Joinwell Showroom

Joinwell, a local leading furniture manufacturer and importer, approached DeMicoli and Associates to construct a showroom of 4,500 square metres. The client's brief was to introduce retail space in the front section of their existing factory which had the potential for prominent views from a major road situated opposite. This request focused the design towards a façade resembling that of a modern day doll's house, conveying a strong message of product information at a glance. The new intervention had to appear as lightweight and transparent as possible. This way, in daylight, the passer-by can look across the floor plans into the open sky. At night, an ethereal internal glow would highlight the products on display.

The old mill located adjacent to the site required a more sensitive approach. As a result, the building was set back and the line of the façade was gently curved, respecting the solemn presence of the windmill. The requirement for a slim structure called for a steel frame structure with bolted connections which could be easily fabricated offsite and assembled on site.The glazed curtain wall allows for maximum transparency, creating a visual continuity between the exterior, the intervention and the existing factory. A six metre overhang was extruded along the main façade to provide shade. This overhang was tested by sun paths simulations.

At the intersection between the new curved building and the existing factory an opportunity was seen in the form of an indoor roof lit tree garden, symbolically venerating the joiner's raw material. The subtle façade captures the attention of drivers traveling across the raised carriage way and conveys a very strong retail lure. The biggest compliment we received was from a fellow architect who, at a party, compared the building to a beautiful blonde, saying, 'The building is a real head turner!