Axolotl is pleased to announce the completion of the latest Level Cross Removal project in Victoria, an integrated art commission by artist Catherine Woo.

The artwork was commissioned for the City of Casey by the South Eastern Program Alliance, composed of project partners Laing O’Rourke, Jacobs, and architects BKK, and delivered together with T Projects.

The artwork utilises the highly visible soffit on both station platforms, to reflect a layer of the area’s ecological history, and create a visually dynamic addition to the building, that will in turn reflect the current life around it. Responding to the theme of geology, the intention is to echo the wetland that characterised the area before European settlement: a layer of its ecological past reflected onto the ceiling of the new building. 

The design is based on the rippling patterns that occur on still water and that would have been a constant feature of the marshland: patterns created by water droplets, or the undulations created around moving reeds or trees that once flourished in the wetland.

In this way, the columns of the soffit become central to the arrangement of the design – the concentric circles emanating from where they meet the ceiling – merging the columns’ architectural reference to local vegetation with the intent of the artwork. 

Reflection is key to the concept: the planar nature of the canopy accentuating the geological strata underneath, and the rippling design reflects the waterscape that was once integral to the area. The sheen of the anodised aluminium recalls the surface of the former wetland, reflected on the soffit. The concept is also designed to reflect the present day, with the material responding to the movement and changing viewpoint of the pedestrians and commuters that use this civic space, creating a sense of welcome and interest for those that pass through, as visitors or commuters.

The success of Reflections is seen in the artwork's seemingly effortless ability to navigate around the complex layout of the architectural soffit with all the necessary station services integrated within. 

The final design and layout of the artwork was aided by 3D surveys of the platforms and involved a comprehensive design development phase working with the artist and client to achieve the desired concept.

A complex artwork to execute, Reflections is created from 486 unique panels all designed, engineered, and fabricated with the highest quality materials and technologies in order to achieve a long standing artwork for the local patrons to enjoy.

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With the end of the year fast approaching, we’d like to take a moment to reflect.

We wish to extend a thank you to everyone at Axolotl and to all the designers, architects, artists, builders, and renovators who we’ve been privileged to work alongside.

2022 has seen the completion of some memorable projects from architecture to art.

A standout would have to be this one of a kind Axolotl Terracotta garage door on a stunning new build in Bronte. ‘AES’ is another striking result from the creative minds at Bijl working with artist Marcus Piper. The multi-panel bronze artwork is integrated around the main stairwell of the residence and features a graphic made from a combination of custom machining and 3D printing.

We’re also excited to have worked on three unique projects by Foster and Partners. Two were for the prestigious new Circular Quay Towers, where we have completed all the lift interiors in custom Lustre Spectrum glass, as well as multiple shopfronts in custom-designed Halo glass, Timber Link, sheet metal and Axolotl applied semi-precious metals and concrete. Once complete it will be a stunning showcase of Axolotl ingenuity in the centre of Sydney!

The third Foster project takes Axolotl to the Big Apple and the prestigious new Hudson Yards where we created 200m2 of custom 3D printed Champagne Bronze feature wall cladding for the lobby, cafe bar and washrooms.

Circular Quay. Sydney

Hudson Yards, New York

It has been another exciting and productive year for AAP. Two glass art projects bookend the year, with the suspended ‘Petal Sworl’ artwork by Adam Goodrum, with creative direction by Broached Commissions, installed at the Continental Hotel Sorrento at the start of 2022, and the ‘To see or not to see’ work by Karla Dickens, installed at the entry of the Art Gallery of New South Wales last month.

In between, our team have delivered a range of other art projects, including a mammoth 1200m2 artwork, ‘Reflections’ by Catherine Woo, to the soffit of Merinda Park Station, and the multi-wall ‘Centella’ artwork by Broached Commissions for The Continental Hotel, Sorrento which features over 560 handcrafted copper leaves.

Axolotl also expanded internationally, opening two new 10,000 sqm factories - one in Thailand and the other in North America, both with state-of-the-art equipment and machinery. This gives Axolotl the capacity to service the world as well as creating opportunities for our Australian clients to specify Axolotl surfaces on larger-scale projects.

We hope you enjoy this video showcasing the new possibilities of working with Axolotl surfaces.

As we farewell 2022, we wish you all the best for a healthy, happy and successful 2023.

Axolotl will be closed for our annual shutdown from midday Friday, December 23 and reopen Monday, January 9, 2023.

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Kick off your shoes, grab a drink, and groove to our songs with our summer playlist.

Axolotl Summer Playlist 2022-23

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Coined after the bronze currency of the ancient Romans, the AES artwork is a modern treasure.

