An interesting project undertaken by the practice of Techne Architects was for an extension to the Prahran Hotel in Melbourne, Australia. The hotel, in the Australian sense of the word as a pub or pub/eatery, is located in a simple 1940s structure with an iconic Art Deco facade. Surprisingly, the client chose a contemporary design option to extend the facilities of the hotel, including a facade created from piled up concrete pipes, reminiscent of a stack of beer barrels.
The interior of each pipe is lined in wood and furnished with luxurious leather seats to create an intimate booth, a space which interacts equally well with the street and the interior of the hotel, a warm space of wood, metal and concrete, interspersed with abundant greenery. A staircase leads to the upper level and a suspended half pipe which acts as a VIP dining space for 10. A central courtyard allows daylight to penetrate the space and a corrugated concrete wall with cut out portholes add a touch of nature through the luxuriant hanging plants.
The bar area stands out with its facade of salvaged pipes and concrete cast lamps and the metal based bar stools stand beside central wooden tables which may be removed to provide a dance floor for events and functions. A daring design intervention in contemporary industrial materials provides the hotel and the local community with a dynamic social space which does not lose sight of customer comfort through its pioneering design aesthetic.
