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don’t like poker machines.

Poker machines are a lifesapping tax on the poor, the brainless and the susceptible.

I guess with those words I can safely stake venue’s credentials: we’re not a magazine that’s ever tried to pick the scraps that fall from the gaming industry’s table.

But to be ‘anti pokies’ doesn’t make one ‘anti Clubs/RSLs’, on the contrary. I love Clubs.

Clubs and RSLs do amazing work, and they provide a community hub — often in low socio-economic urban areas — where, without them, there would be none. The Clubs industry provides subsidised meals, subsidised sports and recreational facilities, subsidised entertainment programs and reach out to other community groups (such as lifesaving clubs) that need the money.

Since venue began publishing, the Clubs sector has become very sophisticated. In a few short years they’ve gone from a dour hangout for single, old blokes nursing a midi of Reschs and a Winnie Blue, to being vibrant, fabulous-looking Locals, where the old blokes can still nurse their beer (the fag will have to go outside, thanks) but they now share the bar with gorgeous, bright young things who don’t have to catch a train into the CBD for their entertainment any longer.

Yes, it’s mostly fuelled by pokie dough, but let’s not forget, humans have been playing the ‘pokies’ since time immemorial. If people weren’t playing the pokies, they’d be down at the dog track; and if they weren’t backing the dish lickers they’d be in the back alley in a circle punting on the flip of a coin. Humans gamble. And if I’m going to wear my patronising middle class sermonising hat with real conviction, then I’d go on to say that I’d much rather know that people were spending their pension money in a RSL’s pokie lounge — where they can have some companionship, a manager who knows their name (and keeps an eye on their spending), and where they can get a $6 parma on a Wednesday — than in their armchair at home playing online blackjack.

And what’s more, the Clubs sector is a great patron of some tremendous interior design, AV and lighting, as demonstrated in our Clubs & Casino Special this issue. There may not always be a huge sense of risk-taking in the design, but the Clubs sector is a world leader in providing democratic style and comfort.

Meanwhile — as witnessed by the frantic work occurring in Australia’s two largest casinos, Crown and The Star — the casino market is feverishly trying to distance itself from the safe, reliable, comforting ambience provided in Clubs by exploring the more adventurous à la mode, ‘bleeding envelope’ of design to attract cashed-up, style conscious locals and internationals alike.

The breadth and quality of the F&B offerings at Crown and The Star is truly astounding — utterly world-class. And for our purposes, casinos provide a unique route for established and tyro design firms to let their imaginations run wild, as witnessed by some of the projects featured this issue.

I guess every right-minded person, at the very least, has a slightly uneasy attitude towards gambling and its impact on some people’s lives. But I for one love my time spent in well run Clubs and casinos that continue to invest in their outlets and infrastructure. And to those high-quality managers, boards and operators, this issue venue salutes you.

Christopher Holder, Editorial Director: chris@venuemag.com Get in touch with Chris on chris@venuemag.com

JUNE

Nº49

Contents

“Anything The Star does is good for Australia in general — good competition is better than bad competition” Nicholas Kurban, Crown — pg30

Thought Leaders Star Stuff, Mike Henry Interview pg18 Assuming The Crown, Nicholas Kurban pg30

CONTENTS CONTACTS: Advertising Office: (02) 9986 1188 PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086

Casinos

Editorial Office: (03) 5331 4949 PO Box 295, Ballarat, VIC 3353 Editor Director: Christopher Holder (chris@venuemag.com)) Publication Director: Stewart Woodhill (stewart@venuemag.com) Advertising Manager: Paul Cunningham (paul@venuemag.com)

Regulars

Publisher: Philip Spencer (philip@venuemag.com) Art Direction & Design: Dominic Carey (dominic@alchemedia.com.au) Additional Design: Leigh Ericksen (leigh@alchemedia.com.au) Circulation Manager: Jen Temm (subscriptions@alchemedia.com.au) Accounts: Jen Temm (accounts@alchemedia.com.au)

Clubs & RSLs

alchemedia publishing pty ltd (ABN: 34 074 431 628) PO Box 6216, Frenchs Forest, NSW 2086 info@alchemedia.com.au All material in this magazine is copyright Š 2012 Alchemedia Publishing Pty Ltd. The title Venue is a registered Trademark. Apart from any fair dealing permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission. The publishers believe all information supplied in this magazine to be correct at the time of publication. They are not in a position to make a guarantee to this effect and accept no liability in the event of any information proving inaccurate. After investigation and to the best of our knowledge and belief, prices, addresses and phone numbers were up to date at the time of publication. It is not possible for the publishers to ensure that advertisements appearing in this publication comply with the Trade Practices Act, 1974. The responsibility is on the person, company or advertising agency submitting or directing the advertisement for publication. The publishers cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions, although every endeavour has been made to ensure complete accuracy.

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Momofuku, The Star Marquee, The Star The Merrywell, Crown Mr Hive, Crown Casino Lighting

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Smooth Operator Music Connection Sit Kit Lit Commercial Edge Preferred Suppliers You Wish

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Collegians Nambour RSL Shellharbour Club Merewether Surfhouse Tradies Gymea Austral Bowling Club Maroubra Seals Parramatta Leagues Club Central Menai

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SMOOTH OPERATOR Surfing the steep learning curve of social media can be a white knuckle ride.

Matt Mullins is a partner in Sand Hill Road hospitality group

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onfession: I know very little about Facebook. Sure, I know I’ve Friended way too many people I barely know, without understanding I’d have to wade through reams of posts about their favourite cereal before I’d get to anything from anyone I actually wanted to know about.

Likewise, I know very little about Twitter. I know Charlie Sheen used it to wonderful effect during his implosion last year, to further the causes of drug-taking, polygamy and porn stars. But that’s about it.

So I’m in no position to offer advice on the brave new world of social media marketing. And yet, I’m about to. But ain’t that the funny thing about the brave new world of social media? Everyone’s an expert.

At Sand Hill Road we’ve been using Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare to monitor and market our venues for about a year. We began by having one of our young barmen set up profiles for each of our pubs, and send out the occasional message. When we started, it was purely promotional; advertising — social media at its lamest.

We’d plug a special, a deal, a promo. Remember, 12–18 months ago Foursquare had only just arrived here, Twitter had just taken off in Australia, and Facebook pages were only a few years old (the ‘Like’ button was only introduced in 2010).

Like the rest of Australia, we were on a very steep learning curve. Whether it was the quality of our content, or just the timing, we had very slow uptake in the first six months. Our Facebook pages gathered Likes at one or two a week. Twitter followers came onboard at a similar rate.

But on the off chance this whole social media thing was going to take off, we called in the experts. We had a consultant rebuild our profiles and take responsibility for sending out content.

Messages shifted from advertising to advertising interspersed with messages about our staff, photos of renovations, and recipes of a dish on the menu that day. We personalised our content, and found a big improvement in uptake. Now for those of you saying: “What?! You paid a consultant to ‘personalise’ your content?!”, you’re absolutely right. It was a step in the right direction, but paying someone else to speak with your voice is never going to be truly authentic, no matter how good they are. Authentic content must be generated by stakeholders who have a pioneering

relationship with the product and to its market.

But what’s authentic?

Just like the real world, the internet only engages people if the conversation is good. We only read tweets that interest us. We only Like pages whose content means something to us. We only Friend people we like (actually, we all know that isn’t true, but how do you keep ignoring that friend of a friend who now wants to be… a Friend?). More accurately, we only take the time to read the posts of people we like, or people who engage us.

So the focus of our efforts now, is to engage people. We’ve taken over our social media ourselves.

We generate our own content. We are the personality behind the Richmond Club, the Prahran Hotel and the Bridge Hotel, behind Holliava and the Post Office. When someone gets a message from one of our venues, it comes from the guys who own it. And surprise surprise, punters know the difference; our uptake has jumped sharply.

If you’re a venue operator and you’re wondering whether this stuff’s for you, consider this: in just 6 months, our venues have gathered 4348 new Friends on Facebook. We know their gender and age range. We know what areas they live in. We know the vast majority of them attend our venues.

In short, we know they’re our market. We can talk directly to them any time we want, and they’ll keep listening to what we have to say, so long as what we have to say interests them. Can you imagine what it would cost to score a direct hit to 4348 customers with a traditional media ad?

Consider this also: your venue is already online, whether you know it or not. People are messaging, blogging, updating and tweeting about your pub, bar, hotel or restaurant right now. If you’re giving bad service, or serving bad food, or your security are hitting people, or your bathrooms are dirty, someone’s telling someone else about it online… only you don’t know about it. Owning your online presence won’t intercept every message, and it won’t stop the bad ones, but it gives you a degree of control. You get to respond. You get to deal with the complainant one on one.

One of the biggest complaints we get on our pages, for instance, are from people waiting in line out the front of our venues. They’re often frustrated, cold and angry, and they’ve got plenty of time to pull out their iPhone, jump on our Facebook page and bag us for not letting them in. All their friends get their rant, as do all ours. But

“When someone gets a message from one of our venues, it comes from the guys who own it. And surprise surprise, punters know the difference” then we get to respond, politely and nicely, to apologise for the line, to promise we’re doing our best, to point out that we have a legal limit on the premises and that it’s a bit rough to complain when you’ve chosen to stand in our line rather than walk down the road to any one of a number of venues without lines. And guess what happens next? Others online (and in line) take the time to agree with us.

But you can’t appease everyone. The online world can be anonymous. It provides unbounded opportunities for every sad, lonely, angry, f**ked-up idiot to say whatever they like, behind a veil of anonymity, happily trashing the business you’ve spent years building and probably have a third or fourth mortgage on. It’s no different to the guy who throws an empty glass over a second floor balcony then runs off before it hits the people below (remember Trainspotting? Remember Begby?). Next time you see a horrible post on your venue’s Facebook page, click on the person who wrote it – chances are it’ll be a made-up name with no photo, no profile info, no friends and no other activity whatsoever. Is it your competitor? Is it a disgruntled staff member? You’ll never know. Likewise, Urbanspoon, while handy at times, is all too often a repository for bile and vitriol from mostly anonymous identities who can say and do whatever they like online, then run off before the glass hits the floor. Bloody Begby.

What a nut.

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MUSIC CONNECTION Understand just how crucial the right music is to the success of your venue.

Stuart Watters is a Director of Morph TV and consults for Nightlife Music

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onnecting with people through music has a proven and measurable effect on bar trade and provides an opportunity to turn a good experience into a memorable one that will generate repeat trade.

In hospitality there are a number of key deliverables that need to be in place for a business to develop a loyal customer base. While elements like decor, product range and service can be tightly managed, the ambience created by music in a venue is an intangible that requires a systematic approach.

expectations.

As a consultant to Nightlife, when I consider a venue’s audio needs I ask a series of key questions: • Can customers hear the music? i.e. is it too soft or too loud in terms of acoustic volume and clarity?

• Does the music make a good impression and thereby add to the experience via a positive connection?

• Does the music make customers want to stay longer?

• Is it about popular songs or the right music?

COMPETITIVE TOOL “Just as interior design is part of the experience, music has become an important competitive tool for business owners.” So wrote Jacob Lusensky in Uncovering a Musical Myth.

The moment a customer walks into a venue, he or she will be making a range of judgements both explicit and subliminal.

As part of their customer experience, there are a number of aesthetic check boxes that people go through and if there is a positive connection with the music, then that customer is going to take away an elevated and positive experience from the venue. In my day-to-day world providing services to Nightlife Music, the question of “what’s the right music?” comes up regularly. Nightlife has a client base of over 2000 venues that span every state and territory in the country, from regional clubs and pubs to metropolitan nightclubs and bars to suburban superpubs and sporting clubs. The trick to how we get the right answer to that question is about recognising what makes that venue unique and to understand the venue first and then match the music that reflects it as a business. Consider this the venue’s ‘audio brand’. What works for the inner city metro Melbourne bar is not necessarily going to work for the regional Queensland RSL Club which has an entirely different demographic and, as such, entirely different music needs to meet their customers’

UNCOVERING A MUSICAL MYTH In a recent survey undertaken by Swedish company Heartbeats International, called ‘Uncovering A Musical Myth — A Survey of Music’s Impact in Public Places’, it surveyed 1000 people aged between 16 and 64 asking them questions about the impact of music in their everyday lives, public spaces and at work. The resulting information led them to publish what they called the ‘Five Truths’, or ‘Insights’, which are as follows: 1. People rank music as more difficult to live without than sports, movies and newspapers.

2. Playing the right music in your business makes consumers stay longer.

3. Music played in your business affects consumers’ opinion of your brand.

4. Music enhances wellbeing among employees in workplaces.

5. People think it is important that artists, musicians and songwriters get paid for music being played in public places.

One particularly thought-provoking insight from this paper was Truth No. 2, regarding the issue of businesses playing the right music. Flipping this around and thinking about what happens when a venue plays the ‘wrong’ music, you can surmise the survey found that: • The wrong music played too loudly makes consumers leave.

• The wrong music will make people leave, not come back, spend less and not recom-

“Business owners who value music … in the same way they value the visual aesthetic of their venue are already ahead of the game” mend others to visit.

• The absence of music in a business is negative.

STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME Like I say, thought provoking stuff. Consider this: a single venue in a given week will have a range of different music needs to match the time of day, day of the week, whether it’s full or empty, and whether people are partying or dining. As a result, the one public space has a range of different audio needs that need to be met. Therefore, there is a lot of thought that needs to be put into ensuring the right music is being played at the right time, in the right space, and this has to be matched to the customer to complete the experience for them.