The custom Marcus Piper artwork was commissioned by Bijl Architecture for a private residence in Sydney’s Neutral Bay.

A self-described digital craftsperson – Piper creates finely detailed digital masterpieces which are physically built with unique and often modern fabrication processes. The site-specific AES artwork is a prime example, created with several modern and exacting technologies.

Axolotl has had the pleasure of collaborating with Piper on a series of art projects over the years. Each concept provides the opportunity for a new material combination or fabrication technique to be explored. In true form, AES was crafted with an innovative combination of techniques including a hand-polished and patinated Axolotl Bronze surface, precision machining and ultra-fine 3D printing.

The large-scale artwork is formed from multiple carved and embossed bronze panels. The geometry of the work was informed by the unique position along the stairwell and the brief to integrate the architectural handrail within.

Accentuating moments and highlights have been specifically placed throughout the work to play with the natural and artificial light, casting and creating shadows that present a different experience with each interaction. The concept and palette of the work mean that you will never see the artwork the same way twice, with factors such as the time of day, speed, and position of viewing all resulting in a unique viewing experience. Light and reflection combine to create an optical phenomenon with details that highlight and shift as you walk by.

AES is a true collaboration between the architect, artist, Axolotl, Stuart Wilson Constructions and Pittwater Joinery who all enthusiastically supported Piper’s vision, helping to develop, create and deliver the artwork.

Tim Robinson Photography

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Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens’ mixed-media artwork depicting hooded figures is a powerful exploration of the continuing legacies of colonialism and patriarchy. The materially rich work – with sea-green glass referencing Sydney Harbour and a patina that reflects the bronze panels on the iconic sandstone facade of the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ existing building – has been installed above the entranceway of the building. Located in the niche above the front door, Dickens’ work fills the space left empty by the contentious cancellation of a 1913 commission by the Australian sculptor Dora Ohlfsen.

Axolotl worked with Dickens and the AGNSW Curatorial team to develop and fabricate To see or not to see. 

The location provided the challenge of installing a semi-permanent artwork onto the heritage façade with no additional holes or fixings into the sandstone. This challenge was overcome with an engineered compression frame system that was designed, built, and tested to suit the artwork.

The artwork is composed of three glass panels made with a combination of Axolotl’s proprietary glass and metal techniques. 

Each panel was first kiln formed in Jade lustre glass. The kiln slumped technique enabled the silhouette of the hooded figures to sit pronounced and was selected in homage to the Bas-relief style of Ohlfsen’s original commission.

The lustre glass has a uniquely reflective quality that activates the artwork with haunting, glowing figures visible even from the footpath across the road from the gallery. No additional lighting or backlighting has been incorporated into the work.

The glass panels were then each treated with Axolotl’s semi-precious metal Link process to inlay Copper and Iron metals onto the surface. Dickens’ intricate hooded figures use a combination of Brown Rust, Black Rust and textured Majestic Rust to highlight the design, while the Copper background received a complementary sea green Verdigris patina which was polished with guidance by Dickens at the Axolotl workshop.

Axolotl is honoured to have worked with Karla Dickens and the Art Gallery of New South Wales on such a prominent and powerful artwork. We thank and congratulate all involved for creating such an important piece and after more than a century, completing the grand entry of the building.

For further information on this project please visit the project page on our AAP website here.

As we draw close to the end of 2021, we would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone here at Axolotl and also our extended team of brilliant architects, designers, artists, builders and renovators who we have the privilege to work with and are inspired by every day.

It was another Covid challenging year yet we managed to band together to produce some of the most exciting work with some of the best creative minds. Thank you for being a part of our favourite moments of the year; we couldn’t be more proud (and relieved) that we made it through with so much to be grateful for. Along with the usual end-of-year indulgences, we wish you all relief, health and happiness.

This year, we were honoured to be awarded both the 2021 Global Business Insight Awards for the Most Outstanding Architecture & Design Solutions Provider and the 2021 Corp Today Magazine for Interior/Exterior Metal Coating Innovators Of The Year.

We are proud to have sponsored:

The Good Design Awards
The Sustainability Awards
IDEA Awards
Habitus House of the Year
Denfair | Interiors Australia
Sculpture by the Sea Cottesloe
The Enmore Design Centre Graduating Students

We were thrilled to kick off our year with four of our Easels, designed by Adam Cornish, Marcus Piper, Jaime Hayon and Adam Goodrum, being purchased by the NGV for their permanent collection.

It has been a busy year for Axolotl Art Projects. We have completed a colossal five-storey facade artwork in glass and terracotta for the Hornsby/Ku-ring-gai Hospital, which we started in 2016 with artists Jade Oakley and Jessica Birk, and management by Creative Road.

