WOTSO is all about people working together and getting things done. Nowhere is this clearer than in WOTSO’s transformation of older, unloved buildings into bright, friendly and modern flexible workspaces.
CEO Jessie Glew says WOTSO has always embraced the character of older buildings, excited by the canvas they offer for enhancement and reinvention.
Examples of WOTSO’s commitment to adaptive reuse include the conversions of a sailing museum (Mandurah, WA), a seconds appliance store (Cremorne, NSW), a bulky goods complex (Sunshine Coast, Qld), an abandoned German Club and the adjacent sunscreen lab (Adelaide. SA).
And at the heart of every new site design is collaboration. “There is no designer – the WOTSO team does it all inhouse, with builders and consultants throwing their ideas into the mix” says Glew.
“We spend a lot of time in our property meetings going through different scenarios and layouts, landing on what we all feel comfortable with. For example, the idea for the big steel ‘W’ at the front of WOTSO Cremorne came from our engineer who said we need an earthquake brace for that building, and why don’t we make it a W.
“We went ‘yes, that’s perfect’, let’s make it huge. We amplified his idea of the W, and lit it up to transform it into an impressive feature that also reinforces our branding (and our building).”
The Cremorne building was originally available for Lease but WOTSO negotiated an acquisition in late 2021 after a site inspection revealed surprising character including great timber boards, character ceiling and brick.
In a high-profile location on Military Road, near Neutral Bay Junction, the building was well-known as a second’s discount warehouse and before that, the home of respected speciality bookstore Motor Books, a hub for motoring aficionados.
Legends such as Jackie Stewart and Murray Walker launched books onsite, and there’s still evidence of Motor Books’ occupation in the Ferrari insignia and checkered flag painted on the ground level timber floor.
Now, the building comprises three storeys of flexible office space, a busy working hub filled with light and people. A building that’s been given a new lease of life, the definition of adaptive reuse and epitomising what WOTSO FlexSpace is all about.