Business owners who have acknowledged that music is a powerful way of connecting with people and value music accordingly, in the same way they value the visual aesthetic of their venue, are already ahead of the game. They have a unique edge and are able to incorporate a quality and appropriate music to their business and ultimately to their customers’ experience. Once they have this right, they can then establish what other visual tools, like music video, and ambient visuals, can be employed to further add to the overall ambience of the venue. We’ll save that for a future instalment of ‘Music Connection’.

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17

STAR STUFF Building the new Star in a 24x7x365 functioning casino complex has been an almighty effort. venue seeks out Echo Entertainment’s go-to building man, Mike Henry, to hear how it’s being done.

Interview: Christopher Holder 18

The Star 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont NSW www.star.com.au

T

here’s already much to be proud of, but Mike Henry can’t take his eyes off the half-completed Events Centre. He and venue have been inspecting the finished and not-quite finished scope of The Star’s refurbishment and from a vantage point we can see the progress. It’s big (1500 banquet style) and involved (“one of the most complex structures ever built in steel”) and for Mike it will be the jewel in the crown of a very ambitious project. The Events Centre will be column-free, weigh the equivalent of a 15-storey office tower and finally Crown’s Palladium will have some serious competition for The Logies and The Allan Border Medal.

For Mike, the Events Centre represents everything that’s gone right with The Star build — a big, versatile, multi-disciplinary team of contractors and consultants pulling together to build something significant on time and on budget. During the period, the ranks of Echo’s senior management have changed, sometimes spectacularly, but Mike Henry remains constant, keeping the project team inspired and moving forward.

I don’t know what they’re paying Mike, but he’s worth double, especially given the fact that much of what we now know as ‘The Star’s transformation’ can be attributed to Echo’s General Manager of Development and Property Management.

REINVENTION REQUIRED It doesn’t take a genius to have identified that the old Star City Casino needed a shot in the arm — that much was obvious. But actually being able to execute a $860m renovation without completely shutting down operations is something else again.

Mike Henry came in as a specialist in large-scale, ‘tricky build’ projects. The Star refurb may well be the job that defines his career. It has been enormous.

“Our role is to do our job, do it well and get the quality we’re after, but at the same time we’re conscious of the fact we’ve got to keep a 24/7 business running. There’s always that arm wrestle between those two demands but we’ve been able to systematically manage it. For example, what you don’t see is $40m worth of infrastructure redevelopment we’ve invested and we’ve had something like 210 cutovers and electrical shutdowns without any real impact to the business whatsoever.

And that’s been over a two and a half year period.” venue: Everyone talks about how the old Star City Casino was ‘pointing’ in the wrong direction — facing Pyrmont rather than Darling Harbour. Was ‘realigning’ the site an early priority?

Mike Henry: Right. It was. We’ve now made the facade visually transparent. And in so doing, we’ve opened up The Star to Sydney, the Harbour Bridge, and the beautiful skyline. That’s a lot of glazing. Basically, it’s four storeys of brand new extension. Within that extension we have what we call our two ‘anchor’ signature restaurants — Black by Ezard, and Balla by Manfredi — and the extension has allowed us the luxury of building a terrace on top, which will accommodate around 1000 people on New Year’s Eve night.

My take on it is: we’ve always had a beautiful harbour at our doorstep but we became complacent. We’ve now been able to integrate the harbour with the complex.

We’ve now got a unique façade that is not only visually transparent but allows for fresh air and ventilation on a hot summer’s night. And it’s being able to integrate the public area and give the people true public access and also giving them an experience when they come in here — it’s something very different. venue: How would you describe what was wrong with

the old Star City Casino?

MH: The previous offering was poor — there’s no other way to describe it. We’re now focussed on providing an experience for people, where they can come for entertainment, food, hospitality and service — lifting the standard across the board, because previously, it was tacky. The other aspect is variety. You can now come to The Star and have a variety of different experiences. venue: So it was always going to be a major overhaul rather than a ‘tarting up’?

MH: After years of not reinvesting we knew that it would be a significant refurbishment. Even just to keep up with where the RSLs have been going in recent years, and also to compete with Crown head to head, we had to do something fairly unique. I think we’ve been able to achieve something that Crown doesn’t have — a genuine waterfront property. They’d like to have one but they don’t. venue: Right. So The Star is clearly not just a local casino anymore, like a Burswood or Adelaide.

MH: The works have brought The Star to a truly international level. Whereas before we were very stuck in the local mould, where we were competing against the neighbourhood RSLs. There’s no question that The Star is now on the international stage. venue: And that’s borne out in the visitor numbers?

MH: Well, for example, our international business has increased by 99%, which is phenomenal. The (Darling) hotel has been full since it’s opened. And we’ve certainly had a great response from the celebrities who have stayed there such as George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio.

WINNING OVER LOCALS venue: Having international celebs tweeting nice things is one thing, but I guess winning over the locals is just as important?

MH: I think regular Sydney people are beginning to realise just how good The Star is: how good the food is and what a great environment it is. Obviously what they were offered before was so poor, and it will take time for The Star to be local social hub — but we’re getting there. The events we’ve been staging certainly help. An Officer and a Gentlemen is now on at The Lyric theatre, and we’ve had the likes of Bon Jovi and Stevie Wonder on in concert. These events undoubtedly introduce people to The Star.

19

RIGHT TEAM venue: From the outside, it seems like the design and architecture has been a ‘cast of thousands’.

MH: We went through a process of selection of the right architects. We’ve pursued a policy of combining subjectively ‘safe’, solid architectural and design choices with those that are arguably ‘riskier’ — younger, energetic designers. We’ve also combined international talent with locals.

For example, obviously we’ve relied on Cox, which is probably one of Sydney’s founding architecture firms and renowned for the type of work they do. And we’ve had Fitzpatrick & Partners which did the design for the extension and has been doing the Events Centre.

Then we’ve had Paul Kelly design Black and Sokyo.

He’s a unique individual and has been able to inject an incredible amount of energy in his work. We’ve had an established firm like Luigi Rosselli do Balla.

But on the other hand we’ve got Luchetti Krell doing Momofuku. Another example can be seen with ICrave from The States providing the original concepts for the Marquee nightclub, with Squillace Nicholas ArThese images provide a glimpse of the variety of work undertaken at The Star.

(Left) The Darling Harbour facing facade and extensions are new, providing a far more open, airy and pleasing face to the world.

chitects providing the local knowhow and flair. So to have young up-and-comers who are sharp and innovative — that’s what we wanted.

And for the main gaming floor we deferred to a designer from the Friedmutter Group and he did all the master planning and the actual concepts and we had the Buchan Group document it. So we had the best of both worlds. We got the smarts internationally, we brought it here, then we’ve ‘Australian-ised’ it and documented it here. venue: And a similar story for the builders on the project?

MH: Multiplex has been the main builder, working on the Events Centre, the extension and The Darling.

And we’ve had a number of other builders. Isis was the contractor behind the bulk of the gaming floor and VIP private gaming room. Their workmanship has been excellent. Buildcorp and MPA have done some great work on the restaurants, and we’ve had a couple of other smaller builders in there doing a number of things for us as well. For such a large-scale multi-faceted job it’s all dovetailed together nicely. venue: Has that been the secret of the success do you think? The selection and management of the contractors?

M: I’ve got a great team around me, and you’re right, the success lies in being able to manage that team.

We’ve had to deal with changes in government and I’m probably the last remaining person of the management team that started in the job. So there’s been significant changes in personnel but being able to provide some consistency; maintain a professional approach to the job; and selecting the right people — the right builders and contractors — has been essential to our success. venue: It sounds to me like that you’re highlighting the

main aspect of your job that gives you most satisfaction?

MH: For me personally it has been a very complex project and a multi-faceted project. The structural engineering is highly complex and we have great consultants, a great team and one of the things I’m most proud of is the camaraderie on this project compared to others. We’ve hit every deadline, we’re under our budgets, we’ve achieved a high-end quality and we’ve done it with virtually no fuss — we’ve got the job done and we have no issues and no complaints. We have niggles and normal commercial tensions but we’re robust in how we’ve dealt with all of those and we tend to be very pro-active.

SHINE ON ‘The Star’s transformation’. They’re words venue seems to be printing with monotonous regularity. But every chance I get to wander around The Star I can scarcely believe it’s the same place. Whether it’s dining at one of the amazing new restaurants, clubbing at the Marquee, playing the tables, shopping for fancy duds, catching some live music or having a cocktail in one of the bars, being at The Star is now endlessly satisfying.

Of course, after any big build comes the operation of the venue, and The Star now needs to be run. Something that Mike Henry reflected on in our interview: “I’m the lucky guy. I get to spend all the money and put it all together. What we have now is the operational team going into that operational phase and really making it work and drive it through for the business.”

While the world (and James Packer) is watching.

Mike Henry (suited fourth from the left) with his team.

THE BUILDERS Brookfield Multiplex: www.brookfieldmultiplex.com Isis Construction: (02) 9906 6977 or www.isis.com.au Buildcorp: www.buildcorp.com.au MPA: www.mpagroup.com.au Stowe Australia: www.stoweaustralia.com.au

THE ARCHITECTS & DESIGNERS Cox: www.coxarchitects.com.au Paul Kelly Design: (02) 9660 8299 or paulkellydesign.com.au Squillace Architects: (02) 8354 1300 or www.squillace.com.au Fitzpatrick + Partners: (02) 8274 8200 or www.fitzpatrickpartners.com.au Luchetti Krelle: (02) 9699 3425 or www.luchettikrelle.com.au Buchan Group: www.buchan.com.au Friedmutter Group: www.friedmuttergroup.com

20 The Darling, recent winner of Best New Hotel Construction & Design in the International Hotel Awards Asia-Pacific.

WHAT THE MOMOFUKU? David Chang’s first international foray finds a home at The Star.

Momofuku Seibo The Star, 80 Pyrmont St, Sydney NSW

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he launch of Momofuku Seiobo was undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated Sydney restaurant openings in recent years. The news that star chef David Chang was to open his first restaurant outside New York right here in our harbour city set the foodie scene abuzz.

Food critics flocked to The Star to taste their 15 courses and left raving — Terry Durack even declaring that Seiobo had “already changed Sydney”.

Seiobo’s arrival — it is named after a Japanese goddess — is also part of the $850m rejuvenation of The Star.

It’s there alongside other big names from big-name chefs, like Balla from Stefano Manfredi, Black from Teage Ezard, Bistro 80 from Paul Gaspa and Sokyo from Chase Kojima.

PEACHY KEEN Some designers selected to work with these stars may have experienced a twinge of nerves, perhaps. But not Luchetti Krelle, the Surry Hills-based boutique design firm picked to work on Momofuku Seiobo. “We were

over the moon when we found out that we would be part of the design team,” say designers Rachel Luchetti, Stuart Krelle (the two partners who head the firm) and Thomas Obeid. “David Chang and the whole Momofuku team are world-class hospitality people and it was a great honour to brainstorm with them. They are really relaxed and down to earth; they never really exerted much pressure.”

The Momofuku brand currently owns four distinctive restaurants in New York: the ‘Noodle Bar’, Ssäm Bar (also housing the Booker and Dax Bar), Ko and Ma Pêche.

There is also a series of ‘milk bars’; bakeries, essentially.

All these venues stand alone but are united by their sophisticated design theme, which Luchetti Krelle needed to honour in Seiobo. The design team was guided to an extent by the use of materials (mostly timber) and a “focus on the kitchen and chefs”. “The New York restaurant Ko is very small, so we had the luxury of more room for Seiobo. This is also the first restaurant with tables, so we needed to include them into the theatre of the room.”

The slate flooring, from Bellstone & Slate, is reminiscent

of Momofuku restaurants Ssäm bar and Ko. “The exterior needed to be unassuming, with little or no signage,” said Rachel Luchetti. There is, however, a large and playful bronze peach at the door. After all, the name Momofuku actually translates as ‘lucky peach’.

ALL ABOUT THE FOOD Sheltering Momofuku diners from the frenetic energy of its casino location is a rigid, vertical black steel shopfront. Equally-spaced steel members allow flickers of light to wink at passing pedestrians from inside. Upon entering, guests leave the busy setting and find themselves in a serene, restrained space. An open working bar is horizontally clad in dark stained Tasmanian oak and has a large, purpose-built wine fridge positioned towards the entry, as a book-end to the dining room. At the edge of this dining space is the kappo counter, where all the Chang magic unfolds, under a reflective bronze metal bulkhead. Positioned upon board-form concrete, it’s the focal point of the room – and is also a definite favourite of the Luchetti Krelle team. The kappo kitchen

while David Chang’s work is revered, the Momofuku Seiobo experience is meant to be quirky and light-hearted

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and bar — referring to the Japanese concept of cuisine being cooked and served in an open kitchen — is present in all of the Momofuku restaurants. Seiobo’s kitchen was sourced from Molteni. “The reflective polished brass hood above the diners reflects back the movement of the chefs into the space for diners at the tables to experience the theatre as well,” say the designers. “Discreet lighting, integrated into the metal finish overhead, directs pools of light onto the dark timber counter to highlight the diner’s position and the dishes that are to be served.” And according to Luchetti Krelle, David Chang called it the best kitchen he’s ever worked in.

The team devoted considerable effort to realising the ‘Momofuku ethos’ in their design. “It’s the theatre of the food,” they say. “The brief for Momofuku Seiobo was to create a space that reflected the Momofuku ethos, with simplicity and attention to detail at the core of the design. The kitchen is the heart and places the focus on David Chang and his chefs at work on their craft in this intimate, 36-seat restaurant.”