New Zealand artist Gill Gatfield commissioned Axolotl Art Projects to create a marble and concrete sculpture for the M8 Motorway in St Peters curated by Cultural Capital.

We completed art projects for a laneway in Surry Hills with Marisa Purcell, and were pleased to be involved in the gate artwork for Yirranma Place in Liverpool Street Sydney with Badger Bates and Eveleigh Works.

We’ve also been working hard on a range of art projects with Broached Commissions. Production is underway on a glass work by Adam Goodrum for the Continental Hotel, striking cast cliff forms for Kent Street with Dutch artist Xandra van der Eijk and more.

And we are pleased to have just completed a set of Bronze bench sculptures for the Wesley Place precinct with artists, Maree Clarke, Trent Jansen and Broached Commissions.

To fulfil our ever-expanding workload and to continue investing in the innovation that has driven us for more than 25 years, we took the opportunity to take on a second factory right next door to us at 71 Beauchamp Rd, Matraville. This also coincides with some truly exciting news for our arts division as we join forces with Broached Commissions in 2022, and continue Axolotl's global expansion with some amazing partners which we will expand on in the new year.

We hope you enjoy this video showcasing the production of upcoming art projects which we will reveal in their full magnificence, along with all the above-mentioned projects, in detail next year.

So, as this year ends, we join everyone in wishing for a healthier and happier 2022 for all.

As always, we remain driven to continue being ‘The Future of Surface’, and look forward to the opportunities next year will bring.

Axolotl will be closed for our annual shutdown from midday Thursday December 23 and reopen Monday January 10, 2022.

You asked for it and Axolotl has delivered. We are super excited to introduce the latest additions to the Axolotl Applied Metal collection, Blackened Steel & Hot Rolled Steel.

As with our existing Axolotl applied treatments, these new metal surfaces can be applied to almost any substrate and are suitable for both interior and exterior applications. Meticulously polished and aged by hand, the end result emulates the industrial aesthetic of solid blackened steel without having to negotiate the issues associated with excessive weight and fabrication limitations.

There are limitless opportunities for the application of these two new finishes including balustrades, as shown above in the SBA Midland WA project, feature walls, facades, joinery and doors to name a few.

Blackened Steel

Hot Rolled Steel with Lineal Cutback

Hot Rolled Steel with custom cutback

For further information on how you can incorporate Blackened Steel and Hot Rolled Steel into your project, or for information on any of the Axolotl product range, visit our website, send us an email, or call us on 02 9666 1207 to make an appointment to visit our showroom.

Long time Axolotl collaborator and friend, artist Jade Oakley, recently completed this playful site specific installation titled Skipping Stones, in collaboration with Creative Road and Axolotl Art Projects (AAP). Spanning the forecourt of a residential development at Lachlan’s Line in Sydney, the 19 metre long installation consists of 22 hand cast concrete stones scattered around a reflective creek. A custom designed metal element in the centre bridges across the creek, which trickles between 2 bespoke metal grates.

Under Jade’s direction ochre was hand mixed into the cement creating a blending of colour on the surface of the stones. Jade’s hand drawn sketches, depicting native fauna found in nearby Lane Cove National Park, were carved by Axolotl into the surface of each of the cast concrete stones. The oversized pebbles, varying in size from 300mm long to 1500mm long, each sit on a ‘halo’ of Axolotl formed glass precision-cut panels, illuminated by subterranean lighting designed and programmed to glow intermittently in a rhythm inspired by the first large raindrops of a summer storm.

AAP was engaged by Jade Oakley and Creative Road to assist with various aspects of the design and documentation from the overall layout down to the detail of the metal bridge element ensuring compliance with local government regulation. The prototype incorporated and tested the install methodology of all of the elements that make up Skipping Stones, including custom formed glass, a custom carved concrete pebble, LED lighting, extruded framing and Stoneset.

In the artist’s words “There is a strong tactile quality to Skipping Stones. The concrete is lovingly polished, so that it is smooth and delicious to touch, a joy to sit on when warmed by the sun. The arrangement of stones encourages interaction with the public; children use them as stepping stones, jumping from one to the next. People sit on them, and use the sculpture as a gathering place.”

Skipping Stones evokes memories of water, play and interaction. The work encourages interaction especially for children and creates strong ties with the local landscape.

