

All images © Rory Gardiner.

All drawings © Besley & Spresser.

> via Besley & Spresser

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