Travel down Moodie Street in Rozelle on a double decker bus and you will have a great vantage point to see over the heritage listed brick wall that faces the street and fully experience Moodie Street House by Hassell Studio. Perhaps best to travel at night too, as you will be able to see the silhouette of the steel frame which holds up the building and which remains exposed as an integral feature of the building envelope.
Set on a diligently regular 900 grid, the steel frame is a song of simplicity. The steel frame was erected in a few days.
Surrounded on three sides with very high solid brick walls, the building seems to float with a fear that it might blow away in a strong wind with it's complete weightlessness. The footings are completely founded on rock which was found within a few hundred millimetres of the existing ground surface. As you walk through the Moodie Street House you will notice a distinct lack of cross bracing or bracing walls. The entire perimeter of the building is fully glazed.
Looking at other projects you may ask: How is lateral stability achieved? Much of the structure is exposed, from the steel columns, to the steel beams, to the timber floor joists. What you are likely to also notice is that there isn't a single steel to steel connection that is bolted. The entire frame is meticulously welded. Some of the welds were done in the shop while others were completed on site. The structure is a fully welded rigid steel frame.
