One Adelaide was guided by the ambition of creating what the design team at Norr describes as “an urban living room,” envisioned as a generous, civic-scaled lobby that balances corporate presence with a genuine sense of welcome. Drawing from “modern lobby typologies for their material clarity and proportion,” the approach is equally informed by “mid-century corporate architecture for its spatial rigor and commitment to permanence.” At One Adelaide, retained dark granite walls were preserved to “anchor the space in the building’s legacy,” while new interventions introduce warmth and openness. Natural wood ceilings, expansive glazing, integrated public art, and a continuous light-coloured stone floor featuring Fusion White from Santamargherita S.p.A.’s SM Quartz line work together to re-establish a connection to the city and deliver “a dignified, enduring arrival experience.” The lobby is conceived not only as a point of entry, but as a shared civic interior that allows moments of pause, orientation, and informal gathering to unfold naturally within the daily rhythm of the building.

The incorporation of Santamargherita’s SM Quartz at One Adelaide was a deliberate decision shaped through collaboration with Enzo Giambattista of Enmar Consulting. As noted by Carlos Goncalves with Norr, the material was selected for its ability to deliver “both refined aesthetic quality and high-performance durability in a demanding commercial environment.” Within One Adelaide’s double-height lobby, its light-coloured finish provides “a much-needed visual counterpoint” to the building’s existing material weight, helping to brighten the space and elevate the overall atmosphere. The use of large-format slabs reinforces “the clean, monolithic geometry of the space,” while minimizing grout lines and supporting long-term maintenance efficiency. Together, these attributes allow the floor plane to read as a continuous civic surface rather than a series of fragments.

Beyond its visual contribution, SM Quartz Fusion White aligned closely with One Adelaide’s operational and longevity goals. The design team cites the material’s “stability, surface consistency, and ease of replacement” as key factors in its selection. These qualities ensure the flooring at One Adelaide can withstand daily use while maintaining a cohesive appearance over time. In a lobby intended to function as both a public threshold and an everyday passage, the material supports performance demands associated with constant movement, shared use, and long dwell times, without compromising architectural intent or spatial calm.

Spatially, SM Quartz plays what the team describes as “a foundational role in shaping both movement and atmosphere within the lobby.” At One Adelaide, as “a continuous, light-reflective surface,” it enhances daylight distribution and “reduces reliance on artificial lighting,” particularly valuable given the expansive glazing and indirect exposure. The flooring establishes “a clear spatial sequence from the street and forecourt through the vestibules and into the heart of the building,” acting as a visual thread that unifies public, semi-public, and tenant zones. This continuity reinforces legibility and ease of navigation while supporting the lobby’s role as a shared interior landscape. The result is “a coherent, calm, and elevated user experience,” grounded in material performance and “quiet architectural clarity.”

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