TERROIR’s office in lutruwita / Hobart is a radical experiment that confronts the paradox of ‘sustainable architecture’ by embracing a truly zero-carbon approach—building nothing new at all. This project, located between the CBD and waterfront, represents a bold departure from the typical reliance on carbon calculators and low-carbon claims. Instead, TERROIR made the conceptual decision to minimize carbon emissions entirely by reusing and repurposing existing materials and structures, rather than introducing new ones.

Occupying an abandoned 1960s office fit-out, the design concept took shape within the framework of what was already present. All office partitions and materials were retained, and the old wall finishes were stripped away to reveal the beautiful 1960s carpentry underneath. The original glazed partition windows were preserved and reconfigured into a new layout, while residual waste was repurposed to construct new shelving. Electrical and data services were introduced sparingly, further minimizing the environmental impact.

The result is an office fit-out that TERROIR argues is not just low-carbon by calculation, but genuinely zero-carbon in practice. This approach challenges the conventional notion that sustainability is primarily a technical issue, proposing instead that it is fundamentally an aesthetic one. TERROIR advocates for finding beauty in the accidental and the contingent, rather than striving for perfection. This philosophy allows for the exploration of new forms and spaces that prioritize reuse over new construction, emphasizing the value of existing resources.

In this project, resources were directed towards the craftsmanship of contractors rather than the acquisition of new materials. Though small in scale, the project stands as a powerful manifesto for a different kind of architectural practice—one that is increasingly urgent in the context of global environmental challenges. The lessons learned from this office are already informing larger projects, as TERROIR continues to seek ways to create places that foster meaningful interactions between people and their environments while using fewer resources than ever before.

Photography by Brett Boardman