Designer wins award for Fishermen's Wharf restaurant
St Huberts Island building designer Ms Louise Williams won a national award for best commercial design at the Australian Building Designers Awards night on Friday, October 22.
The award was for the Fishermen's Wharf restaurant project at Woy Woy.
Ms Williams is the director and principal designer of the building design practice LAW Building Design.
"Louise is an accomplished building designer with over 30 years' experience in design and drafting of architectural plans," said proud husband Mr Mark Williams.
"Louise's has a passion for environmentally-sustainable design and creates visually stunning buildings that are unique and integrate with the surrounding natural environment.
"Louise's skills lie in her commitment to understanding best design solutions and has the ability to implement her designs from conception through to completion, ensuring a high-level product every time."
The new structure was built off site by Parkwood Pre-Fabricated Homes and craned into position over the water, the interior of the building was fitted out by Xanthe Highland.
Mr Williams said the design brief was to modernise and expand the over-water restaurant.
"Construction time was critical and would involve the restaurant being closed.
"This had to be factored into the viability of the project.
"The build time must happen over the winter months.
"Parts of the existing structure needed to be utilised to save costs and to avoid a full demolition and rebuild which would prove costly and not sustainable."
Mr Williams said: "Parkwood prefabricated homes built the majority of the structure off site and then it was craned into position in tandem with the existing wharf being dismantled and old pylons replaced.
"The building was designed in three modules that could be easily installed on site.
"The design is a play with shapes being two rectangles that are offset to form the irregular footprint providing a strong angular aesthetic: Clean lines with wide overhanging eaves, capped with a skillion roof that features clerestory windows.
"Below are wide openings that seamlessly flow from indoor dining to the outdoor balconies.
"This enables the perfect overwater dining experience for the customers.
"The renovation of the restaurant is a far cry from the original structure that was rickety, cramped, hot in summer, often damp, and cold in winter.
"The demolition of part of the existing structure was done by hand to maximise its recycling potential."
SOURCE:
Media release, 26 Oct 2021
Mark Williams, St Huberts Island