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Australian artist in the space, as he did in commissioning Australian photographer Damien Bennett for the water ripple photo.” This deep blue artwork of calming ripples takes up a large area of the smooth concreterendered wall above one of the tables.

NATIVE ANGUS “The most important design element of Seiobo is that it focuses attention on the food,” says Hillary Dixler from Momofuku. “Key features like the open kitchen with bar seating, and a clean, simple aesthetic are elements similar to those found in our New York locations.” She adds that there are features unique to Sydney, too, such as “the use of native building materials, locally manufactured plates and knives,” and, of course, Damien Bennett’s photograph.

Later this year Momofuku will open a restaurant in Toronto. No doubt Chang’s Canadian venture will continue his exploration of intriguing locations, flavours and design.

36 SEATS That’s right, only 36 seats: meaning the dining area is very small. This presents challenges to the process, like CONTACTS maintaining comfort and preventing the chefs being in- Luchetti Krelle (Interior Design) hibited in their creative processes. “We wanted to cre- (02) 9699 3425 or www.luchettikrelle.com.au ate the right atmosphere so the experience focused on Ke-Zu (Furniture) 1300 724 174 or www.kezu.com.au the food and the theatre of the kappo kitchen. To manInlite (Lighting) age the sound levels and create a gentle buzz in a room (02) 9699 3900 or www.inlite.com.au full of timber, slate and concrete,” says Rachel Luchetti. JSB Lighting There are operable blinds that are architecturally lit to (02) 9571 8800 or www.jsblighting.com.au Molteni (Kitchen) divide the space and create further intimacy.

Curiously, guests at Seiobo will encounter the restau- www.molteni.com Bellstone (Flooring) rant paying homage to none other than Angus Young, 1800 663 235 or www.bellstone.com.au from AC/DC. David Chang is a big fan, and diners hear AC/DC tracks on the famous iPod playlist that plays while they eat. “It’s meant to remind guests that while David Chang’s work is revered, the Momofuku Seiobo The eponymous ‘lucky peach’ provides a distinctive punctuation mark in the Luchetti interior design. Damien Bennett’s water ripple image provides a nod to local experience is meant to be quirky and light-hearted,” the Krelle art. As for the Angus Young photo (top right)? David Chang is a fan. Chairs by Ke-Zu designers explain. “Chang also wanted to reference an (36 in all… count them) and slate tiles by Bellstone.

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STARSHIP ENTERPRISE The Marquee brings Tao’s midas nightclub touch to The Star — with an Australian edge.

Story: Christopher Holder Marquee — The Star Sydney 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont NSW www.marqueesydney.com

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here will be stories’; that’s what we’re told by The Star’s advertising agency.

And you only need to hang out after midnight in the barely controlled bedlam of the Marquee’s unisex bathrooms to concur. It’s exciting, sexy and just a little bit ‘dangerous’.

In fact, the Marquee loos say a lot about the Marquee itself. Operated by people who know — the Marquee chain of clubs, managed by Tao, has an unparalleled name worldwide; the look, feel and sound takes everything we know that people love and hate about nightclub; distills it; and then nails it.

Just to dwell on those toilets again… what do operators know about how they’re used? They’re just as social as they are functional. So why not lavish a little more love and attention on the design and AV of the loos?

Or in the case of the Marquee, why not give the bathroom some of the best, most panoramic views in the whole Star complex. Then design the space to maximise fun, chance encounters (without sacrificing privacy and safety), a ‘twitter wall’ to share your thoughts, a mini bar for an impromptu drink, and give the area enough AV clout to allow for its own DJ (“Hey where are you playing tonight?” “I’m on at the Marquee toilets” “Woah, right. Cool.”). It’s more like a club within a club than somewhere to spend the proverbial penny.

JOIN THE CLUB The Star transformation has famously channelled a chunk of Vegas glitz and personality, and any big Vegas casino needs a top-draw nightclub. For one, it ensures a constant trickle of publicity from the society pages; scoring an ‘add’ to the guestlist is a great reward for ho-

tel/casino regulars; and, if operated correctly, can actually make some dough.

Big name DJs don’t come cheap, though. In some cases you won’t get any change out of $100k for a night. And in a venue with a 1200-capacity license that’s plenty to recoup. But obviously ticket sales are only part of the story. Star has been having great success with its table reservation arrangement. These tables aren’t tucked away in a VIP section, they’re in the thick of the action but you are afforded some protection from thoroughfares. After you (and your posse) have parted with a downpayment (say, $2000) you have the services of your own waitress who will ensure your glasses remain charged with your favourite tipples. Liquor legislation dictates you don’t have access to the bottle, its kept in the table’s own bottle cabinet. It’s a sophisticated offering. You’ve even got your own area of bulkhead to jump on if the urge to dance become irresistible.

VEGAS WITH A TWIST A big chunk of the Marquee appeal is down to the design. It’s got a brash sex appeal that fits Sin City so well.

There are certainly rooms and areas to discover and delight but ultimately, like some Amsterdam strumpet, the qualities are on show for all to see. ICrave (out of Manhatten), drew up the concept plans. From there, Australian firm Squillace Nicholas Architects made it their own, pulling together a crack design team led by Vince Squillace, Patrick Nicholas and Mabel Chow.

“The concept design in the main room was inspired

by Tron – futuristic and high tech. What with the LED rings and the bathroom furniture, it’s quite futuristic in many ways,” said Mabel Chow during a tour of the site.

CONTACTS Squillace Architects (02) 8354 1300 or www.squillace.com.au AN+A (02) 8246 7333 or www.anplusa.com.au icrave www.icravedesign.com Isis Construction www.isis.com.au Technical Audio Group (Audio Design) (02) 9519 0900 or info@tag.com.au Australian Venue Services (AV Design) 1300 663166 or www.australianvenueservices.com.au Acoustic Directions (PA Commissioning) (02) 9568 4684 or www.acousticdirections.com

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LIGHT FANTASTIC Marquee boasts an impressive lighting spec.

Most immediately impressive is the LED wall.

The 9m x 2.5m main backdrop consists of 12mm semi-transparent video wall. The wall is hydraulically operated to move the middle 3m section behind the right hand side, by having the right hands side of other wall move forward a few inches. It all aligns perfectly to reveal a 3m section suitable for go-go dancers to take their positions. There’s an additional 13 panels (1000mm x 500mm) installed around the arched front of the DJ box. That’s a total of 58 installed panels. Control for the video is via Coolux Pandoras Box Media Play Pro. Elsewhere, Martin lighting is the order of the day: 32 x MAC250 Entours x 32, 6 x Atomic Strobes, 14 x Martin MAC101 LED Wash, 4 x Martin Mania EFX 500, 3 x Martin K1 Hazer, all with Martin control. Taking care of the ceiling mounted colour-changing tubes is 510m of ProShop RGB LED Tape and 28 Unicontrollers.

Show Technology: (02) 9748 1122 or www.showtechnology.com.au

Table Talk: Marquee table service has been a big hit. Pictured on each table is a bottle cabinet. 500m of colour-changing LED strips in acrylic tubes provide a futuristic feel, while all eyes are on the giant LED wall behind the DJ. An enormous Martin Audio MLA PA serves up a majestic sound. (Left) A private lift heads straight up to the VIP area from the street.

“Vince Squillace and Patrick Nicholas travelled to Vegas and New York so we could liaise with ICrave, see all the clubs that Tao had operating, and bring home some of their ideas.”

The trick was to make it work in Sydney.

“Vegas and New York nightclubs are designed to accommodate table service. In bringing that concept to Australia, which is quite rare, we had to be mindful of the way in which the bars had to be designed to service this concept as well as accommodating the queuing that is traditional in Australian venues but not so traditional in Vegas and New York,” explains Vince Squillace.

Marquee is designed to feel like you can party like its your last night on earth and then want to come back for more.

ing the energy in the room.”

The second room, the Boombox, is more obviously themed. “It’s like a trashed mansion,” remarked Mabel.

“It’s almost like a gang of punks has broken into a New York mansion and gone crazy. You have the graffiti and the bike chain chandelier over the bar, contrasting the wood panelling and the parquetry floor.”

There’s lots to love about the Marquee interior design.

Like any great design you can get endlessly lost in the detail and those touches that only happen when the truly creative lavish attention on a project with sufficient budget a focus. Mirrored skateboards act as wall lights while myriad other found objects and custom designs imbue Marquee with something unique.

“Real credit has to go to Isis Construction’s building work,” noted Vince Squillace. “They met every deadline TALE OF TWO NIGHTCLUBS and were proactive in the way they resolved any and evRight from the entrance you are given the choice of ery issue… despite the inevitable last-minute changes turning right to jump straight into the mayhem of the by the client.” main room or turn left to the off-the-wall charms of the Boombox. At the fork in the road lurks a forbidden grot- PA HEAVEN to, where a resident mermaid relaxes, or if management Ah, the sound. The Marquee sound is truly monstrous.

Technical Audio Group was given the go-ahead by Tao so decides, a dwarf will be hired to ‘whip’ her!

The main room screams ‘discotheque’. A vast LED wall to supply a rig based on the Martin Audio MLA. This is around the DJ booth beckons you past an island bar, a system normally reserved for concert touring and the through the reserved tables and onto the dancefloor. main room was to have 12 MLA boxes, matched with While the lighting is something else altogether: “The four MLX powered sub bass units and 18 VHF bullet arclub’s ceiling is a mix of high-tech theatrical lighting, rays to ensure superb high-frequency clarity.

Barrisol rings and exposed services,” explained Patrick As mentioned, MLA is more accustomed to high-end Nicholas. “A ‘Doppler Effect’ set of elliptical rings radi- touring, and crowds of tens of thousands. At the Marate from the DJ Booth and intersect a concentric set quee, MLA is barely idling, delivering nightly levels of of rings radiating form the bar, the overlapping curves 120dB on the dancefloor. And if you’re an SPL junky intersect with an intense geometry, reflecting and driv- and think you’ve heard loud, TAG’s Anthony Russo has

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installed the world’s loudest ‘appliance’ to summon dance goers, a ‘Nathan Air Chime’ locomotive air horn, as used on US locomotives, 142dB at 1 metre! Yee-hah!

Elsewhere in the club the dance systems are comprised of Martin Audio W8LM line array, WSX subs all with VHF bullets with lower-level bar areas catered for with 76 elements of Martin Audio Omniline mini line array and subs. A high-end Martin ceiling speaker system punters in the unisex loos partying.

QSC Audio QSys Core 1000 delivers 80 discrete channels to over 40 QSC Audio PL series amplifiers in over 120U of rack spacing and patching.

Hearing the Main Room’s Martin Audio rig in full flight is well worth the price of admission alone. As with all great sound, you won’t hear satisfied punters, as they stumble home at 6am, singing the praises of the phase coherency of the low/mids from the go-go podium; nor will the forums be alight with chatter about how the lack of system distortion means you can talk with friends mid-set without having to repair to the smokers’ courtyard. The truth is, you only really hear about bad sound — the horror stories. But good sound makes patrons happy — they dance more, socialise more, spend more. The imact of truly great sound is harder to quantify. But it ramps up punter satisfaction from happy/ content to excited/elated, which in a superclub is what

The unisex bathroom (below) lays on amazing views, sexy furniture, a tweet wall, great sound, a mini bar, snake handlers (not a euphemism), and… toilets. The zebra-clad VIP room provides privacy and its own access. (Right) The Boombox is like some trashed mansion ‘featuring’ grafitti, custom leather banquettes, plush fabrics and wood panelling. Lift-up compartments behind the banquettes offer a convenient hidey-hole for handbags.

you’re paying for — to be transported to an alternate reality, where normal rules don’t apply, and you feel ‘out of this world’. In my opinion, Technical Audio Group’s design, along with AVS’s installation and Acoustic Directions’ commissioning has achieved this.

MARQUEE MOMENTS The Marquee razzamatazz is hard to ignore. It’s the only superclub in town when nightclubs have largely had their market share usurped by funky bars. But Marquee demonstrates just what a nightclub is capable of and why it takes people places a bar or pub simply cannot hope to go — a total immersion of sights and sounds.

Thanks to The Star’s deep pockets, the Marquee has been done properly and with its ability to provide visiting stars with the full 5-star treatment, celebrity DJs (who normally only arrive for the big festivals) are helping to draw sell-out crowds.

Inevitably the novelty will wear off. But Marquee has the fundamentals right and these ensure it will remain a high-quality, well-managed, well-maintained venue for all those who love their heels high, their cologne strong, their dance music loud and their weekends turned up to 11, to keep enjoying the best nightclub in Australia.

Real World Inspiration

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ASSUMING THE CROWN With The Star shaking up its F&B, Crown has brought in a new face, Nicholas Kurban. He shares with venue his plans to make Crown the toast of the world, not just Australia.

Story: Mark Davie

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icholas Kurban arrived in Melbourne only five weeks ago, and already he’s willing to be quizzed about his new hometown. He’s here to replace Walter Wagner, the heavyweight food and beverage doyen who helped Crown Melbourne easily ascend to the top of the Australian casino heap.

Wagner’s strengths were in detail — scouring China for items that would bring luck to his tea-swilling, Sho Noodle Bar patrons; clout — he was able to lure the likes of Neil Perry, twice, when the chef’s hometown casino couldn’t get him at all; and balance — even ruffling a few Zampelis feathers to get the right tenant mix of elegance and affordability.

