At the bustling corner of South Dowling and Fitzroy Streets in Sydney’s Surry Hills, Bundarra stands as a landmark commercial space. It brings together a carefully restored Victorian terrace with an eye-catching contemporary extension, forming a workplace that is both grounded in history and unapologetically forward-looking.

Bundarra is a site shaped by dialogue between old and new. Designed by Smart Design Studio and home to award-winning creative agency Howatson+Company, Bundarra is conceived as a site within a site. Interior architecture by Those Architects transforms the building into a bold, enduring “forever home” for creative work, one designed to house people, ideas and art over the long term.

The building’s distinctive contemporary form responds to its three-sided exposure through angled patinated zinc fins fixed to a curtain wall of double-curved glass. The effect is both striking and highly considered. The fins modulate sunlight, screen the building from its exposed urban context, and allow generous natural light to flood the office spaces within. The result is a five-storey landmark that respectfully addresses its prominent setting while making a confident architectural statement.

Inside, Those Architects worked closely with Howatson+Company founder Chris Howatson to create interiors that reflect the agency’s values of creativity, collaboration and cultural ambition. As Ben Mitchell, co-founder and director at Those Architects, notes:
“Working with Chris, we pushed the boat out creatively on this project, from the big picture to the granular details. The intention was to create a timeless home for the pioneering agency, a space that would house people and art, drive interaction and inspire output.”

Private meeting rooms are set within the historic terrace, offering a deliberate shift in scale and mood. Intimate and richly detailed, each space is defined by custom cabinetry, locally sourced furniture, and its own colour identity, creating intuitive wayfinding and playful names such as Tangerine and Cacao Lounge. A unifying palette drawn from the olive-green exterior fins ties shared areas together, while a darker stair core adds contrast. Below, the lower ground floor forms the communal heart of the agency, where a curved kitchen and continuous timber bench support meals, workshops, and informal gathering. Soft, tactile finishes temper the building’s crisp exterior, bringing warmth to everyday use.

Materiality reinforces this bold yet disciplined approach. Timber, masonry, steel and textured finishes are layered with conviction, giving the interiors weight, tactility and longevity. Joinery is architectural in scale, details are resolved with precision, and surfaces are designed to age with use. Light is carefully controlled, heightening spatial drama and reinforcing hierarchy without resorting to overt branding.