Originally built in the 1970’s, KP Architects were engaged by Spirit Hotels to design the major refurbishment of the Browns Plains Hotel. Maintaining the primary structure and back of house areas, the main hotel was gutted to accommodate the new layout which included the redesign of the bistro, public bar, gaming room, function room and outdoor dining areas.

The design brief was to create spaces within an environment which current customers felt comfortable in but also appealed to new customers in the area.  A central island bar located in the public bar was therefor designed to create a traditional pub feel which respected the existing local patrons of the hotel but also welcomed new customers, by providing an engaging drinking experience where customers could sit at the bar and converse not only with each other but the hotel staff.

Raw honest materials including brick, timber and concrete were selected consistently throughout the refurbishment; these were then overlayed with a combination of, dynamic carpets, exposed ceilings, soft furnishings, classic ceramic tiles and traditional pressed metal to create a series of comfortable, warm and inviting drinking and dining spaces with a contemporary edge while still paying homage to the traditional bars of the past.

Externally, two large flying roofs were designed not only to extend the hotels inviting atmosphere outside, by providing a covered alfresco dining room from the bistro and a covered beer garden from the public bar, but also to enhance the building façade and reorientate the entrance to the hotel from the car park where the two roofs are separated by a feature concrete portal and landscaping.