Photos Silversalt Photography

Natus Ex Igne, Latin for born of fire, is the latest collaboration between Axolotl Art Projects and Artist, Jane Cavanough. This striking exterior sculpture sits nestled between the buildings of Arkadia, a recently completed multi-residential development in the Sydney Park precinct. Jane worked closely with the teams at DKO Architecture and Oculus Landscape Architecture, alongside Guppy Associates Art Management, to develop the concept for the site-specific artwork. A grouping of three tapering corten steel cones, the sculpture references the sentinel smokestacks that highlight the skyline from the former Sydney Brickworks, located in neighbouring Sydney Park.

Axolotl Art Projects was engaged to produce three bespoke complex glass shapes adorning the large conical forms. Jane selected Axolotl MIRO low iron acid-etched laminated glass, incorporating a custom print designed in collaboration with local artist, Philippa Playford, onto a clear interlayer. The bold combination of line and colour resembles the glow of fire and rings of smoke. When illuminated at night, the translucency of the glass provides a transmissive barrier allowing the internal lighting to emit a soft glow and provide a further dimension to the sculpture.

Natus Ex Igne’s elegant paired back conical tapering forms have a quiet and powerful clarity that connects both with past local history and present day acknowledging the architectural selection of recycled bricks as the main external material of the surrounding buildings.

Fabricated in three different sizes, the corten steel sculptures animate the space around them for contemplation and interaction. The largest cone, standing three metres, features a hollowed out scalloped core, resembling the shadow of a former chimney. The horizontal cone provides a tension and playfulness when confronted with a large aperture of glass designed to further extend the metaphor of fire.

Photos Simon Wood

Axolotl has recently updated our operations in line with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions by the Australian federal and state governments. It is our number one priority to continue to keep our employees, clients, families and communities healthy and safe.

Our showroom is now open by appointment only, please contact us on 02 9666 1207 or at info@axolotl.com.au to arrange a visit.

Please note the following conditions for all visitors to our showroom and factory, these measures have been put in place so we can ensure a safe work environment for all Axolotl employees and we appreciate your cooperation:

- a mask must be worn at all times during your visit, Axolotl can provide masks if required.
- all Axolotl employees meeting with visitors will also wear a mask for the duration of the visit to minimise any risk to you
- hand sanisiter is to be used on arrival
- visits must be kept to a maximum of 15 minutes
- social distancing must be observed, please keep at least 1.5m apart
- bathroom facilities will not be made available for the use of visitors

For those of you in isolation or who prefer to stay at home, we are happy to assist you over the phone and via email, and have embraced video chat technologies including FaceTime, Skype and Zoom to enable us to "virtually" show you through our showroom and our myriad samples. We know it's important to see and feel our surfaces for yourself and will continue to Express Post samples out daily on request.

Our factory and warehouse operations are continuing as usual, while strictly adhering to social distancing guidelines. Our factory hours of operation for deliveries and collections remain unchanged, Mon - Thurs 7am - 3pm, Fri 7am - 1.45pm.

We have implemented the following hygiene procedures to ensure your safety and ours:
- we no longer require a signature for deliveries and collections, just your name and contact number, to minimise the spread through transfer via pens or paper
- our EFTPOS machine is wiped clean with disinfecting wipes both before and after your PIN is required. 
- strict adherence to the 1.5m social distancing guidelines at all times

We respectfully ask that all visitors follow these guidelines when delivering to or collecting items from our factory.

If you would like to arrange an appointment for either a physical or virtual visit or if you have any queries at all please feel free to contact us on 02 9666 1207 or at info@axolotl.com.au

Doors have long been a hero product of Axolotl, showcasing our creativity and extensive range of surfaces. Now with the ability to 3D print almost any design onto your door, no matter how intricate, practically anything is possible. 3D printing is available for doors and panels in sizes up to 2400 x 1600mm and aligned with the imagination of homeowners and professional designers, it is proving a major disruptor in the design world. 

Axolotl makes it simple to achieve a highly personalised, statement entry-piece whether intricate or unadorned, aged or polished, rust or concrete. In fact we are increasingly seeing our doors less as a utilitarian item and more as a point of functional sculpture to add architectural detail, colour, texture – and value - to a home.

Axolotl continues to lead the market in contemporary surfaces and our range of doors exemplify our unique product. All doors we create are custom designed by our in-house team of designers in ongoing consultation with our clients, allowing you complete control and ownership over the process. This inclusive collaboration produces stunning results, such as those shown below.

Surface: Gold Bronze Florentine 3D Printed Splice Design
Photo: Nicole England

Surface: Aluminium Antique 3D Printed Custom Aerial Photo Design

Surface: Nickel Florentine 3D Printed Prism Design

Find more door inspiration in our gallery here, and for more information on our treatments and how they can be used on your next project visit our showroom or website, or call the office today on 02 9666 1207.

The oversized doors shown above were constructed by Graham Day Garage Doors.