Some retro trends, like carpeted bathrooms, truly belong in the past: been there, done that, never again. Others never really disappear. They stick around for generations, coming in and going out of fashion. Terrazzo falls into the second category. They're the bootcut jeans of the interior design universe, the polka dots of tile patterns - they look like they belong in another era, but are always on the brink of a comeback.
All of the original structural concrete columns were left exposed, as were the cement floors and some areas of terrazzo. The effect is that there is a varied palette of stone and similar elements. "A nice surprise was finding numerals that had been painted on the structural columns and which date from the construction of the building," says Jáuregui. The studio decided to leave them as a nod to the structure's history.
Terrazzo has long stood at the intersection of durability, artistry, and timeless appeal. Originating in Italy as a pragmatic way to reuse marble fragments in flooring, terrazzo has since become synonymous with elegance and strength in architecture. Traditionally crafted by hand using stone chips and lime and later, cement, it created continuous, seamless surfaces that celebrated both craftsmanship and endurance.
The Pier Pavilion, a permanent civic landmark designed by Besley & Spresser, made almost entirely from a bespoke terrazzo embedded with recycled rock oyster shells, opens on Sydney Harbor. The project, completed in 2025 after winning a national design competition in 2020, is the latest addition to the ongoing regeneration of the harbor along its western edge.