They are big shoes for Nicholas Kurban to fill. Crown Melbourne has long stood as the premier casino in Asia Pacific, but like any major resort, without the right investment it can become a sitting duck. Kurban isn’t that worried about Crown’s position in the region though; he’s focused more on its ascendancy to the top, the very top. It’s hard to imagine an Aussie casino eclipsing the major centres of Las Vegas, Atlantic City, or even Macau, but Kurban thinks the mix is already on its way. With the casino floor effectively doubled over the last year, and a whole new precinct at Crown’s West End designed to liven up the resort, the only things Kurban points out that are missing is a superclub presence and some tapas to share.

Kurban was previously Vice President of F&B and Retail at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, as well as Director of Fine Dining Operations at Wynn Resorts, and before both of those, he was Director of Restaurant Operations for the dual three Michelin star chef Thomas Keller’s restaurant group. It’s quite a resumé, and shows he has the breadth of experience to bring the world to Crown.

TASTE OF MELBOURNE venue: How have you found Melbourne?

Nicholas Kurban: I’ve been around the city, and some nice areas like Port Melbourne and St Kilda.

When I came a while ago, I felt it was similar to San Francisco. I was surprised to find such an amazing

food culture here, the cafés, how much Melburnians love to go out and eat, as well as the fresh produce.

It’s good to be in this kind of city. It will take a while for me to get around and know everyone, but overall I feel very fortunate to be a part of Crown. venue: How much of your job relies on your knowledge of Melbourne?

NK: I’m very familiar with how the casino, and food and beverage business works. That’s what I’ve done for the last 15 years-plus. I don’t know a lot about Melbourne, but I’m eager to learn a lot about it. It’s important to get to know the city, what the trends are here, and what works. Not everything that works in The States, or Europe will work here. But there are similarities in the trends. venue: What are some of those casino trends?

NK: Growth in bars has been very important. Also, people are very knowledgeable about food. Local cafes and restaurants are definitely in a much better place then they were 15 years ago. People used to go to a major city to find the best, it’s not the same anymore. We have to up the game, we have to be as competitive, and as good, if not better than what’s around the neighbourhood. When you come to Crown you should expect the best restaurants, the best bars, the best music, the best décor, the best service. venue: What is your appraisal of Crown at the moment?

NK: Crown wasn’t waiting for me to come in.

The senior leadership identified a lot of areas that needed investment. If you look at the West End allotment, there’s been $100m invested in bars and clubs, gaming and dining, all in a tightly knit, seamless precinct. It’s a completely new offering for our guests — outdoor areas, something for everyone day and night. There’s the Lumia bar and balcony, The Merrywell that opened a month ago, and this month we have the Cotta café, and the Common Room — the sports bar that’s opening in a few weeks. These are completely new offerings for Crown that will position the West End as a fun, vibrant place where people can find exciting new food and beverage, and gaming offerings.

Crown's VIP Mahogany Room: This is as close as you're likely to get without your Amex Platinum.

“You have to put capital back in all the time to stay where you are, that’s the key”

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BALANCE WITH A CLUB venue: What kind of balance are you trying to achieve?

NK: One thing about Crown is you have all kinds of budgets coming and all ages. We have to offer something for everyone, but at a premium level.

This is where the West End will be focused on a younger demographic. Then we have all our premium restaurants, and The Conservatory is going through an $8m reinvention to revolutionise buffet dining. It will be ideal for families and groups with an open kitchen so you can see the chefs at work. It will be theatrical, dramatic, and fun.

We’re also opening a new champagne bar in The Atrium, where you will be able to buy vintage champagne by the glass. There will be new high-end meeting places for an older crowd who are coming for dinner or on their way up to the Palladium. venue: Crown has struggled to lock in a strong nightclub presence that lasts. How do you think Club23 works in that regard?

NK: Club 23 is doing really well. It accomplished something that is unique. If you go there on a Friday and Saturday, it has a very hip crowd. It’s a bit selective, not open to everyone. But the club scene is definitely something that Crown is focusing on. It started with Club 23, but will hopefully continue with the other clubs on level three, and will hopefully be the next big investment in 201314. The club scene and nightlife is becoming a must for casinos because of what the late night crowd can bring. If you go to Las Vegas, whether the Bellagio, MGM, or others, you’ll notice how important these clubs have become. Club 23 is on the right path, it’s very loungey — I wouldn’t call it a superclub — but it’s attracting the right crowd, with amazing views of the city, great music, and very professional staff. venue: Do you need that superclub presence in the mix?

NK: I believe that’s something that will become very important to become a complete resort.

There’s nothing set in stone, though we have talked about it, and it is in the plan. A superclub done in a very elegant and professional way, that attracts the right customers, is what we need. We don’t need just any old superclub. Something Las Vegas style would be very important.

A MAZE OF CHEFS venue: Your history includes managing the Thomas Keller Group, how important are Michelin stars to the casino?

NK: They’re very important. We just brought on Peter Chan, he’s a double Michelin star chef, who came from Macau. He’s focusing on positioning Silk and our Chinese offering as the top in the city, if not top in Australia. Part of the vision for Crown would be to attract Michelin stars and be proud of the offering. And possibly partnering with celebrity chefs that can really help the branding of Crown and bring something to the table. I’m very happy with our partnerships with Neil Perry and Guil-

laume Brahimi, and there could be more to come.

Then there’s Mr Hive, which is also a new offering with an innovative menu, a dedicated dessert bar, and a young team of dedicated professionals. We have high hopes for it. The chef there, John Lawson, and his team, are very talented.

Michelin stars are important to us, though I don’t know if it’s a necessity. It’s more important to have offerings that meet people’s expectations of Crown.

If we can accomplish it with Michelin stars, that’s fine, if not, we’ll accomplish it with our own concepts and designs of restaurants. venue: What did the failure of Gordon Ramsay’s Maze mean to Crown and its perspective on celebrity chefs?

NK: This was before my time. I don’t have many details. It’s an unfortunate thing. Gordon Ramsay is a talented chef who I have huge respect for.

Sometimes things don’t work out. It happens in Las Vegas, in Atlantic City, even in New York. We just heard of Joel Robuchon leaving the Four Seasons in New York after being there for years [Robuchon had just received a second Michelin star last year for his restaurant L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon — Ed]. All we can do is learn from the experience and move forward. Lawson was the executive chef for Gordon Ramsay and has stayed on board. So to us, the level of delivery will remain with Lawson at Mr Hive. In the end, it’s about Crown supporting these chefs and committing to buying the best produce. We have a captive market here. We have 1600 rooms that are pretty much full 90% of the time. We have the demand, we just have to be able to deliver, if not go beyond those expectations. venue: Will you be changing any of the food and beverage offerings on the casino floor?

NK: The casino floor is very important. And there’s also a lot of capital investment, beginning this year and going on to next year. There are plans to refurbish a lot of the casual outlets. We’ve already started it in a way, if you look at Mings, our dim sum and dumpling house, and Sho Noodle Bar also offers Chinese and Vietnamese food. The existing sports bar on the casino floor will shut down for refurbishment in the next month, and we have a plan for another casino bar that is as elegant as the Common Room and the Atrium bar. Everything that’s been there for a while will get its share of investment and refurbishment to make it relevant to the 21st century, to make sure we compete not only on an Australian level, but on an international level as well.

On Level One, they’re adding so much casino space, and the food and beverage offering is just becoming an amenity. The gaming space has almost doubled in the last year or so, if you look at the Mahogany Room, and the Level One offering. We’re keeping up with demand. It’s a project that’s been coming along over the last few years. There’s been $100m invested in Level One alone. But you can take that and probably add a few hundred million more across the casino complex. venue: Traditionally Melbourne’s Crown has held

dominance over Sydney’s The Star as the premier casino in Australia. With The Star trying to tipping the balance more in its favour, how much will you be looking North?

NK: The Star’s done a good job with what’s been done. Anything The Star does, is good for Australia in general — good competition is better than bad competition. If you take the Las Vegas model, the more casinos that opened, the better everyone did because it became a destination.

I don’t take any competition lightly. What they’ve done is good, and we should look at them. Crown is on a different level, it’s a much bigger space, and we have a much higher volume of traffic. But I was impressed overall with the food and beverage offering. I’d heard where The Star used to be, and what they’ve done is pretty amazing. It’s good for Australia, the economy, for tourism. Everyone needs to stay on their toes, to be investing in their properties, and looking at their own hotel rooms, and offerings. The problem was The Star didn’t seem to invest back into its property for over a decade, and when you neglect something that’s what happens.

You have to put capital back in all the time to stay where you are, that’s the key.

SHARING: A LOT ON HIS PLATE venue: What’s your favourite food or beverage trend at the moment?

NK: I love Nobu; I love that Japanese-influenced style of food. But what’s really on trend right now over in The States is Spanish tapas. Latin fare is really gaining ground all over the world. Obviously Italian and Asian cuisine are always going to be very popular, but the small plate and sharing is what’s in. I don’t think people want to have big portions any more and sit for two or three hours.

Eating out is about having fun, and the sharing nature of tapas is what people really like. I think it’s something that’s missing at Crown, and if I can find the space and money, it’s something I will put on the agenda. venue: What’s your overall vision for Crown?

NK: I want the food and beverage at Crown to be positioned as the best in the world. I’ve had the privilege to work in Las Vegas, Napa Valley, New York, and Atlantic City, with the best chefs and the best minds. So hopefully over the next five to 10 years I can help bring some of that vision to Crown.

Attracting a good team is very important. I want people to know that not only can they come and have the best meal and cocktails at Crown. But I also want them to say they want to work at Crown.

It’s important to have people say, ‘this is the culture; this is the team I want to be a part of’. If anything, I want to put Crown on the map as the food and beverage mecca of Australia. Where if people want to have a job working for a chef in a kitchen, they think of Crown first. I think we have a lot to offer here. They can work for different restaurants, experience different cuisine, all under one roof.

There are not many other resources like that.

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Recent additions to Crown include (bottom right) the exclusive Mahogany Room and Warney’s favourite, Club 23. Club 23 fulfils the role of luxury lounge in the Crown stable. But according to Nicholas Kurban, there’s still a place for a superclub.

EAT, DRINK & BE MERRYWELL venue speaks to Sam ‘D-Man’ DeMarco — half of the dynamic duo that

has added to the international flavour of Crown’s riverbank presence.

Story: Sophie Gebhardt The Merrywell Cnr of Clarendon Street & Crown Riverside, Melbourne VIC (03) 9292 7468 or www.crownmelbourne.com.au/themerrywell

34 Grant McPherson & Sam DeMarco

CONTACTS Point of View (audiovisual system design) (03) 9017 4161 or melbourne@pov.com.au CIP Creative (custom designed graphics) www.cipcreative.com De Fazio Tiles & Stone www.defazio.com.au

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aunched in April, The Merrywell has seen the Las Vegas-based forces of Scottish born Grant MacPherson and New York-Italian Sam DeMarco rise to the challenge posed by Melbourne’s food and bar obsessed culture, creating a relaxed and multifaceted venue with an emphasis on quality.

The philosophy behind The Merrywell stems, in part, from Sam DeMarco’s remarkable career, which sees him opening his first restaurant in New York City when he was 29 years old. “I got tagged as ‘the chef of the chefs’, with a lot of restaurateurs coming to my restaurant, because it was a late night, fun environment.

Ironically, I always wanted to cook much more highend food but I got stereotyped as the ‘king of casual’, and so I stuck with it.”

INTEGRITY IS EVERYTHING For Sam, having integrity, using top quality ingredients and creating a holistic concept is the key to providing a casual drinking and dining experience that stands out from the crowd. “I cook for the people and I love what I do. But what I really love now are concepts and building and development. I’ve realised that once you’re a chef who owns a restaurant, there are so many other aspects that you have to be concerned with. Everything that touches a person’s experience when they come through

the door has to be right: the music, the ambience, the textures and graphics, and then, on top of that, the service and the food.”

Both Sam and Grant MacPherson have been involved with the creation of The Merrywell from the bottom up, working closely with the architects, Mills Gorman, with Crown, and drawing on their extensive pool of contacts in the world of hospitality to manage the venue.

Described recently on Channel Ten’s The Circle as a ‘rock star chef’, Grant’s illustrious career adds to the global status of The Merrywell, where a range of influences are evident in the food and drinks menu, the interior design and the overall vibe of the place. Sam DeMarco relishes the partnership with Grant, which has proven so successful that they are now in the process of setting up a Merrywell-styled venue in Perth.

“This partnership with Grant is new, but we’ve known each other for many years. Back in 1998 I opened The Bellagio in Las Vegas with him — he was the executive chef of the whole complex. Grant has always run multiple venues – the chef of many chefs. And I have more of an independent feel, so we’re kind of a unique partnership; independent chef meets high-end glamour chef!

But this has created some really great networks for us.

“Grant and I always wanted to do something together but there wasn’t really the platform for us. We needed something amazing, and Australia has offered us that,

35 (From far left) A good number of slabs of VB were sacrificed for the sake of the bottle wall — they didn’t die in vain. Merrywell provides an informal/groovy groundfloor frontage to the Crown riverwalk. Upstairs, the bar and dining provides a flexible space for informal eating and drinking, accessible from the new west-end gaming floor.

particularly with Crown as the umbrella to operate under. So this was the right spot, the right time, and we’re really happy to be part of the Melbourne food scene. We love the ingredients, the culture, the people — it’s very exciting being part of that.”

rywell, the focus of the venue is definitely on its place in the hustle bustle of riverside life, drawing on tourists, an after work or sporting event crowd, or locals seeking respite from their hunger pangs after a big night out.

