Hudson Hub's warm Brick Inlay podium creates a strong identity and inviting entrance

Hudson Hub is a distinctive architectural presence in the heart of Williams Landing. Designed by Hames Sharley for Cedar Woods, the seven-storey commercial building balances functionality, sustainability and quality design, delivering an exceptional workplace experience. As Cedar Woods’ sixth office development in the area, Hudson Hub reflects Williams Landing’s ongoing transformation into a thriving commercial precinct.

Sitting in such a highly visible position required an architectural response that contributes positively to the growing urban fabric, while establishing a strong individual identity. Hudson Hub’s carefully considered material palette is central to that identity, balancing permanence and warmth with lightness and precision.

A two-storey podium of Rustic Red brick tiles is beautifully contrasted with an upper rectangular form wrapped in aluminium cladding. The grounded, tactile quality of the brick podium provides a sense of solidity on the street, anchoring the building within its urban setting. The aluminium cladding above introduces a lighter and more refined expression, visually reducing the scale of the upper levels. The result is a beautiful interplay, the warmth and permanence of brick contrasting against the lightness of metal to create a striking built form.

The podium’s multiple arched openings and curved double-height entrance create a distinctive arrival experience and contribute to the building's strong street presence. Delivering these elements through traditional hand laid masonry would have presented time and cost challenges to the building program. Instead, Brick Inlay was selected to construct the podium, this modern method of brick construction offering significant speed of construction, cost efficiency, site safety and structural performance advantages compared to conventional hand laid brickwork. It’s an effective way to ensure brick remains relevant and ever-present in architectural designs, delivered and used in a more efficient and cost-effective way.

Creating the brick panels in the factory also enables greater quality control, as each brick panel is quality inspected and approved before delivery to site. Once onsite, installation is infinitely faster than hand laying bricks and site safety risks are reduced by minimising the amount of labour, materials handling and work required at height.

Inside Hudson Hub offers a contemporary, sustainable workplace experience, with quality amenity. 

The building is divided into 87 strata-titled offices, and includes five retail tenancies, 170 above ground car parks with communal EV charging, as well as generous end of trip facilities and bicycle storage to support healthier and more sustainable ways to commute. Additional sustainability highlights include rooftop solar panels, energy-efficient LED lighting, and rainwater harvesting systems for landscaping.

Generous terraces on level 3 encourage workers to take a moment in the fresh air throughout their workday, and a rooftop terrace offers a place to relax over lunch, hold informal meetings, or host functions and events.

Hudson Hub is a great example of how traditional building materials can be adapted to modern methods of construction. By combining the warmth and texture of brick with the precision of precast Brick Inlay panels, the project delivers a façade that is both visually striking and highly efficient to construct. The result is a landmark commercial building bringing lasting character and identity to one of Melbourne's fastest growing precincts.

Developer: Cedar Woods

Architect: Hames Sharley

Product: Brick Inlay with Krause Rustic Red brick tiles

Builder: Hacer Group

Precaster: Advanced Precast

Photography: Emma Cross