The Architect’s Bookshop Opens in Surry Hills, Sydney.

Devastated when the longstanding bookshop at the Institute of Architects in Tusculum closed its doors in 2016, director of SJB, Adam Haddow, has entertained the notion of a bookshop of his own.

“Architects had been serving the architectural community from that site in Potts Point for decades, with Anne Proudfoot at its helm for most of that time”, says Haddow. Hence for his new venture The Architect’s Bookshop, he has coaxed Anne out of retirement to run this enterprise alongside Meredith Buhler recently of the Museum of Contemporary Art Store.

“The site in Crown Street will become a cultural hub not only for architects but for the interested public. We want the space to have a spirit of openness and generosity, so all types of people will feel welcome”, he says.

Haddow’s design for the two-room space with its pressed metal ceilings is a simple, pared back interior using Australian native timbers for shelving and integrated seating. “The back room can be used for reading, for meetings or casual catch-ups. I am keen that it is a place where ideas can be exchanged, where we can launch books, have guest speakers and bring architecture closer to the community”, he says.

They will also present the work of key architects both locally and overseas, theming the window with a model of an architects building and hosting talks. Haddow has also employed two architecture students – one from Scotland and one from Argentina – who will keep a digital calendar of architectural events across the city as well supporting the day-to-day running of the shop and ensuring a lively and engaging atmosphere.

Confident that, despite the ability to buy online, there is a need for engagement and conversation beyond the merely transactional. Haddow foresees crossing over into more of an events hub with a love of books and architecture at its heart.

[Images courtesy of SJB. Photography by Anson Smart.]