COOK HOW WE SEE Sitting upstairs at The Merrywell on a mild autumn day and looking out at the familiar but always striking view along the river to the city, it’s interesting to get Sam’s perspective on Melbourne’s particular historical relationship with food. “What we do here at Merrywell is our interpretation of what we see. There are so many similarities to New York, and America generally, because of the many different cultural and ethnic influences. But here it’s closer to it, because America is now fifth and sixth generation of Italian American, for example. Here, you really see the different ethnic flavours, as you’re closer to it historically and geographically, so we’ve been enjoying that.”

The Merrywell project has been a massive effort on Sam and Grant’s behalf (including multiple long hauls between Las Vegas, Melbourne and now Perth), and for Crown, which has taken a leap into something quite distinct from its other venues and from the previous occupant of the Clarendon Street/Southbank corner. While the casino is within easy reach of Mer-

TELL US WHAT WE ARE The food and interior are in conversation, with a quirky, comfortable and warm décor that mixes with the downstairs take on the burger and fries or the upstairs take on what Sam calls ‘alternative dining’. “We’re still fine tuning what we do, in response to what people are saying or whether things work or don’t. When you open a restaurant you have a concept — it’s what we envision.

But then once you have the launch, it’s the people’s restaurant and it’s really what they interpret about what you thought. So we’re always going to evolve and create some fun stuff, and keep hitting the ball higher and raising the bar.”

“Although we’re going under the label of a ‘gastro pub’, there are a lot of different ethnic and cultural flavours.

So I say to people, ‘you tell us what we are’. Based on what I’ve been reading about The Merrywell, there are American influences, and that’s always interesting, hearing what people are saying. But we’re having fun, and we’re keen to become an important part of the Melbourne food and pub community.”

BEHIND THE INTERIORS Responsible for a raft of Melbourne’s best known and loved restaurants, Mills Gorman worked closely with Sam DeMarco and Grant MacPherson to create The Merrywell’s distinctive character and feel.

Craig Gorman describes the experience as “an opportunity to create a place that captures the essence of Melbourne. It’s a place to get away from it all; a place to relax; a place to enjoy, and a place for good times. The Merrywell is a place full of choices.

“The entrance is directly off the river front, with a double volume atrium providing filtered sunlight that separates the two levels. The ground floor offers the opportunity for a drink at the bar, in the courtyard, or in a private nook. Or there is the corner box, where you can sit and watch the world go by.

“A sculptured timber staircase leads you to the upper level, where you’ll find a spot that suits your mood… a high stool from where you can check out the scenery, a cosy couch in front of the fireplace, or a private booth in the lounge. Or take up a spot on the all-weather terrace, where you can watch the sunset or the city’s skyline lights at night.”

Mills Gorman Architects: (03) 9650 1607 or www.millsgorman.com.au

MERRYWELL PA: CROWNING GLORY Ben Clarke from Production Audio Services designed the Merrywell sound system. He explains why it’s something special: “Crown, as you’d expect, is very image conscious, insofar as it wants its clientele — as soon as anyone sets foot on Crown property — to feel a certain way. The design and architecture gives you the initial hit — wow! — but it’s the sound that conveys the emotion of the property; it’s the sound that makes you feel a certain way.

“Sound is also what binds the complex together. You might have some contrasting interior designs between tenancies, but a single background music system extends throughout Crown, which is carefully managed and the music carefully curated.

“We’re all very proud of the Merrywell sound. Production Audio Services provided Crown with exactly what it wanted: something discreet (that worked in with the Mills Gorman architecture) yet could be turned up to 11 when it needed to be.

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“To achieve that, all the speakers are discreetly mounted on the beams of the ceiling, but they’re not ‘in-ceiling speakers’. We have installed a number of EAW ‘Avalon’ DC6s — which has to be one of my all-time favourite speakers… they just seem to sound better and better the more you turn them up — in the main area, along with EAW JF8s and 10s in the dining areas.

“Merrywell represents quite a large space and getting the subs right in a space that big is problematic. You want an even ‘venue sound’ without nulls and hotspots. You don’t want the sound to appear to originate from any one spot as well. But simply dotting subs around a space like Merrywell makes for an inconsistent and lumpy low end resulting in a lack of clarity and musicality.

“What we’ve done is start with subs near the main entry to the room (near the fireplace), which are omnidirectional, and then as you move through the room we’ve installed ‘directional sub arrays’ that provide sub reinforcement into the room and rejection back down the room. The idea being you’re not being hit by two different wavefront arrivals — which will result in improved clarity and definition in the low end.

“Each of these directional sub arrays combine two pairs of SBK250 2 x15-inch loudspeakers from EAW — again, installed into the ceiling and careful to be completely uncoupled to the ceiling above, which is the floor of the Showroom. It’s not the easiest system design to pull off. It takes quite a bit to phase align a system in that way — not something you can tweak and use your ears to get right.

“We’re driving the EAW sound system with Powersoft amplification. The Powersoft amps were selected to provide the best system headroom. The PA will distort ‘acoustically’ (driving the speakers to hard) way before the amps ever approach clipping.

“We’re very happy with the sound and so is everyone from Crown. They flew in a guest DJ from Vegas for the VIP launch — DJ Roger Gangi, who’s resident at the Cosmopolitan and Planet Hollywood. Roger also generates the Crown playlist for the gaming floor and Club 23 and he loved the system.”

Production Audio Services: (03) 9264 8000 or info@productionaudio.com.au

LIGHTING DESIGN Paul Beale, Director of Electrolight, describes the philosophy and some of the detail behind the outstanding Merrywell lighting design: “The lighting design concept was developed to create a point of difference from the rest of the casino’s hospitality offerings.

The client wanted to create a warm and cosy atmosphere using a simple, clean palette of materials. The lighting played a role in creating this — the venue was not to feel like a casino, the lighting design was to promote a feeling of bonhomie, consistent with a casual watering hole with great food, drinks and atmosphere.

“We were lucky to be working with an architect in Mills Gorman that ‘gets’ lighting design. Between us we designed a number of custom elements — the lounge pendants, the feature and associated lights, the feature bottle wall and various lighting elements built into the joinery.

As is typical for a Crown venue, there is more to the lighting than meets the eye. For a start, the majority of the lighting is LED and behind the light fixtures sits a sophisticated Dynalite lighting control system that provides fine tuning and scene setting for various times of day. This sophistication and depth of design is perhaps illustrated best by the bottle wall. The wall comprises hundreds of VB ‘stubby’ bottles — an interesting enough feature in itself — but behind each of the bottles is an individual RGB LED fixture from Traxxon, each fully addressable using the sort of technology typically used to control media facades.”

Electrolight Melbourne: (03) 9670 2694 or www.electrolight.com.au

Everything that touches a person’s experience when they come through the door has to be right: the music, the ambience, the textures and graphics, and then, on top of that, the service and the food

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WAXING GASTRONOMICAL Mr Hive Kitchen & Bar Level 1, Crown Metropol 8 Whiteman Street, Southbank VIC (03) 9292 8300 or www.crownmetropol.com.au/ MrHiveKitchenandBar

CONTACT Bates Smart Architects (03) 9663 6183 or www.batessmart.com

Launched into the Crown Metropol stable earlier this year, Mr Hive Kitchen & Bar boasts the talents of Executive Chef John Lawson and General Manager Helenka Pallester. Both knew the space well from its previous incarnation (Gordon Ramsay’s Maze), giving them a unique insight into what would work and what wouldn’t.

Following a canny makeover by Bates Smart Architects, which also designed the interior of Maze, Mr Hive has made a clean break from the fine dining experience served up by the loud-mouthed Scot. Helenka Pallester comments that, “For obvious reasons we wanted to create a different feel and look from what was here before. We haven’t changed the bones of it, as we couldn’t change the structure, but the design of it is very different.”

A subtle shift in colour pallete, re-arrangement of the dining spaces, and the creation of a comfortable café-lounge area from what was previously little more than a ‘holding pen’ for diners, and suddenly you have a venue that draws in a variety of clientele. And this was part of Crown Metropol’s plan in re-inventing the space as more than just a fine dining extravaganza. As John Lawson says, “The thought process behind the concept was, coming from the experience of Maze, what did and didn’t work for the hotel. So we wanted to encourage the guests from Metropol more than the previous restaurant did, and so far that’s working really well.”

John’s renowned talents as a chef are central to what Mr Hive Kitchen & Bar has to offer — a menu replete with distinctive meals conjured from locally-sourced, high quality ingredients.

There’s no doubt the experience of working at Maze gave John valuable insight into Melbourne’s foodie culture and the culinary offerings at Mr Hive are a reflection of this knowledge.

“Mr Hive is unique, in terms of what it gives to Crown. It’s developing their restaurants into the Melbourne scene, with the food we’re doing, the service we’re providing, and the variety of spaces we’ve created. So Mr Hive is something new for Crown too.” — Sophie Gebhardt

craft focused

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Liquid Lines: 26 Cromwell Street, Collingwood, VIC 3066 (03) 9416 4566 info@liquidlines.com.au www.liquidlines.com.au

CASINO LIGHTING: NIGHT & DAY The stereotype of the dark, dingy and disorientating lighting on a casino floor, is slowly being replaced by a fresh design approach that uses more feature lighting and, of all things, natural daylight.

Story: Mark Truebridge, Vision Design

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hen I first arrived at Vision Design (I’ve only been here 12 months!), I realised very quickly that I was sure to be involved with Lighting Design projects in a casino environment. Vision Design was involved with Crown Casino in Melbourne from day one, and has been involved with casinos in Macau, Auckland, Sydney, Adelaide, Gold Coast and Townsville. So the chances were pretty high.

I had previously had this picture in my head of Casinos using some interesting tricks with light to attempt to disorientate their patrons, and limit the amount of external factors to a bare minimum. However, the last couple of years have seen me work extensively on Casino lighting projects, and I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised at the design philosophies that are being presented.

OUT OF THE DARK AGES A recent project that demonstrates very clearly just how much design mentalities have changed, is the Crown Casino East End Mahogany Project. The Mahogany Room has totally ignored the old philosophy to limit external factors, by installing a 50m wide full glassed window which looks over Queensbridge Street and the Yarra River. The natural light from this, and the various skylights placed throughout the gaming floor, create a substantially different environment, which also makes for vastly different space to design light in.

There are no disorientating lights or confusing spaces, rather a pleasant and engaging environment that encourages its patrons to stay for a whole different reason. The addition of natural light in the building has the added benefit of enabling the lighting control system to use daylight harvesting; a process that uses sensors to gauge the levels of natural light in the room and dims the artificial lights accordingly.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR Lighting a casino is somewhat of a different beast to lighting other hospitality environments, such as a nightclub or a restaurant. In those situations, lighting is often used primarily to create mood, or to help high-

light the architecture and interior design. Our brief for casinos is usually to make it a fun and visually stimulating environment, so it’s less subtle and more of a feature. It shouldn’t be forgotten that a casino is still a retail environment, so the focus is to attract customers to its core business — the gaming areas — just like any other retail situation.

One of the major attractions of casino lighting from the designer’s perspective is the budget. Casino operators are well aware of the important role that light plays in creating their overall experience, so they (wisely) invest accordingly. It’s a great opportunity to use custom pendants and elaborate lighting effects that you wouldn’t get to use on a traditional project.

TECHNOLOGY TRENDS Like so many other areas of lighting design, casinos are using more and more LED light fixtures. The demand for them is primarily driven by the maintenance burden of running that amount of feature lighting 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The traditional halogen lamp just doesn’t cut it anymore. You may still find the odd fluorescent or neon source, but it’s particularly rare.

While maintenance is the prime driver, a byproduct of the LED push is the obvious reduction in energy usage and costs, which is something every venue owner is wary of.

In fact, the current upgrade to the Crown Casino Main Gaming Floor will see the space lit using 100% LED light sources. Everything from the bar fronts, the columns and the task gaming lighting is LED. The ability to colour change and to interface with the lighting control system can make the experience more immersive when highlighting a jackpot win at the poker machines or the gaming tables.

The focus of the casinos is definitely changing. No longer do casino operators see their core business as the ‘average man drinking and gambling until 3am’, the focus has shifted somewhat to the professional gambler market. This shift will see more spaces that use natural light and aesthetics to entice their patrons to stay, rather than the ol’ perceived manipulation.

Mark Truebridge spoke to Matt Caton

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HAVING A BALL A lush garden oasis in Wollongong.

Story: Joanna Lowry Collegians Rugby League Football Club 3A Charlotte Street Wollongong NSW (02) 4229 7711 or www.collegians.com.au

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he Collegians Rugby League Football Club has always been one of the most popular clubs south of Sydney.

But until recently was showing, what L’Oreal might call, the ‘visible signs of ageing’. As of 2012, after a $2m renovation, it looks super slick. In fact, care of natural finishes and lots of greenery, it looks and feels not unlike a tropical resort, offering the people of Wollongong a touch of the exotic: “The club’s an escape of sorts,” Marc Nicholas from Nicholas Associates Architects says. “People can feel as though they’re in their own little oasis.”

The overhaul of the club was initiated in 2011. The project’s scope was twofold — the first phase involved expanding the outdoor gaming terrace from a capacity of 40 machines to 100, and the second involved increasing the size of a social terrace from 260sqm to 380sqm. “The venue just generally needed an upgrade,” Michael Wilkins, Collegian’s CEO, says.

