Chatswood Interchange recently opened the doors of it's world class dining precinct – The District. Designed by the talented Philip Chia of The Uncarved Block, The District is not your average suburban foodcourt. Seating 1000 patrons, the 3000sqm space and 8m ceilings have been distorted and divided with architectural forms to create hideaways and laneways – inspired by a futuristic asian cityscape.

Pod like structures were built to extend outside of the existing building envelope, creating lustrous private dining spaces. Each pod was clad on all faces internally and externally in Axolotl Bronze coated oak and CFC timber-look boards with florentine ageing highlighting the grain. Axolotl Ingrain showcases the natural beauty of timber – while transforming the look and feel it creates in a space.

The pods are framed by panels of Axolotl Miro glass featuring a custom brick graphic. The graphic is printed clear and affords diners views to the outside world, and when traversing across the entry platform the glass glows from the internal lighting. The graphics were custom photographed by Steve Brown Photography and stitched together with new elements such as industrial signs and copper pipes.

When entering The District via the street, you will find the walls of the stairs, main entry vestibule and hallways clad in Axolotl Concrete coated ingrain boards. The Shale concrete coating gives Ingrain a whole new appearance – presenting as off-form concrete castings, and showcasing the grain in super fine detail. Upon entering and looking back at the vestibule, you will find an additional layer of custom designed fine asian style screens cladding the walls and doors. The screens were individually coated, and applied on top of the ingrain panelling to reveal the fine grain detail behind.

The resulting space is an eclectic mix of high end finishes and furniture, the materials palette includes strong textures, mixed mediums and unique handcrafted materials immersing the diner in a visual and sensual experience. Featuring quality eating establishments such as the Australian flagship of the Michelin Star restaurant, Tim Ho Wan, Australian diners are truly in for a treat when visiting The District.

• Bar, Light Sculpture, Floor Inlays: Axolotl
• Lighting Design: Electrolight
• Architect: Bates Smart
• Photography: Rohan Venn

Over the last year Electrolight have been working closely with Bates Smart Architects on the design for the revitalised Pier One Sydney Harbour, the high-end hotel and conference facility located at Walsh Bay in Sydney. Pier One Sydney Harbour is situated on a former real-life pier originally constructed in 1912. The location affords spectacular views over Sydney Harbour.

Electrolight's design for the bar and dining areas features a custom light sculpture inspired by the organic form and movement of the ocean's creatures and the way modern yachts replicate these same movements. The commissioned work, named 'Squelette', was both conceptualised and detailed by the Electrolight team in Sydney. The detailed design was quite a process, with over 300 parts requiring site assembly, with all parts suspended utilising gravity to hold it's form. Specialist fabricator Axolotl were appointed to manufacture the piece and were instrumental in the realisation of the work, affording Electrolight the opportunity to create the machined organic forms in a lightweight brass aesthetic using Axolotl’s proprietary metal coating techniques.

Design Director Donn Salisbury said "It's particularly pleasing to see this project come to fruition. It's not every day you get to work on a project with such a wonderful backdrop as Sydney Harbour. It was the perfect inspiration for our art and provides the ultimate backdrop. Axolotl were key in making this piece true to it's concept, it gave us the ability to materialise our vision."

The Pier One Sydney Harbour fit out also sees the Axolotl Sheet Metal process utilised throughout the bar and entry, with the aged solid brass in-floor signage complementing the overall design aesthetic. The central Autograph bar features a custom aged zinc counter top. Zinc sheets were folded and formed around the counter profile, and treated with a distressed florentine finish to create a strong, solid appearance while utilising metals that are less than 1mm in thickness.

For further information on Axolotl, or to discuss your own unique project requirements please contact Axolotl on 02 9666 1207 or info@axolotl.com.au.

Showcasing the new Axolotl Sheet Metal range, this beautiful aged brass counter can be found at Space Furniture’s flagship Sydney store.

Constructed from panels of 1.2mm brass sheet, each piece was individually aged with a brown florentine and polished. The brass was left unsealed, to naturally tarnish in situ.

