Behind a captivatingly restored 19th century shopfront, Delorean Victorian unfurls an airy modern workplace into the leafy quiet of Surry Hills. This is the new headquarters of boundary-pushing architecture and construction firm CplusC. In every detail, it’s a manifesto for how the team thinks and works.

The site
Built in the late 1800s, the Victorian era corner shop on Cleveland and Nickson Streets was a newsagent until the 1960s. By the 1990s, it was a restaurant, changing hands several times before falling victim to COVID-19 lockdowns. By 2020, it stood closed and gutted. Marred by decades of ugly additions and renovations, it was a rabbit warren inside. Betting boldly on the future of work, the firm bought it.

An outdoor-loving office
It was a smart bet. The CplusC team is thriving in the new office. Working at recycled hardwood benches, they can easily join a meeting in the 50-person meeting space with its rolldown screen, or catch up on the open-air terrace. Humming with collaboration, the space is alive with light, breezes and leaves – even a little rain. Once in a while, locals pop in to share memories and take an impromptu tour.

The design
As a certified B Corp leading sustainable architecture and heritage conservation, CplusC envisioned an office emphasising community and regeneration. Fusing old and new, the design breathes life into the original shopfront and adds a new rear two-storey extension cascading with plants. The louvred concept with its open-air stairwell and rear terrace leans into the firm’s signature spatial thinking, materials, forms and colours. Upstairs is CplusC’s office, where 10+ architects and project managers work together, joined often by the firm’s 10+ construction team. The ground floor is tenanted by a film and production crew.

Back to the future
Today, the delightful resurrection of the old newsagent turns heads. Playfully updated with a new lining of recycled traffic and roadwork signs, the original shop awning still shades the footpath. Below is the original copper-clad Australian red cedar shopfront with its antique gilt lettering, painstakingly restored with new stained-glass cutouts.
Finding the old façade preserved under layers of newer materials was like striking gold. It also struck a chord in the community. From the daughter of the original newsagent to 1940s paperboys, people came forward to share a rich trove of memories.

Integrated sustainability
The office showcases the firm’s approach to sustainability with a 6kW photovoltaic system plus battery storage and automated lighting and irrigation to reduce waste. Solar orientation and passive ventilation using louvres create a healthy open-air workplace with little need for carbon-intensive HVAC systems. Using recycled bricks and timber with existing building fabric significantly reduced the building’s carbon footprint.