“We felt there were markets we needed to expand on; that being our gaming offering and our lounge offering. Everything we did in the design process was to appeal to females in small- to medium-sized groups. Our prime aim was not to build a barn of a club, but to build zones where people could mingle.”

ter Landscapes who comes through and does maintenance on it occasionally, but it’s fairly self-contained.” Plus, the tranquil sound of trickling water masks the noise of traffic from the nearby Princes Highway. “It looks phenomenal,” Wilkins says. “But it’s also very serene.”

The tropical theme is reinforced through bespoke finishes and light fittings. A fern leaf carpet pattern was repeated on

“Our prime aim was not to build a barn of a club, but to build zones where people could mingle.”

the timber panelling that lines the ceiling, and the spherical Yellow Goat pendant lights were handmade from natural reed — no two are exactly the same. There’s also a threepanel bird wall by Fremont Design. The first panel features a silhouette of a bird in a cage; the second a bird opening the cage; and the third, a bird flying away. “They’re three nice 30-WEEK TURNAROUND pieces that people constantly talk about and they only cost The construction stage was perhaps the most challenging. $1500,” Wilkins says. “We were very conscious of those finNew England Constructions and Nicholas Associate Archi- ishing touches. We demand the nice bits because it’s the nice tects had to stick to a tight 30-week schedule in order to hand bits that make the place work.” the bulk of the space over to Split Watermelon Design — the project interior designers — by Melbourne Cup Day 2011. TROPICAL RESORT Which meant that excavation and demolition, and all the On the other side of the club is the bigger and better social noise and debris that goes with it, happened right next to a terrace. Dominated by a timber pergola, and with woven still fully operating venue. As a result, Work Health and Safe- seating pods and oversized bamboo pot plants, it has the ty had to be monitored closely, and all attempts were made same tropical resort aesthetic. “It was about doing somefor construction to take place after hours. “The fixed ideas thing eye-catching; something that would draw a different about the time frame were definitely challenging,” Nicholas demographic into the space,” Jago says. There’s more marble, as well as stone tiles and floor mosaics. Split Watermelon says. “There were also staging and structural challenges.”

Design and Nicholas Associate Architects have also successHANGING GARDENS fully broken up the space into intimate zones. “There’s very Despite being there out of practical necessity, the marble col- much a drinker’s area with a bar, high stools and TV screens,” umns add to the high-end feel of the outdoor gaming terrace. Jago says. “There’s a dining area. There’s another area with “We were trying to make it as luxurious and fresh looking a fireplace and soft outdoor lounges, which can actually be as we could,” Nicholas says. But the real wow-factor comes screened off from the rest of the terrace and used as a funccare of a 20m-long water feature and garden wall. “It was tion space.” all about that vertical wall — choosing the right plants, and Like the gaming terrace, the social terrace is full of intricate making sure they were something the client could look af- details and special one-off pieces. Hanging over the main ter,” Sue Jago from Split Watermelon Design says. Wilkins bar is a $30,000 light feature made from 238 pieces of handcan confirm that upkeep of the wall is relatively easy: “It’s blown glass. The lights in the café area have the appearance all plumbed in behind and drip-fed. The plants have to be of ceramic beehives, and zones are broken up by cutout trained to grow horizontally, but that’s the only thing we re- metal forest walls. “It’s elegant and soft throughout,” Wilkins ally have to worry about. We have a great guy from Cool Wa- says. “We’re ecstatic with how it looks. It’s not at all bloke-y

CONTACTS New England Constructions (Design & Construction): (02) 9369 1241 or www.newenglandconstructions.com.au Nicholas Associates Architects (Architecture & Interior Design): (02) 9369 3546 or www.nicholasassociates.com.au Split Watermelon Design (Interior Design, Lighting & Furniture) (02) 9698 1883 or www.splitwatermelon.com.au Fremont Design (Bird Panel Walls) (02) 9533 8000 or www.fremontdesign.com.au Cool Water Landscapes (Garden Wall Maintenance) (02) 9986 1347 or www.coolwaterlandscapes.com.au Earp Brothers (Tiles & Stones) (02) 4925 4555 or www.earp.com.au Ocean and Merchant (Tiles & Stones) (02) 9310 4088 or www.oceanandmerchant.com Brintons (Carpet) 1800 332 694 or www.brintons.net Unique Fabrics (Wallpaper) (02) 9331 3086 or www.uniquefabrics.com Yellow Goat (Lighting) (07) 5532 8659 or www.yellowgoat.com.au Cosmoluce (Lighting) (02) 9773 1222 or www.cosmowholesale.com.au Thorn (Lighting) (02) 8786 6000 or www.thornlighting.com.au Masson For Light (Lighting) (02) 9690 0666 or www.massonforlight.com.au Inlite (Lighting) (02) 9699 3900 or www.inlite.com.au EO Lighting (Lighting) (02) 9653 9909 or www.eolighting.com.au Gamma Illumination (Lighting) (02) 9822 7333 or www.gammaillumination.com Lumascape (Lighting) (02) 9519 6860 or www.lumascape.com Bromic (Outdoor Gaming Heating) (02) 9748 3900 or www.bromic.com.au

Wall a Hit: The gaming lounge’s ‘hanging garden’ and water feature provide serenity, easy upkeep as well as a mask for the sound of the Princes Hwy outside. Bromic heating ensures you stay toasty in cooler months. Perfect!

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and we’re selling far more packaged beer and wine and cocktails. We find a lot more people dine and sit rather than dine and leave. They’re far happier to lounge now.”

But Wilkin’s favourite piece in the social terrace area is the bar. A visual focal point, the bottom layer is strip lit so that it appears to be floating. “I love the curve of that bar, the lighting and the tile work,” Wilkins says. “There are no bar mats. You put your drinks in grooves in the stone. Everything drains away and staff are trained to clean as they go. It has to be spotless. Spotless is the only thing we accept.”

Such a good-looking piece of craftsmanship didn’t come cheap, however. “When you talk to builders they say we can tile the whole thing for $60 a metre,

but then when you turn around and find the right tiles and the right glass and the right everything, it can very easily turn into $300 per metre,” he says.

“At the end of the day, though, it’s worth it. I just wish I could find somebody who could make a straw dispenser with style, rather than the ugly aluminium box we all use.”

tricity bills by 15 percent.” As well as that, business is booming. “The response has been sensational,” Wilkins says. “All of our targets have been fulfilled in regard to people we were trying to attract.”

What’s more, “pokie den” is no longer the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Collegians.

“It’s often very difficult to get over that club mentality,” Jago says. “But Collegians has allowed us to COLLEGIATE SPIRIT do that. They’ve been open to new ideas and we’ve While the bar might have stretched the budget, done something different. It really does add value to other parts of the renovation are proving extremely the whole job.” cost effective. Collegians recently made the switch to LED lighting. “On account we had 540 x 50W Abundant Options: Split Watermelon Design and Nicholas Associate Architects lights,” Wilkins says. “We’ve replaced them all with have successfully broken up the large space into intimate zones. (Below) The 6W fittings. We’ve effectively decreased our elec- funky dining/lounge area with a fireplace can be screened off.

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A PERFECT MATCH A new renovation severs all ties with the ’80s, helping Nambour RSL to be the envy of the Sunshine Coast.

Story: Julia Langham Nambour RSL Matthew Street, Nambour QLD (07) 5441 2366 or www.nambourrsl.com.au

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t was a big year, 1980. Along with big hair, big bands and some blockbuster classic movie releases such as The Blues Brothers and The Shining, the Nambour RSL Club was born.

Earning a steady stream of awards since 2008, its recent renovation has gently removed any hint of the ’80s, culminating this year in the fourth ‘Best Club Sunshine Coast’ award in five years, as well as bagging ‘Best Club Café’ in the annual Club QLD awards.

Nambour RSL Club is nestled in the Sunshine Coast hinterland, between the mountains and the sea and the latest multi-million dollar renovations and refit helps the club compete on a level footing with glossy hotels and resorts.

The club’s General Manager, Suzanne Long, said the redevelopment was a modern approach to club design and appealed to a wider market.

“The Nambour and surrounding hinterland region are thriving communities and our club caters for all ages, including a growing younger population. We wanted to capture the younger market and have successfully achieved this by breathing new life into traditional club design.’’

ALTRO-ISTIC Conceived and created by Rubicon Design and Construct, this fourth stage of redevelopment included the launch of Altro, a new modern bar (Zinc) and modernised ground floor entrance and reception. The gaming area, TAB and façade were also extensively re-worked, giving a complete overhaul to the 32-year-old building.

“Our key objective was to offer an alternative dining option with the inclusion of Altro as people today expect different culinary experiences. Patrons now have expectations and an appreciation for finer food and coffee,” Suzanne explained.

“Altro’s European design, complete with herb garden — a living screen comprised of potted herbs, grown and rotated from a greenhouse located on the club’s roof — fine furnishings and décor, has been a success. We are also very pleased with the design of Zinc bar, which features an open plan and modern fittings,” she said.

Rubicon, which had worked on previous three stages of renovations at the club was brought in to work on a 20year masterplan about 10 years ago.

The latest renovation will see the club through the next decade with materials carefully chosen to age

with grace and to look traditional but with a contemporary twist.

“We use the phrase ‘honest’ to describe the natural timbers, zinc, stone and marble tiles, really spectacular carpet design, old fashioned long bricks and metal cladding to reflect copper. These materials are then replicated internally so inside and outside are seamlessly connected,” Rubicon Chief Executive Richard Butler said.

“We even convinced the club to install a large doublesided feature fireplace with a flu that goes up through the space. It has a comfortable lounge feeling that we think appeals to the Club’s important family market — we didn’t want a cold hard nightclub style pub ambience.”

CREATIVE FREEDOM Richard credits the “progressive management team and board at the RSL” for giving them and their design teams the creative freedom to envisage and pursue a look and feel beyond the standard club/TAB, resulting in what he terms a “pub within a club”.

To achieve the desired effect, Rubicon appointed two architects to work on the project, KP Architects (with extensive experience in upmarket pub work) for the interior design of the café, bar, and TAB, and hospitality experts WBP Architects to work their magic with the gaming room, space planning, lobby, reception and exterior skin of the gaming room.

The result: two different designs that perfectly complement each other.

“Gaming decor has a different energy level to a café, bar or TAB, so it made sense to use people who were experienced in these different areas,” Richard added.

He cites the natural zinc bar tops and use of marble in the bar, the striking carpet design (from Brintons) and the more unusual bespoke light fittings in the café as his favourite things.

“We used a number of standard light fitting designs in this refit, but we were looking for something different for the Altro and ended up working with Melbourne based lighting designer Stephen Hennessy who has developed some amazing lights for Crown Casino… he created the Puff light used in the café (pictured, top) and it looks incredible and unique.

“He is a dedicated professional and I’m amazed at the passion and detail he applied to even this small commission,” Richard said.

Keeping ‘em Honest: ‘Honest’ finishes abound in the KP Architects-designed café and bar — marble, zinc, face brick, stone tiles and timber.

CONTACTS Rubicon Design & Construct: (07) 3267 2400 or www.rubiconps.com KP Architects (07) 3358 1188 or www.kparchitects.com.au 1 Brintons (‘Timorous Beasties’ Carpet) 1800 332 694 or www.brintons.net 2 Lumiere Lighting (Foscarini Pendant) (02) 9319 3848 or www.lumierelighting.com.au Nightlife Music 0404 556 727 or www.nightlife.com.au

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50 Gaming Glam: The expanded gaming lounge area was designed by WBP Architects and is worlds apart from the earthier KP Architects-designed café and lounge. 220 gaming machines to come.

RAISING THE ROOF Externally, the renovation called for demolition of the old facade, raising of the roof, and creation of a new exciting facade. WBP Architects’ Geoffrey Stevens said, “One thing we had to ensure was that different elements of the street facade were complementary, despite each end of the building having their own aesthetic and energy. This was achieved by maintaining a consistent fascia line, building massing, and the colour palette.”

The long walls of the gaming wing were in a prominent location facing the main street and provided an opportunity to create a strong statement and attract attention to the ‘new’ club.

In combination with strong colour contrasts, a loose geometric cross hatching effect was employed to make a bold statement. The design was inspired by the cane fields that for many years were a dominant feature of the local area.

“It was a challenge to achieve something close to the original concept at a reasonable cost, but utilising a simple graphic design in the paint application achieved the desired effect within budget. The resulting 3D effect looks great,” he said.

In addition to the initial concept planning and overall building documentation, WBP were also engaged to develop the completely new interior concept for the expanded gaming lounge. The

space was increased in size by 200sqm to better accommodate the proposed 220 gaming machines, and the layout was reconfigured to move the cashier and provide improved accessibility from the lobby and lounge areas.

Additional facilities were incorporated including new breakout decks and a new dedicated food and beverage station in the gaming room. This satisfied a key requirement of the brief to maximise player comfort and convenience.

The street level entrance and upstairs reception were upgraded in keeping with the overall renovation (new paint, wall coverings, carpet and wood grain laminate).

A feature of the café area are the wide frameless glass louvers which, while echoing a tropical feel, give the space a fresh, al fresco ambiance and help bring the outside in.

EURO INFLUENCES Kon Pangapoulos of KP Architects has spent extended periods in Europe and the design was influenced by the history and tradition of European villages. “(We wanted customers to) approach the new café and its large portal windows which are to be reminiscent of windows of a building facing a cobble street. The ‘street’ that leads you to other parts of the club is lined in natural stone ‘travertine’ to

reflect the old, narrow cobble stone streets of Europe,” he explained.

