THUMBING its nose at the more sombre facades of other St Georges Terrace buildings, the newly completed 182 St Georges Terrace has made a stylish entrance onto Perth’s main business thoroughfare.
Designed by Jones Coulter Young, 182 St Georges Terrace sports a unique blue look on the Terrace end and a more playful orange and blue façade on its His Majesty’s Lane entrance and has a number of other features destined to make the building stand out in the crowd.
Hawaiian Management Group development manager Stuart Duplock said the company had tried to create something that was A grade quality in a more boutique shell that would attract tenants from both the corporate and boutique markets.
Mr Duplock said the building had been completely refurbished and, apart from the concrete columns, everything else was new.
He said Perth’s office market was not strong, however, the building had a number of features that gave it a strong point of difference in the market.
Hawaiian Management is currently in negotiations with four tenants.
Mr Duplock said the company had given itself 12 months to have the building fully leased and four floors were gone in six weeks from completion.
“We will have launch of the building in June-July when the first tenants move in,” he said.
Mr Duplock said the two entrances and facades gave businesses a choice of the more corporate St Georges Terrace address or the “funky” His Majesty’s Lane address.
“We wanted something pretty out there on this side and at the other end more corporate,” he said.
Mr Duplock said the building’s design had recognised the growing awareness about healthy work spaces and, as a result, access to fresh air was implemented throughout the building.
Unlike most of the airtight, air-conditioned buildings in the CBD, all 10 floors of 182 have windows that can be opened to allow fresh air in.
Following this trend on each floor there are balconies that can be opened up with concertina glass doors.
“There are not too many buildings that have balconies,” Mr Duplock said.
“The balcony has also been built into the building line, which people tend to feel safer on.”
On the ground floor a decked courtyard has been constructed in the light well.
Mr Duplock said it was part of Hawaiian Management’s philosophy to use feng shui in all of its property developments.
“We have mitigated the negative impact of the south facing door by use of the colour red – for prosperity – and installed a convex mirror to control the flow of energy,” he said.
“The water feature is a symbol of rebirth – the cup that flows over but never empties – a symbol of opulence, wealth and happiness and money.”
Mr Duplock said they planned to have a large crystal on display in each of the offices and to have all of the senior people’s desks facing north for luck.
The building has three lift services and 30 car parking bays.
The transformation of 182 St Georges Terrace (formerly known as Jardine House) from a tired 1950’s building with poor services and pokey rooms into what Hawaiian Management hopes will become a sought-after address had a final project value of $10 million.
Mr Duplock said the company decided to refurbish the building rather than starting anew because the building was actually built over the plot ratio that was currently permitted.
