Bermuda Point Office Building

The administrative building Bermuda Point is an iconic multi-story structure located on the shores of Queensland's Gold Coast in the tropical region of northern Australia. It represents a very pragmatic design that applies the principles of sustainable development, creating a building that is both affordable and architecturally innovative.
Bermuda Point is a commercial building situated on the banks of a lake, opposite Bond University. The building takes advantage of magnificent views across the lake towards the university campus designed by Arata Isozaki.
The developer specified a cost-effective building that would offer maximally flexible floor space for multi-story offices. While the project must be handled with regard to economic indicators, it must also meet the requirements set by the zoning plan – that is, the highest level of design quality. As a result, the building emerges stripped to its most basic elements; a structure made from very robust materials that (due to its exceptional shape) delivers an exciting architectural statement.
The site itself presents challenges due to poor subsoil, necessitating deep foundations sunk beneath the building. Additionally, there is a flood risk, requiring the building to be raised one floor above ground level.
The design addresses these requirements by creating simple, spacious floors divided into smaller office units extending from the front facade to the back. The floor area of each level (20 x 64 m) is thus subdivided into eight multi-story rental units, each measuring 8 x 18 m. All units benefit from views of the water's surface. Given that the climate in Queensland is very mild, we opted to address the communication needs with a two-meter-wide outdoor "veranda," allowing all offices to also gain street views. This solution also enables natural ventilation for all units.
The design capitalizes on views of the lake and makes them accessible to all tenants. The site is oriented east-west, which brought about the challenge of controlling sunlight. At the same time, due to the flood risk requirements, the building must be elevated on stilts, prompting us to place two floors of parking below. Another priority was to conceal the parking areas from views from the university across the lake.
The impact of sunlight, as well as the concealment of parking spaces, was addressed by installing vertical louvered blinds (sunshades) on both the eastern and western facades of the building. The use of these brightly colored elements elevates an otherwise fundamentally simple concrete slab building to an architecturally striking structure.
On the east – at the outdoor veranda – these blinds also create a stunning impression of a "colonnade." The north facade is protected from the sun by horizontal blinds. The prominent colored elements thus correspond to all solar, vista, and ventilation issues.
The northern part of the building is taller, creating an L-shaped form. This tower contains additional offices and facilities. To achieve maximum flexibility for office spaces and to minimize costs, we located all common areas – such as restrooms, elevators, and staircases – in a service block situated on the eastern side. This solution also ensures maximally unencumbered views from the offices of the lake. The service block and entrance staircase animate and shape the street facade.
The building is low-cost and utilizes the principles of environmentally passive buildings, which it combines with robust conventional materials. The entrance is designed from framed particle board panels, as well as ribbed blinds. The floors are made of colored concrete, and the glazing is executed with a standard aluminum system.
The distinctive shape combined with colorful blinds gives rise to an affordable building that creates a strong, sophisticated architectural statement.