“The new venue is broken up into a variety of dining and drinking experiences and settings. The café mirrors a European café with rich colours, natural stone bench tops, timber floors and chairs. The space is intimate but is fresh and exciting, something that is demonstrated in the food concept,” he said.

“A key aspect to the bar / lounge design was to create a space that will age well over time, and feels warm and inviting during the day and night with a strong connection to the outside.

“This was achieved by the blending of honest finishes — marble, zinc, face brick, stone tiles and timber.

When enjoying the bar space during the day, filtered natural light fills the space. At night, carefully selected accent lighting creates an ambient mood setting,” Kon said.

The redesign also allowed for stacking doors which slide back to the outside areas and a tall vaulted timber lined box that encloses the deck also frames the views that can be enjoyed not only from the deck, but from deep inside the bar’s interior.

“I love the way little nooks are also integrated beside the bar where smaller groups of two can sit comfortably away from the busier open spaces. The whole experience is carefully brought together by a palette of honest materials,” he explained.

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OUT OF ITS SHELL

Shellys has the attention of its big city brethren. And for good reason.

Story: Julia Langham The Shellharbour Club Cnr Wattle & Shellharbour Rds Shellharbour NSW (02) 4296 7155 or www.shellys.com.au

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or over 50 years the Shellharbour Workers Club had served the local Illawarra region 100-odd kilometres south of Sydney. With its poker machines, meat tray raffles, bingo and a Chinese restaurant providing familiar fare of a Friday night, all were housed within a somewhat boxy ‘post Vegas’ skin.

But times had changed.

Families and a younger demographic moved in, tastes became more sophisticated and locals expect much more from their club. Although the club moved and was re-built in the 1980s and had a refit in 1999, it looked tired and dated.

The board and management team took a calculated punt, devising a five to 10-year four-stage masterplan that would be funded initially by a gaming upgrade, but ultimately providing a range of dining experiences to rival the best in the area — several chic bars, function rooms with high-end finishes — and even plans for an extensive health and fitness centre, and a range of revenue generating tenants on site.

Renamed The Shellharbour Club (or ‘Shellys’ as it’s always been known to the locals) Stage One opened last November and includes a new gaming room that seamlessly segues into alfresco gaming, replacing the previous stop-gap outdoor solution which CEO David Whyte described as “resembling bus shelters”.

A sparkling new foyer and main entertainment lounge area was added, as well as new bars (O Bar) an upgraded sports bar, a casual noodle bar (Wabi Sabi Noodle House) and new toilet facilities.

BRINGING THE A TEAM The club appointed Altis Architecture with director Rolfe Latimer, interior designer Tiffany Patten and Alex Longley of Arcadia Landscape Architecture to oversee the design and build.

They also ensured development management consultants, Tom Zarimis and Lee Pinder at Philon, were on board early. They mapped out the club’s long-term business direction, ensuring commercial opportunities were assessed, good governance and financial viability and detailed planning was put in place. After an open tender, experienced club and hospitality builders, Boden Projects with Bruce Bouchard at the helm, brought it all together.

FIVE-FOLD PROFIT GROWTH The club also undertook market research early to see the lay of the land. Management discovered the club’s image was misaligned with its market — that its dwindling membership base was not in fact its market at all. The club had identifies the untapped potential of a market that is accounting for its current explosion in membership. Criti-

cally, the operating trading profit has increased five-fold since Philon first commenced its work in developing the five-year rolling business plan (now in its third edition).

“They went from reactive to proactive,” said Philon’s Lee Pinder. “They took a calculated, progressive risk in developing the plan initially funded by the Stage One redevelopment but they are extremely rigorous and the board has been very involved in the shared vision for the club.

“They went from having a not-for-profit hospitality mentality to realising they weren’t going to be able to give back to their members and the community over the long term until they met market demands for quality and started making money from hospitality. They tied their financial planning to their vision and so far it is very much on track,” he added.

POKIES NOT ENOUGH Lee acknowledged that the club sector had been frustrated by certain legislative changes imposed on their operations over the past 10 years — smoking restrictions and poker machine limits for starters — which point clearly to a need to diversify within the industry and not to put all the eggs in one light-flashing basket.

“Clubs can no longer rely on gaming to provide their revenue stream. For those wanting to diver-

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sify, we always recommend optimal operation of the venue before going forward into other investments,” he said.

The club’s smart approach to the planning ensured this was the case, as was the appointment of quality architects and builders to ensure the result was something special.

“We really wanted something classy with the ‘wow’ factor and didn’t want to entrust this job to just anyone. We hoped guests would enter the building and see something really different and welcoming — not a replica of other clubs in the area,” CEO David Whyte said. “I think we’ve succeeded — the renovations have been a talking point, not just down here, we’ve also had clubs in Sydney come down and take a look.”

STAGE TWO BY CHRISTMAS The hoardings are still up, with work on Stage Two scheduled to be completed by Christmas. These works include updating the existing dining areas with a sitdown brasserie restaurant (Fifty Six) and a pizza and pasta bar (Lido) and utilising the existing expansive terrace area to create a fully weather proof outdoor ‘cabana’-style dining experience.

Down the track the existing barn-like auditorium will be reconfigured into a multi-use function area with three smaller rooms that can be walled off for private events such as weddings.

“The auditorium is huge with lyric-style seating, but in the last 10 years we’ve only filled it twice,” David explained. “As with other parts of the ageing building, there was a lot of under-utilised space with a huge potential for improvement.”

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FUTURE STRATEGIES The architects were invited to prepare a club and site masterplan which explored how the existing club would be redefined and integrated into a future strategy.

The design concepts developed along two objectives: Firstly, how to reconfigure the club planning to provide a state-of-the-art gaming and alfresco solution and how to maximise the club’s existing unique coastal aspect to drive a new food and beverage facility that would capture the imagination of the local market.

Secondly, they explored how the club could tap into future diversification opportunities such as a health and fitness centre, functions, hotel, commercial childcare, medical, age care/residential facilities as the club occupies an extensive 7.8 hectare parcel of land.

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1 Ke-Zu (Croissant Side Table, with Corian Top) 1300 724 174 or www.kezu.com.au

CONTACTS Altis Architecture (02) 9364 9000 or www.altisarchitecture.com Boden Projects (02) 9554 7967 or www.boden.com.au Philon (02) 9251 5771 or www.philon.com.au Arcadia Landscape Architecture (02) 9571 6259 or www.arcadiala.com.au Cafe Culture (Linda Stool) (02) 9699 8577 or www.cafeculture.com.au Caesarstone (Bathroom Vanities) 1300 119 119 or www.caesarstone.com.au Halifax Vogel Group (Smartstone Bartop) www.halifaxvogel.com.au Academy Tiles (02) 9436 3566 or www.academytiles.com.au Nightlife Music 0404 556 727 or www.nightlife.com.au

The plans were ambitious, and a number of challenges existed: “The existing building and its architecture projected a very monumental and imposing structure with outdated facilities that hadn’t been renovated for years,” Rolfe said.

Altis identified the north facing terrace with elevated views to Warilla Beach as severely under-utilised and proposed the all-weather outdoor dining cabana from the brasserie. He said the resulting interiors of the Stage One works reflect a relaxed coastal theme with contemporary design using natural stone and timber finishes.

“The large, overwhelming spaces have been transformed into smaller areas with an inviting sense of place with an upmarket and more sophisticated atmosphere. The gaming area now has a seamless connection to the alfresco gaming area, easy access and allweather controls,” Rolfe explained.

Contemporary and high quality furniture and lighting fixtures were used throughout, while distinctive and original artwork, along with the tones and clever textural gradations in the Brintons carpet all contribute to the success of the overall design aesthetic, elevating the club well above the ordinary.

quality audio solutions

FEATURE PACKED Boden Projects’ Bruce Bouchard was most impressed with the transformation of the ’80s building and the fact the finished product was greeted with wide praise from both within the club and by industry peers.

“One the most exciting aspects of the project was the installation of one the largest commercial fireplaces in the Southern Hemisphere, which sits as a feature in the main lounge,” Bruce said. “The massive feature wall that houses the fireplace took weeks to construct and finish and incorporates an extensive chimney/flue system.

“Other unique features include a false raised floor which extends throughout the new gaming lounges, a complex windbreak screen that protects the alfresco gaming lounge from coastal breezes and a new external bar which is so inviting that it’s easy to understand why the club’s trading has improved.”

Stages Three and Four to be completed in 2014 will see the existing function/squash court area transform into an extensive health and fitness facility and Stage Five will tackle the auditorium and grounds.

“The health club was something our community was very keen on,” David explained, “and ultimately, our vision is to enable our community to achieve their full potential.”

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LIFE’S A BEACH Merewether Surfhouse brings three levels of distinctly beachside experiences to locals and tourists alike.

Story: Sophie Gebhardt Merewether Surfhouse Henderson Parade, Merewether Beach, Merewether NSW (02) 4918 0000 or www.surfhouse.com.au

AV: On The Down-Low Impact AV Australia provided an audiovisual design and installation for the Surfhouse’s new function centre. The design was specific to suit the low ceilings and the high ambient light from the glass exterior walls.

Impact AV liaised with Screen Technics to design new flipdown ceiling-mounted screen lifters for 100-inch DNP front projection screens. The Australian-first design is built into the roof with the roofing panels attached to the back of the screens to provide a seamless and customised vision solution. To complement the 100-inch screens, Impact AV also installed Panasonic 6000 ANSI lumens DLP projectors using Screen Technics’ in-ceiling projector lifters.

ETC Source Four Jr. Zooms profile lamps were perfect for the Surfhouse because they have wider lens angles for shorter throws. Martin Smart Macs were suitable because of their fan-less feature using alloy heat sinks to dissipate heat, this reduces the noise levels inside the venue. The Smart Macs also have the wider lens angles for the short throws.

130 metres of Show Technology Pro Shop Tri Colour LED strip lights (30 LEDs/m) were installed in the coffered ceiling section for a coloured roof wash. The LED strips are controlled by low-voltage dmx controllers, allowing colour changes and various light levels. The lighting control for the venue uses the Jands Vista Lighting System.

Impact AV: 1300 633 328 or www.impactav.com.au Jands (ETC): (02) 9582 0909 or info@jands.com.au Show Technology (Martin): www.showtech.com.au

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erewether Surfhouse opened in November 2011 to a fair degree of immediate success, despite a summer plagued with rain and unseasonably cold weather. Starting on the ground floor, where the café and kiosk provide beachgoers with snacks and drinks, the focus moved to opening the top-level restaurant and bar, with its dramatic backdrop of surf, sand and sunsets. Then it was on to the function space in the middle, which, as General Manger Marc Allardice happily recounts, is now booked out through 2012 and beyond. “It’s been ticking along very, very well,” says Marc.

“We’re a bit blown away, actually, as to how well the Surfhouse has been embraced.”

WETHER VAIN A slightly convoluted path led to the creation of the Merewether Surfhouse, which is situated on Crown Reserve land and was the site of a rundown and rarely used 1930s clubhouse.

A number of Newcastle and Merewether locals approached Crone Partners’ development of the site with understandable misgivings, given the size, scope and landmark position of the building; however, according to Tony Green, Executive Director of the hospitality consortium that operates the venue, the future of the site had been heatedly debated amongst locals for nearly 20 years. And some of the apprehensions about the new building have been allayed now the place is up and running, with many locals taking advantage of what the Surfhouse has to offer. Tony comments that, “We’ve run into a few people who objected to it but they’ve been coming in here and good enough to admit, ‘we think you guys have done a good job’.

And it is a good-looking building — there’s lots of glass and the roofline fits in with the surrounds. It’s been done well.”

POLE POSITION Marc Allardice has worked for the Green consortium for 10 years, managing a number of the group’s pubs in Sydney, North Sydney and Cockle Bay. He jumped at the chance to relocate to Newcastle and run the Merewether Surfhouse. “I thought is was a great opportunity. Newcastle is really growing and it has everything that Sydney has — the harbours, the beaches — I just love it. And an offer of a share in the company was a great lure!”

The pole position of the Surfhouse was another draw card for Marc. “The top level, with the à la carte restaurant and the

wine and cocktail bar, has been a great success. It’s probably my favourite part to run, sitting on the terrace and enjoying that view. We’re lucky to have something like this on the east coast, so close to the beach. It’s just a lovely spot to be.”

And a big mix of clientele seems to agree, with Marc describing Sundays at the Surfhouse as a burst of varied activity.

“With a few thousand people around on a Sunday afternoon, we attract a lot of visitors for a lot of different reasons. There are people who come in for casual cocktails or a beer on the terrace, families having Sunday lunch in the restaurant, and then there are the young kids and tourists or surfies on the beach, who pop into the kiosk or café for a snack or a coffee.”

CO-AP APPROACH Sydney-based CO-AP (COllaborative_Architecture_Practice) came up with the interior of the Merewether Surfhouse, working with what was pretty much a concrete and glass shell with a spectacular view. William Fung of CO-AP says that streamlining the eye away from the inner workings and out to the decks was a key criterion in the design. “The kitchen and wet bars have been split into two areas, in order to define circulation routes and separate the restaurant and bar visually and acoustically. Both share the same guest amenities, which are located behind the wet bars and purposefully obstruct the view of the beach from the entry. This means the spectacular views are revealed as the visitor moves from the maître d’ station into the restaurant, or to the bar and outdoor terrace.”

Tony Green is by and large very happy with the new enterprise, which is a move in a different direction for the largely pub-based consortium. “We’ve had a huge number of people through the place… I think we’ve done a good fitout. There are a few things we need to change but, generally, it looks good, people are using it and it’s getting a good response.”

