Allen Jack+Cottier redesigned the Sydney Letter Facility as part of an extensive renewal program undertaken by Australia Post to increase letter handling capacity. The clients wanted a cost-effective building that could be operated with minimum use of energy and be readily adapted to changing technology and circumstances.

We doubled the size of an existing warehouse to incorporate the facility’s new automated sorting equipment – this meant that all 1 000 Australia Post staff could work together on one floor. A structural frame of steel columns and beams was used so that the new 40 000 square metre mail processing area could be built swiftly, while ‘off the shelf’ aluminium shop window glazing provided a cost efficient solution. The facility also included a new office building and underground parking. Environmental features include a naturally lit office environment, a temperately cooled atrium space, and a process-floor displacement air-conditioning system.