Tarnished sheet metals create a beautiful burnished effect that continues to age and change over time through environmental factors and the human touch. The result - an ever evolving patchwork of lustrous metals of unique shape and patina.

Axolotl Sheet Metals are available in a range of metals and ageing effects – using solid Zinc, Brass and Copper sheets, the range includes black steel, and tarnished bronze effects.

Axolotl sheet metals, are available in a variety of thicknesses and can be used where sheet metal is required in lieu of our decorative metal coatings. This range offers architects and designers the ability to specify pre-aged panels on a new build or renovation, avoiding bright and inconsistent 'fresh' metal, while ensuring the characteristics of the solid metal are retained.

To see images of the Axolotl Sheet metal range please click here.

For further information on Axolotl Sheet Metals, or to discuss your own unique project requirements please contact Axolotl on 02 9666 1207 or info@axolotl.com.au

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Axolotl!

From all of the Axolotl team, we wish everyone the best wishes for the holiday season. 

A special thanks to all of those who worked with us this year, we look forward to working with you again in 2015! 

Axolotl will be closed from Wednesday 24th December and will reopen Wednesday 7th Jan.

Year in Review

2014 has seen Axolotl work on some amazing projects including Barangaroo, the Nan Tien Temple, No1 Pacific Place, and our 4th Tiffany & Co store to name a few.

It saw the launch of new products including Axolotl Sheet Metals, and our award winning Axolotl Terracotta, as well as the launch of new consultancy Axolotl Art Projects.

Since the launch of AAP we have been lucky enough to collaborate with artists including Dale Jones Evans, Pamela See, Jane Cavanough and Jade Oakley. It has been a successful year that has seen many artworks shortlisted, commissioned and installed.

As you may have noticed, we don't like to sit still here at Axolotl. Stay tuned as we are sure to dream up and release exciting new products to our range in 2015! And as always get in touch If you have a new project or artwork opportunity that you would like to discuss with the team.

2015 will see some changes to the Axolotl team, with designer Ben Wahrlich leaving to run his own company Anaesthetic, and Sophia Conradi re-joining our team full-time after completing her studies.

We look forward to working with you and the other amazing Australian architects, designers and artists we have collaborated with again in the new year.

Ginkgo, Lily, Monsteria

Axolotl were delighted to be involved in the creation of this beautiful series of 2 metre tall sculptures by artist Jade Oakley, commissioned by the new Westfield's Miranda Shopping Centre.

"My creative process began with a visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Sydney. I sat on the ground and made detailed sketches of the pattern of leaf veins" says Oakley who hand illustrated each of the detailed leaf designs in ink. Each drawing was then digitised, scaled and precision laser cut in Mild Steel by Axolotl.

The leaves were individually rolled and carefully hand forged to create the rippled surface before being welded to its stem and wrapped around the custom polished concrete base.

The sculptures were treated with an Axolotl Bronze Lunar coating, aged with a florentine verdigris patina and hand polished to highlight the bronze and accentuate the forms.

"The patina that Axolotl has applied to these sculptures is so beautiful, and just what I had in mind. In places the bronze paint shows through the patina, creating a deep lustre, and in other areas the organic patina glows green against the metal." Jade Oakley.

Jade is truly a pleasure to collaborate with, her engagement throughout the entire creation of her artwork from inception through to manufacture is testament to the highly crafted works she creates.

In another industry first, Axolotl are excited to launch the award winning Axolotl Terracotta. 

Replicating the natural aesthetic of terracotta perfectly, Axolotl Terracotta is simpler and more cost effective than traditional processes. It retains the integrity of natural terracotta with variance in texture and colour, whilst enabling it to be utilised in designs never before considered possible.

The terracotta aesthetic can now be realised anywhere you may normally use aluminium, CFC sheeting or stainless steel, yet in virtually any size or shape. As a coating, it's easily integrated into architectural projects, as it can be bonded onto traditional building materials, standard shapes and forms.

Axolotl Terracotta is Australian produced and manufactured. It is offered in a range of colours and has unlimited design potential through being able to be individualised with Axolotl’s in-house ability to carve or etch almost any design in the surface.

