After a devastating fire in 2008 the Richmond Club Hotel is finally complete with the recent opening of the first and second floor levels. The ground floor, which opened in 2009, is still a fairly casual pub whilst the first floor has more of a club vibe with a small dance floor and popular booths. The top level boasts awesome views of the city and will no doubt be a great summer destination.

Techne Architects were asked to rebuild a new structure on the remains of the burnt out hotel. The venue owners, Sand Hill Road, wanted all three levels to be connected in a more meaningful way, opening up the bars to outdoor spaces and giving vertical access to light, views and circulation. The design needed to capitalize on the existing character of the building as well as the opportunities of the unique site, allowing panoramic views to the CBD, sporting stadiums, botanic gardens and the industrial train viaduct. Functionally, the pub had to cater for a multitude of uses, from casual punters, to diners, private functions and even massive football crowds on game days.

The site held some unique features and although most of the building had been destroyed by fire, the building was protected by a heritage overlay and so Techne Architects had to take on restoration work as well as structural work.

The programming of the space is intentionally loose, with many of the spaces needing to function in multiple ways. For example a booth may accommodate two small groups for drinks, one larger group of diners or larger crowds standing.

The ground floor is more old-world, with a classic pub ‘front bar’ and various dining spaces including large booths. The beer garden to the rear is built around garden beds retained with concrete road barriers, with large communal picnic style tables.

The first floor retains a smaller balcony to Swan St, with a lounge area and smaller bar able to be utilized for functions and busy times. It then opens onto a dance floor and a large central bar. This room is divided into multiple forms of seating, all of which function as social gathering space but also dining settings during quieter times. The back half of the first floor has been left uncovered as a large terrace area, serving as outdoor space and access to the rear circulation and beer garden.

The second floor is predominantly open as a rooftop garden with its own bar with the space divided by interlocking circular booths.

All the floors are connected through a caged out stair in the center of the pub and a cascading stair to the rear. The stepped nature of the rear façade allows for more outdoor space and a stronger vertical relationship. Two internal voids between the first and second floors catch daylight and allow connecting views.

As with most projects of this nature there were several obstacles to overcome including the town planning process drawn out to VCAT by one objector. Also, stringent town planning requirements including heavy acoustic restrictions and this resulted in having to surround open spaces with thickened glazing and employ sound absorptive materials on particular surfaces.

As the project was staged into two parts in order to open the ground floor as soon as possible, the early design decisions had to stand up to changes after stage one was built. This was especially difficult in terms of providing structure to build the next two floors on to. Similarly it was a challenge to construct the top two floors while the ground floor remained open for business.

In terms of ambience, the clients were insistent that the whole venue should feel approachable, and remain comfortable for a wide range of patrons, and this included creating a wider variety of spaces. Hence, the ambience graduates slowly from the tradition and internal nature of the classic front bar towards the open and playful qualities of the roof top garden.

The lighting is the most powerful design element in terms of creating a venue that functions throughout the day as bright naturally lit spaces and then ambient glowing space at night.  This gives the hotel the adaptability it needed to cater for multiple functions. The custom built lighting is designed individually from room to room, but carries the patterns and texture found throughout the pub to unify the concept.

Chosen materials were based around what was left of the existing building. The history and dramatic narrative of the pub were left exposed, while the new layering of materials explains the way in which the new structure has been grafted onto the old.

“We tried to give an honest depiction of the modern intervention attaching itself to the historical building,” commented Justin Northrop, Director, Techne Architects. “The vision of the clients and the architects was always to celebrate the history of the venue.”

Special features incorporated into the project include the grandeur of the internal voids and the overhanging roof structure as well as the protruding rooftop booths that appear to cling to the walls of the existing building. The sculptural lighting arrangement of custom fittings that wraps across the second floor ceiling and down the internal stair void are designed using LED inserts into standard PVC fixtures.

Of special note is the custom wallpaper in the bathrooms which incorporate Techne’s own photography to reflect the panoramic views onto the internal walls of the building. Another design focus is the concrete freeway barriers utilized as retaining walls for the ground level gardens.

Right from the initial sketches, the clients and architects shared a truly bold vision for the site. The final result is an extremely positive outcome, in the sense that the ambition of this concept has survived all of the complications that were presented.

“The clients’ satisfaction with the project is an apt reflection of their heavy involvement in the design process, and their ability to partake in the vision of the architects,” concluded Justin.

RTR Productions designed, supplied and installed the audio visual elements including eight LCD screens and QSC Series speakers, chosen for their quality and range according to Cris Cochis, RTR’s Production Manager.

“We have installed five QSC S52 speakers in the first floor bar, with two more in the first floor terrace and three in the VIP area,” he explained. “The dance floor, also on the first floor, uses two QSC S282 high powered dbl 8” and a Quest 15” sub plus the standard Pioneer DJ console.”

The top floor has five QSC S32 speakers installed in the terrace with two more in the bar area. All toilets have Quest 1080 ceiling speakers. All speakers are driven by QSC CX and RMX amplifiers.

The processing is done via an Allen&Heath IDR8 with an extra output extension card. All areas are independently controlled (volume and source selection) via an Allen&Heath PL10 and two Allen&Heath PL2 remote control devices.

“Council regulations were very hard to meet with a maximum high of loudspeaker in all outdoors areas of 1.5m and directed away from neighbours,” commented Cris.