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Crossroads Marrickville
Sydney Open Symposium: House Tours
Sunday 24 May 2026
An adaptive reuse project that reimagines a historic corner shop as an office, house and apartment
About the building
Located on the doorstep of Marrickville’s creative hub, Crossroads is an adaptive reuse project. Originally built around 1890 as a corner grocer’s shop, the building has served numerous local businesses for well over a century. Rather than demolish the deteriorated structure, Mackenzie Pronk Architects, in collaboration with Make Projects, restored and repurposed the masonry shell to create a refined mixed-use development.
The project transforms the historic shop into a commercial studio, with a one-bedroom apartment above and a separate three-bedroom residence subdivided alongside. The lightweight first-floor addition is set back from the restored facade, allowing the original masonry, textured painted brickwork and decorative parapet to remain prominent while clearly distinguishing new interventions from the existing building. The design balances heritage continuity with contemporary architectural expression.
Environmental performance guided the project throughout. Retaining the existing structure preserved significant embodied carbon while reducing demolition waste. Recycled bricks, reclaimed timber flooring, FSC-certified plywood, Accoya timber joinery and low-carbon concrete contribute to a robust and sustainable material palette. Passive design strategies enhance comfort while minimising operational energy demand, and rooftop photovoltaic panels reduce reliance on grid energy, enabling the building to exceed BASIX, NatHERS and Section J requirements.
Developed by Crossroads Partners – four collaborators and friends – the project demonstrates a cooperative development model focused on long-term value. Through careful planning, material stewardship and respect for context, Crossroads Marrickville reimagines a historic corner shop as a flexible, low-carbon building that contributes positively to its neighbourhood and offers a replicable model for sustainable urban regeneration.
Architect/Designer
Mackenzie Pronk Architects with Make Projects
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