Terracotta has long been a part of our built environment as a beautiful and timeless building product, used throughout the world by leading architects such as Renzo Piano. Now Axolotl Terracotta reinvents this classic beauty to be more cost and production effective, without losing any of its aesthetic qualities.

Feature Project: Nan Tien

A strong connection to the environment and a focus on spaces conducive to reflection are some of the Buddhist ideals behind the architecture of the new Nan Tien Institute, located in the Wollongong region of NSW.

Designed by Woods Bagot, the architecture of the building draws upon the Buddhist symbol of the lotus flower. “The building combines the functions of a contemporary learning environment with a destination for visitors to Nan Tien Temple, bringing the community together to reflect and celebrate Buddhist philosophy,” says Georgia Singleton, Woods Bagot Director and Global Sector Leader in Education, Science and Health.

Axolotl worked closely with specialist building company Hi-Tec to develop the stunning terracotta facade. Aluminium was chosen as the substrate as it enabled each blade to be articulated around an axis and locked in place - something impossible to achieve with standard terracotta. The blades subtly shift in direction adding a strong textural component to the building and when viewed from afar, conveys a contemporary lotus leaf.

The structure of the building was formed by grouping spaces into four distinct ‘pods’, creating a public space in between. The ‘pods’ are linked by active bridges, allowing for the movement throughout the building to be a journey comprised of moments, destinations and thresholds. The building also includes a library, common area with café, art gallery and academic facilities.

Axolotl was recently commissioned by designer Ben Wahrlich to create a piece for the 'Take a seat for Legacy' charity initiative, run by Temple and Webster and Legacy. Artists, designers and celebrities recreate a bentwood chair in their own unique way.

'Immortal' is a tribute towards the iconic bentwood chair. Coated in a textural golden hue of bronze and hand polished, it assumes a new identity as a sculptural art piece - like heroes of the past, who have been immortalised in bronze sculptures throughout history. - says Ben Wahrlich.
 
The reinvented chairs will all be auctioned at the Temple and Webster Auction later this month with all proceeds going to Legacy.

Natalie Hunfalvay

On the Bronze trend, the stunning garage door below is the result of a intimate collaboration between Axolotl’s in house design team and client, whereby a unique tree-line vista is recreated in a textural brushed bronze. The 3-Dimensional design is created by hand, replicating the trunks of trees, and is accentuated by the Florentine ageing that offers natural variation in colour, complementing the earthen aesthetic.

 

Axolotl Awards

Axolotl was recently awarded Best Design Manufacturing Company at the 2014 Sydney Design Awards. Anomaly also took out Best Product, in the Product Design – Homewares category for the Kintsugi vessels. We would like to extend our gratitude to all the architects, designers and artists, who have made it possible for us to achieve this distinguishing goal.

Each quarter Axolotl puts a series of questions to an industry luminary to gain an insight into both their talent and their feel for the future. This issue we drop another big name and introduce Alexander Tzannes from Alexander Tzannes Associates. Alec’s most recent work was recently completed at 484 New South head Road, Double Bay

What keeps you inspired?

A love of architecture, cities, people who make beautiful things and lead creative lives.

What project do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far?

There isn’t one project in particular that I would like to highlight. I often have ordinary briefs and development frameworks with inherent conceptual or practical difficulties. I sometimes think back in these circumstances with a sense of achievement even though my role in the process is relatively invisible to my peers.

Have you ever refused to comply with a client request or design? If so, why?

I have declined or resigned work and recommended other Architects who are more suited to the circumstances or the brief.

 Are there any architects whose work encapsulates your own ideals?

Major elements of the design culture of Moneo, Utzon, Guirgola and Wilkinson do so in relatively recent history. There are many facets of the work of Architects in a historical context that have provided knowledge and inspiration. I have travelled widely and understood the difference between experiencing actual buildings and the rhetoric or visual interpretation of buildings. I favour actual over virtual experience to form a better understanding of the ideas of Architects. I say that as I have also not

travelled to places such as Finland and consequently accept that there may be other Architects whose work I could equally admire but out of ignorance don’t include in this list. I also admire the work of many of my contemporaries in Sydney but am ‘too close’ to comment with objectivity. 

