125m2 Custom Mezzanine - Salvos Stores Textile Recovery Facility

Needed one connected flow for clothing, from sorting on the ground floor to loading the processing machines; a workspace under the mezzanine that feels open and comfortable; easy access across to other work areas and machines.

125m² heavy-duty steel mezzanine, with both levels put to work; stairs and handrails; pallet gate for forklift loading to the top level; walkways across to other work areas and machines; dedicated workspace underneath with clear curtains, safety doors, air conditioning and lighting; painted in clean colours.

The Salvos Stores Textile Recovery Facility in Carole Park is the first of its kind in Australia, and one of a handful around the world. Inside, a specialised machine removes buttons, zips and other hard bits from clothing, sorts the fabric by type and cuts it into small squares. Those squares go on to become insulation batts for soundproofing and temperature control. Old clothes, new purpose.

The design started with one question: how does clothing move through this building? The answer was a 125m² heavy-duty steel mezzanine that adds a second working level to the factory. Underneath sits a dedicated sorting space. Clear curtains keep it open and bright, and air conditioning and lighting make it a comfortable place to work. Clothing rolls in through safety doors, gets sorted and goes into tubs. A forklift lifts the tubs onto the top level through the pallet gate, where the team wheels them across a walkway to load the processing machines.

Stairs, handrails and walkways connect the mezzanine to the surrounding work areas and machines, and the whole structure is painted in clean colours. The result is one smooth flow, from the first sort to the final cut.