Amy Dowse: Designing for Disassembly and Reuse

Amy Dowse’s approach to architecture stems from a fundamental aversion to waste and a belief that building reuse represents one of the most powerful sustainability tools available to the industry. As a director at Tzannes, Dowse has worked on projects that challenge conventional construction methods, with a philosophy that centres on flexibility and longevity—and proving commercial viability. Dowse will be among speakers at Urbanity this month. “We also need to be flexible. And while we design buildings to last, the changing needs of clients and the community may lead to them being repurposed in the future,” Dowse tells The Urban Developer . speakers at Urbanity later this month.--> Her forward-thinking work on a 13-storey mass timber building recently approved for 4-6 York Street in Sydney demonstrates Dowse’s design-for-disassembly philosophy. The York Street project, to be developed by the Cheng family’s NGI Investments, is a $36-million development comprising 6594sq m of gross floor area for retail and commercial use atop century-old heritage buildings. The building is to be connected to the heritage-listed former Bank of New South Wales at 341 George Street and feature an outdoor terrace on level 8 and potential restaurant and entertainment spaces on upper levels. “The biggest challenge was cantilevering the building over the existing train tunnels,” Dowse says. The solution required materials that were lightweight to reduce structural loads, while providing significant carbon reduction and contemporary workplace appeal. ▲ Renders of the tower proposed for the York Street site. The project’s most innovative aspect lies in its construction methodology—timber and steel components that can be pulled apart and reused when the building reaches the end of its life. “Mass timber fits this profile perfectly and has the added benefit that it can be disassembled should the building need to adapt in the future,” Dowse says. This approach represents a marked departure from the scheme originally approved in 2019, which featured precast concrete, aluminium and marble construction. Dowse identifies strong market demand driving a notable shift towards mass timber. “We have seen a strong increase in the demand for more sustainable buildings as well as biophilic design principles within workplaces,” she says. The post-pandemic workplace landscape has intensified this trend, with developers needing to “provide an offering that is better than home” to attract tenants back to office environments. ▲ The Tzannes-designed Daramu House is a seven-storey mass timber commercial building at Barangaroo. The size and scale of the York Street development also reflects current market preferences. “The size of the York Street building also perfectly suits the current demand we are seeing for smaller scale boutique buildings within a prime part of the Sydney CBD,” Dowse says. This design approach, she says, will “encourage more developers and architects to look to more sustainable and flexible ways to provide built outcomes” while offering tenants “more options in finding premium spaces to suit their workplace that feel different to a standard office”. Dowse prioritises designing for longevity to prevent demolition for repurposing, advocating for adaptation, reuse, disassembly and reassembly as pathways to greater sustainability in the built environment. “We all need to be more aware of the choices we are currently making and how they might affect future generations,” Dowse says. “We need to design for longevity, so structures are not demolished for repurposing. If we can adapt and reuse, disassemble and reassemble then we have far more sustainable ways to create even more longevity from our built environment.” Dowse will join The Urban Developer ’s flagship three-day conference, Urbanity, at the Gold Coast on July 29-31. For more details click here .

Amy Dowse: Designing for Disassembly and Reuse

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