The exterior of this commercial building in the northern Sydney suburb of Hornsby needed a complete colour makeover. These before and after photos show how colour can transform the look and feel of an entire building. This transformation has turned a 1970’s blonde brick building into a bright spot amongst otherwise utilitarian buildings.
Rendering the old brick façade gave the building a more contemporary vibe, while using the same galvanised material all around the top provided continuity.
The new render meant the exterior was easier to paint with a bright and bold colour scheme, giving it a completely new look. We paired a deep teal with an ink navy and balanced that with sections in a grey. New white windows also brightened up the exterior makeover.
Colour selection
The businesses within the building all relate to running programmes for schools in the Colo River region, evoking colours of the Australian bush.
The client wanted this building to stand out from those surrounding it. The brief was to make the exterior noticeable and different, sophisticated but colourful. These ranged from the same 1970’s look or those updated with ubiquitous grey and white schemes.
The overall project included building an extension to the north side. This provided more office space and a staff room and kitchen upstairs with additional parking underneath.
Just repainting it would have required scaffolding, so at least that was there from the building work. But as with all large projects it had to adhere to Council regulations, and the scaffolding was only able to remain for a certain timeframe.
Touches of grey on the exterior break up the bright colours. Using it for the inside of all the parking areas lightens these spaces, particularly the larger enclosed area.
This colour makeover succeeded in transforming the exterior of this commercial building. The owner was very pleased with the end result.
Resene colours and products were used for this project. We also entered it for the Resene Total Colour Awards in 2017 – read the entry details here. Or take a look at the portfolio photos for this project.
