The Boot Factory: A Heritage Building Reimagined
Project - The Boot Factory
Location - Bondi Junction, NSW
Product Used - EP110 Blackbutt 136
Architect - Archer Office
Builder - Schiavello
Installer - Cavanagh Corp
Photographer - Peter Bennetts and Murray Fredericks
Discover how a 19th-century heritage listed building known as The Boot Factory in Bondi Junction, has been transformed into a dynamic Innovation and Knowledge Hub, connected to the Mill Hill Community Centre. Featuring Havwoods Blackbutt timber flooring, this heritage-listed site blends history with bold design, creating flexible community spaces complete with a dramatic skylit “Cloud Room.”
The Boot Factory in Bondi Junction, NSW, underwent a remarkable transformation, showcasing a successful adaptation of a heritage-listed building for contemporary community use.
An important cornerstone of Waverley’s local history, the building was originally a 19th-century shoe-making factory. Acquired by Waverley Council in 1984 as part of the Mill Hill Community Centre precinct, The Boot Factory has now been revitalised into an Innovation and Knowledge Hub - a place designed to foster learning, connection, and community engagement.
Led by Archer Office, the project carefully balances heritage preservation with bold, design-led interventions. A standout element is the “Cloud Room”, a dramatic upper-level space crowned with a truncated pyramid roof and central skylight. This striking architectural gesture replaces the original valley gutter, flooding the interior with natural light and creating a sense of openness and clarity.
To complement the project’s heritage character and enduring civic function, Havwoods EP110 Blackbutt timber from the Australian Collection was specified throughout the space. Known for its strength, durability and timeless appeal, Blackbutt delivers a warm, authentic finish that aligns seamlessly with the cohesive material palette and brings a touch of the Australian outback into the space.
By pairing natural timber surfaces with contemporary interventions, the design honours the building’s industrial past while positioning it as a future-focused hub for the Bondi Junction community.
The Boot Factory is a powerful example of how timber surfaces can bridge heritage and modern design, creating spaces that honour the past while inspiring the future.
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