Charcoal Lane is a commercial restaurant as well as a training facility which provides the opportunity for Aboriginal and disadvantaged young people to transform their lives through the aquisition of valuable skills and positive engagement with the wider Melbourne community.

Given the historic and cultural importance of this building, Tandem engaged in an active and thorough consultation program. Tandem worked with Mission Australia, the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service and Aboriginal Affairs Victoria as the key stakeholders
and end users, as well as with various Victorian Aboriginal artists and artisans who produced various works for the building.

Tandem also worked with the wider context of the building to create a high quality space which responds to the local context of restaurants and galleries as well as making connections with local indigenous culture. The simple black and white base palette used in the building allows for the insertion of artworks and crafts, as well as clearly revealing the heritage of the building itself. The use of natural materials such as timber and bamboo brings warmth to the space. All of these materials were selected from sustainabile
sources and are expressed clearly in the design.

Photographs: Sonia Mangiapane