Did/do you have a mentor?

I worked closely with Andrew Andersons and Glenn Murcutt for a few years after graduation. Both helped me gain skills as well as define my direction and interests in architecture. I also learnt a lot from studying with Alex Cooper at Columbia and the American work of Aldo Guirgola with whom I also did a program of study.

Which Australian building excites you the most? 

There isn’t ‘one’. Different buildings have inspirational characteristics. The work of Barnett (eg the GPO before it was wrecked inside); Opera House; Wilkinson’s own house in Sydney; Ken Woolley’s Palm Beach House (and others); and rural or some suburban architecture from Le Plastrier, Murcutt and others).

I am generally unsympathetic to design culture that develops ideas appropriated from other disciplines. I look for an architecture that derives from a deep understanding of other architecture, the contextual environment, building, construction and social objectives.

Do you see a lot of development in Sydney over the next year or so?

My guess is that it will probably slow down for a few years.

Axolotl was recently requested by Distinctive Living Design to help create a thought provoking and meaningful tribute to the ANZAC's, which was launched as part of the ANZAC day commemorations this year. The poppies were made from hand beaten steel and Axolotl accentuated this feature by applying custom finish to the petals and a textural concrete to the stems.

Axolotl continue to be at the forefront of door design and gates and garage doors are no exception. The first example below, is a series of zinc gates with a double-screen design, that provides structural integrity and security whilst maintaining a contemporary aesthetic.

The second is a textural nickel finish, applied to a garage door and entry door, that achieves consistency across the two different door materials.

View more gates and garage doors here.

Axolotl Awards

With an in-depth knowledge of design, processes and materials, Axolotl is often called upon to design and create awards that truly defy the status quo.

The NSW Creative Laureate award below, both designed and made by the Axolotl team, boasts a stunning copper warratah blossom, contrasted by the concrete base.

For over 10 years Axolotl has created the DesignEX awards, creating something new each year. This year the awards were cast in solid concrete, juxtaposed by silver and gold gilding.

For more great ideas for awards and other projects please get in touch.

Contemporary art installations have always been an integral part of Axolotl. It is therefore with great pleasure that today we launch AAP - Axolotl Art Projects, a dedicated consultancy to specifically project manage commissioned artworks. 

From concept through to a fully resolved piece, AAP partners with architects, designers, developers, councils and artists to be the key liaison for any scale of project.

AAP offers a unique full-service approach to commissioning artwork and creative design solutions, yet are flexible in their level of involvement and role in the art project. Axolotl's involvement can start and finish at any point in the production spectrum, including art strategy, artist selection, concept design, design development, engineering, documentation and fabrication.

With Axolotl's unique manufacturing abilities and palette of materials in metal, concrete, glass and timber, artists have a virtually unrestricted freedom to create works that they may not have originally thought possible.

Please visit our new website axolotlartprojects.com to see some of the stunning existing works or contact us to find out more.

Nestled under No1 Pacific Place, Chatswood is a thoroughfare that is above the ordinary.

Axolotl was commissioned by Mirvac Special Projects, to create a back-lit glass feature wall to run the length of the walkway. Artist Pamela See was called on to create the stunning artwork that adorns the glass who then implemented our unique palette of processes to execute the artwork to full effect. 

The Axolotl 'LINK' glass features an Axolotl Copper coating bonded to frosted laminated glass and then aged with a Verdigris patina. Pamela's artwork was then carved through the metal to allow subtle blades of light to penetrate the surface. The artwork continues through to custom designed, laser cut steel gates at both ends.

This walkway is in an area that could have easily been overlooked but is now thought of as the crown jewel of the development. It’s a testimony to how thoughtful art can define an area with a distinctive character and support a positive ecology in the life that works and lives within it.

This is the second successfully completed collaboration with Pamela See and Axolotl. The other being the widely acclaimed and award winning Chinatown Kiosk, we featured last year.