True Beauty
In 2013 Geoff Harris purchased a multi-million-dollar property in Collingwood, Cromwell Manor, and gifted its use for five dollars a year, for 50 years, to STREAT – an incredible social enterprise combatting homelessness by providing professional training in the hospitality industry to disadvantaged youth. And with a motto like “Tastes good. Does good”, it was important that this site, the organisation’s new headquarters, look good too – and that’s where Six Degrees Architects came in.
The two-storey, 150-year-old heritage site has been reconstructed to house STREAT’s offices, training, cooking, baking, and coffee roasting facilities in a simple, industrial-style building. The white brick façade is eye-catching but it’s not until you’re inside that you can truly appreciate the space. Despite its more than 80-seat capacity the space feels light and airy, due in large part to the expansive, light-catching windows. There are a few intriguing areas to explore but the outdoor courtyard, surrounded by the timber-clad extension, is definitely a crowd favourite.
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