Lighting: Dynamark & Powerlight
Carpet: Feltex & Tretford
Furniture: Sketch design by Interior designer manufactured by Furniture Options
Light Column material: Melacore by Worldwide Timber Traders
Acoustic Wall Panels: Décor System
Marble/Stone: Bernini, Beauty stone
Tiles: Bisazza, Imported ceramics, Ceramic tile suppliers
Wallpaper: Surface
Fabrics: Maharam, Elliot clark, Warwick
Paint: Dulux & Wattyl

The Breakwater
58 Southside Drive
Hillarys Boat Harbour
Hillarys WA 6025
08 9448 5000
www.thebreakwater.com.au

The Breakwater is located on the Sorrento Quay Boardwalk in Hillarys Boat Harbour, one of WA’s
premier recreational destinations for both local and foreign visitors.

The Sorrento Quay Boardwalk has been recently enhanced by an extension to the north with a building (designed by Cox Howlett & Bailey Woodland) that accommodates The Breakwater as its anchor tenant.

Oldfield Knott was commissioned to design interiors to a rigorous brief. The client intends to fill a niche in northern suburb food and beverage facilities, and briefed the team to produce spaces characterizing “urban resort” and “cruise liner”.

Entry is delineated by timber screens and backlit signage, and the simple vestibule soon presents
a choice of lounge and dining areas.

The main lounge culminates in a glazed double volume, graced by marble fireplace and glowing amber columns, which punctuate both floors, in harmony with the crisp building façade. The columns are clad with Melacore, a translucent plastic laminate with natural pressed fibers, and edged with dark timber. Glass bi-folding doors open onto dining decks, which, though screened, still feel part of the convivial waterfront.

Materials were selected for durability and function, yet downstairs, they form a stylish and relaxed interior that complements the marina ambience.

Colour schemes reflect The Breakwater’s corporate colours, and seating has been considered to present variety.

Upstairs, the finishes are more cosmopolitan; each space was given a distinct theme while retaining visual links to other rooms. The Ishka Restaurant above the main lounge offers diners expansive views of the ocean.


Reid’s Lounge, named for the client’s father, is a composition of luxurious and refined finishes. The cocktail has backlit white marble and innovative uses of stainless steel. The Akoya Suite is a flexible space, with operable walls designed to create expandable function rooms.

The consultants and specialist suppliers liaised to produce hospitality-specific design solutions while striving for maximum use of licensed space. The brief required a scheme to accommodate 135 staff, two commercial kitchens in simultaneous operation, and the largest tap manifold in WA.

At conception, it was challenging to design theatrical lighting that would not conflict with the natural light. During design development, the entire venue was deemed to require acoustic ceilings, which required the structure suitably redesigned for additional weight.

In response to the brief, The Breakwater is a sophisticated and multi-faceted venue that caters for up to 1460 patrons with high quality facilities for dining, drinking, corporate functions and special events.

As The Breakwater was a totally new build, AV suppliers and installers Mega Vision Sound & Lighting were able to install cabling and the necessary infrastructure required as the building progressed.

”That was good but it did make the project along, drawn out process and there were a few changes along the way,” said Jeff Georgiou, Mega Vision’s managing director. “However, it all came together well in the end. As the venue is so big, the owner fortunately took the option of installing a Crestron system and, to my knowledge, this is the first pub to actually have a full Crestron system as its control device for audio, vision and lighting. The venue has twenty-three audio zones over two floors and really there was no other digital solution for what he wanted to achieve at his venue.”

Turbosound speakers, including Impact 65’s, ceiling speakers and 101CW speakers, were the preferred choice all driven by lab gruppen amplifiers

”Yet again, it’s keeping really good quality throughout the entire system,” added Jeff.

As the venue features a large expanse of glass, cabling became a major issue for Mega Vision who had to ensure that all cabling was hidden. Sean Reid, the venue owner, was adamant that no cabling should show. This often meant that Mega Vision would have to run up to fifteen metres of cabling to run it to the required point without being seen. Cable is even hidden within the silicon of glass.

Despite the amount of glass within the venue the acoustics are good although there are some acoustic barriers still to be overcome.

”Because there are a fair quantity of speakers in the venue they don’t have to belt the sound out to make it travel,” commented Jeff.

Crestron PRO2

Professional Dual Bus Control System

* 2-Series engine | Dual-bus architecture
* 4GB Compact Flash memory card slot
* Cresnet port - master/slave selectable

Crestron 2-Series Control Systems are the brain of a complete integrated AV or automation solution. Every audio, video, and environmental element of the home, boardroom, classroom, or command center becomes integrated and accessible through the control system. Crestron 2-Series control systems are unmatched for power, performance and scalability, providing the ideal choice for today's demanding control applications.

The flagship PRO2 is designed for medium to large-scale commercial and residential control applications. Six built-in COM ports, eight IR/Serial ports, eight I/O Versiports, eight isolated relays, and optional Ethernet provide the essential interface for control of numerous devices including video projectors, plasma displays, switchers, DVD players, screens, lifts, and much more. The PRO2 features a built-in power supply, with power available to support external Cresnet devices including touchpanels, keypads and expansion modules.