Phoenix Sits Somewhere Deep in Memory, a Mnemonic Dimension of The Project

Phoenix sits somewhere deep in memory; a mnemonic dimension of the project which delivers great freedom away from experience while concurrently being influenced by the familiar deceit of our eyes. The street offers insights to interior spaces and despite the belying blank wall (where even vents are hidden in the detail) there exists an implication of enormous volumes beyond the street. Anticipation of what lies within is as important to the interior as it is to any urban offering. Activation in this sense is by form alone.

The bespoke, the implied and the anecdotal are often lost in contemporary work. This project imports all of these in the course of its crafting with precise and subtle terms; a rarity in projects of this scale.

There is something to be said about collaborations in architecture. In the most part, they are arenas of compromise, egos, and delivery of perfunctory outcomes. Occasionally a collaboration produces a masterful outcome where enormous generosity is evident, with each architect ‘working at one’s best’ in full sights of their respected colleague. Such collaborations are usually not required by the client but are volunteered by the authors with a deep commitment to the work rather than to themselves. Such a partnership leads the project with trust in each other and an understanding that the whole is better nurtured by the team. In these partnerships the love for the work eclipses egos. Phoenix is such a work.

Project Information

Architect: Durbach Block Jaggers with John Wardle Architects

Photography: Trevor Mein and Martin Mischkulnig