Yet Tony is adamant that the selling point of the magnificent view is only the starting point, and that what the Merewether Surfhouse has to offer in terms of service and food is really the key to its success. “We are very conscious of the fact, and emphasised this from day one, that having a fantastic location and great fitout is just the first step. If people don’t get good food or good service, the view doesn’t matter — it only lasts for the first five minutes. You have to give good service and I think we are doing that, and people appreciate it.”

CO-AP (02) 9380 9750 or www.co-ap.com

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WOW FACTOR Story: Lucie Robson Tradies Gymea: 57 Manchester Road, Gymea NSW www.tradies.com.au Merrill Design (02) 6280 5883 or www.merrilldesign.com.au Enlightened Design Studio 1800 809 363

Tradies club in Gymea, southern Sydney, recently wrapped up a multi-million dollar renovation. One important part is the new members’ lounge, which was an ambitious fast-tracked two-night install by ACT firm Merrill Design.

The lounge was designed, prefabricated and installed in just eight weeks — Merrill Design specialises in off-site design and prefabrication to maximise the speed of installation, while venues continue with business as usual. Members can relax or be entertained with iPads or TVs, or computers at desk stations designed and manufactured by Merrill Design. Most of the light fixtures were also designed and manufactured by the firm, which has in-house carpenters. The principal light pendant comes from Enlightened Design Studio.

“My main aim was to create an effective, comfortable, creative environment incorporating the latest technology,” says head designer Merrill Vellenoweth. The refurbishment needed to fit in with the existing warm-hued carpet. Custom wooden partitions showcase a delicate cut-out design that adds some art deco flair.

Furniture, including dark leather and fabric lounges for the discerning members, was sourced from Push 8, Harvey Norman, Oz Design and Freedom Furniture.

Tradies director Tim McAleer gives the install 10 out of 10: “Merril Design created a real wow factor in our venue. Delivered on time and on budget our members are absolutely blown away by the style, comfort and speed that was achieved virtually overnight by Merril and her team.”

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AUSTRAL BOWLING CLUB For 40 years Austral Bowling Club has been a local watering hole and a friendly place to meet friends, socialise, play bowls, or have a cold beer. Recently it’s undergone a big facelift. The new developments incorporate articulated facades and pitched roofs to minimise the perception of building bulk. A combination of outward and inward facades minimise the impact of the building when viewed from the street and beyond.

The outcome is a building which takes into account the planning guidelines as well as combine contemporary design with the desired future character of the locality.

2RKS Architecture + Design: (02) 8904 0000 or www.2rks.com

Parramatta Leagues Sterlo’s Bar Sterlo’s Bar at Parramatta Leagues has undergone a $1.1m refurbishment to transform the bar to a ‘pub within a club’. Parramatta Leagues is using the expertise of high-profile hotel industry designer Paul Kelly to take Sterlo’s Bar into a new era. The Club commissioned experienced club industry project managers Paynter Dixon to bring Paul Kelly’s vision for Sterlo’s Bar alive. Featuring a new bar, lounge area and kitchen with a wood fired pizza oven, the new venue space will also link to the existing outdoor terrace.

A custom-designed interior plays a major part in this refurbishment. The use of timber flooring and timber ceiling treatment as well as feature pendant lighting, stylish furniture and furnishings provides the perfect atmosphere for guests to relax and unwind.

Paynter Dixon: (02) 9797 5555 or www.paynterdixon.com.au

Club Central Menai

Maroubra Seals Sports & Community Club

The members of Club Central Menai are enjoying the brand new facilities afforded by a significant refit masterminded by Bergstrom Architects. As we went to press the gaming room at Menai had just been completed. The current stage includes sports terrace and TAB to be open in shortly weeks and bistro to be open midAugust. The final stage will be the Sport lounge and function rooms due for completion early November.

Moroubra Seals has a fantastic new bar to crow about, but as we went to press that wasn’t what was exercising the mind and energy of Gaming Manager Bud O’Bryan.

A major fire had been through the club and all hands were on deck to reopen the premises. Seals’ builder of choice Whitcon had assisted by working all hours to open the first floor, with the second floor not long after.

The bar (pictured) came about after” three years of workshopping and consultation”, and after careful selection of designers and contractors Seals was able to shave “$170k off the original quote”.

Bergstrom Architects: (02) 8920 1499 or www.bergstromarchitects.com.au

Whitcon (Builders): (02) 9527 4231 or www.whitcon.com.au Split Watermelon Design: (02) 9698 1883 or www.splitwatermelon.com.au

C o n s t r u C t i o n

: :

F i t o u t

: :

Phone (02) 9527 4231 Fax (02) 9527 0231 email info@whitcon.com.au Web www.whitcon.com.au

r e F u r b i s h m e n t

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kit

Epson Z Series

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Panasonic 20K Projectors

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Epson has added four new models to its Z Series large venue projector range including the Epson EBZ10000/EB-Z10005 with 10,000 lumens of both light and colour light output. All the new models deliver advanced image quality, connectivity and installation tools, as well as an expanded feature set with edge blending, split screen capability and DICOM Simulation mode. They all use Epson’s C2Fine Technology and the Faroudja DCDi Cinema chipset for advanced video and built-in edge blending. The dual lamp system eliminates the risk of interruption and is designed for tool-free replacements. Pricing starts from $10,999.

Panasonic has released the PT-DZ20K series, a new three-strong flagship range of 20,000-lumen, three-chip DLP projectors it’s calling the world’s smallest and lightest in its class. The series consists of the PT-DZ21K with WUXGA (1920 x 1200) resolution and the PTDS20K with SXGA+ (1400 x 1050) resolution both with 20,000 lumens, while the PT-DW17K with WXGA (1366 x 768) resolution has 16,500 lumens. The PT-DZ21K delivers reduced running costs by using four newlydeveloped, affordable 465W UHM lamps instead of the Xenon single lamp system and the Lamp Relay mode allows operation of the lamps alternately to enable 24/7 projection. Priced from $43,999.

Epson: (02) 88993666 or www.epsom.com.au

Panasonic Australia: 132 600 or www.panasonic.com.au

Low Cost Hearing Loop

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New from Ampetronic is FreedomLoop, a low-cost induction loop amplifier designed for simple, non-engineered induction loop installations – ‘non-engineered’ meaning those situations when a venue has laid the carpet and installed the seating before remembering it needs a hearing loop in the floor. The FreedomLoop amplifier is designed for professional and domestic perimeter and Figure 8 loops and is capable of up to 500sqm area coverage, depending on loop configuration and metal loss. The FreedomLoop delivers excellent speech intelligibility and is suitable for both musical and speech reinforcement.

Hills SVL: (02) 96471411 or nsw@hillssvl.com.au

J Audio Contractor Series

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The J Audio Contractor Series of speakers are a practical choice for any audio installation — affordable without sacrificing sound quality. Available in different models for various applications: the CS208QF is the most compact of the three and is suitable for any application.

The back-can model, the CS208B, offers enhanced sound quality and is suitable for a small bar, restaurant or gaming room application. To maximise the features of the CS208B, the Contractor Series Subwoofer model — the CS208S can be utilised, ensuring maximum sound clarity in any chosen venue.

J-Distribution: (07) 5599 1551 or www.jdistribution.net

XTA DS8000

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XTA Electronics has launched the DS8000 — a complete re-design of its renowned DS800 mic/line distribution system for the broadcast and touring markets. The DS8000 has two new key features: an outside broadcast split function, featuring two rear switches making stereo 16-way splits easy; and a dual redundant power supply system that can be quickly and easily enabled when two DS8000 units are paired together. Subtle panel lighting is provided for dark back stage environments and there is the option of adding an ADC card that provides AES3 outputs for integration into digital systems. Together with new output transformers, the DS8000 promises a flexible, rugged and high quality distribution system.

CMI Music & Audio: (03) 9315 2244 or www.cmi.com.au

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Yamaha CL

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Three new CL Series digital mixing consoles hit the market, ranging from 48 to 72 mono plus eight stereo inputs. All feature 16 DCAs and 24 mix/eight matrix output buses. Yamaha Centralogic user interface and now-standard Selected Channel interface have been integrated into the desks with a number of refinements. User Defined Knobs are another addition, the EQ section has been ‘vastly expanded’, there’s an Effect Rack with a bunch of Rupert Neve goodness and more. Priced from $18,000.

LISTEN

Yamaha: (03) 9693 5272 or jason_allen@gmx.yamaha.com

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PA of Paramount Concern

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The Paramount in Long Island, New York is a new 1600-seat venue that was formerly a theatre. The interior space was completely gutted and underwent a total renovation including an audio system using 20 x JBL Vertec VT4888DPDA powered midsize line array elements on each side of the stage and 14 x JBL MS28 compact loudspeakers located throughout the venue as lip, under-balcony, VIP box and rear bar fills. Crown I-Tech HD amplifiers power the MS28 speakers. An additional two sets of six VT4887A compact line array elements each were installed for use with the VT4888DPDA line arrays as part of a 360° dancefloor system.

Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or info@jands.com.au

For more information: Syntec International Australia: Free Call 1800 648 628 New Zealand: Free Call 0800 100 755 www.sennheiser.com.au

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Droplet Steels Show

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Anolis ArcPad 48 LED fixtures are internally lighting Stuart Green’s gleaming and breathtakingly beautiful ‘Droplet’ sculpture, a 6m-tall 3m-wide stainless steel work installed on a street corner in Canberra.

Its elegant curved and pleated shell — in the shape of a massive water droplet — is made from laser cut 316 marine-grade stainless steel, and it has a quirky 10° tilt. Lighting was integral to the sculpture from the start. The ArcPad 48s were specified by Light Application with Stuart Green’s blessing: “I wanted to use high quality LED products with a good intensity that were simple to install … and hugely dynamic in effect”. (Photo: Martin Ollman)

Source 4 LED Profile

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The new Source Four LED range combines the benefits of the latest LED technology with the familiar and proven functionality and form factor of the Source Four to deliver a new layers of performance and control. Three versions will be initially available: Source Four LED Lustr+, Source Four LED Daylight, and Source Four LED Tungsten, bringing bright white light plus brilliant colours and energy-saving efficiency to all types of installations.

The Source Four LED produces a sharp, clean beam of focusable light or a smooth wash, to give extra versatility to almost all lighting projects.

Jands: (02) 9582 0909 or info@jands.com.au

Martin: The Family Connection

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Brisbane’s Family Nightclub is one of Australia’s largest and most enduring nightclubs spread out over four floors and five bars. The venue regularly reinvents itself in order to stay on top of the city’s club scene and the latest transformation saw a brand new lighting system installed courtesy of Josh Frey Productions.

Production Manager David Fairless was delighted to receive an all Martin lighting package consisting of eight MAC700 profiles, eight MAC101 LED moving head wash lights and four MAC Aura compact LED moving head wash lights with zoom. (Photo: Alex Singleton) Show Technology: (02) 9748 1122 or www.showtech.com.au

ULA Group: 1300 852 476 or www.ulagroup.com

Satelight Weaver Pendant Light

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Mon Komo Hotel, located just outside of Brisbane in Redcliff, is a hotel, restaurant and apartment complex. Satelight was engaged to produce lighting for the convention foyers, which involved creating 3m-diameter light fittings. Also incorporated into the nautical theme were Weaver pendant lights suspended above the stairwell (pictured), which were customised into the larger size. Hand woven from nylon rope, this incredible fitting is the work of a Macrame artist who spends hours weaving these amazing fittings. Using traditional craft techniques the standard pendant light is approximately 550mm in height and 270mm in diameter and through its intricate form creates a beautiful shadow play with in the space. Custom made larger Weaver pendant lights approximately 900mm high have been created especially for the Mon Komo Hotel project. The Weaver fitting is available in a black or red cord.

Satelight: (03) 9399 5805 or www.satelight.com.au

Beama Up & Down

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Beama Up and Down is Australian designed and manufactured wall downlight or ‘up & down’ (two lamps). It’s manufactured with an extruded aluminium body; is available for integral transformer/ballast; while anodising is available for the fitting’s inner and outer surfaces. Beama Up and Down is Ideal for retail spaces, restaurants, bars and hotel spaces and comes in Silver, White, Black, or Custom colours. Look out for Masson for Light’s new look book — head to the website for more.

Masson for Light: (03) 9437 0001 or sales@massonforlight.com.au

“So simple to use – Really quick & easy to install” Michael White – Sound On Stage

Venue’s Embracing Matrix Performance: Bavarian Beer Café’s Chatswood Gold Coast Manly Parramatta Sydney – York St Taste – Sydney Uni Bondi Hotel QANTAS Museum & numerous other venues nationally

LM 8000 Remote Control PX 8000 Matrix - 5-stage priority control for audio outputs - Built-in digital record and playback module - 2-band HF/LF equalization on each channel - 8 sets of dry contacts for triggering emergency announcements - May be connected to the LM-8000 remote stations (up to 8 units) - 1 paging microphone input channel (with phantom power switch) for local paging

LM 8000 Remote Control

Distributed in Australia by: Magna Systems and Engineering, Unit 2, 28 Smith Street, Chatswood, NSW 2067 Australia Tel: (02) 9417 1111 Fax: (02) 9417 2394

Platinum Smart-Heat™ Gas 500 located at Guillaume, Melbourne

Matching substance with style, experience the new age of smart-heating. Innovation meets aesthetics, to bring you a powerful range of gas and electric heaters that re-define the world of outdoor heating.

Visit bromicheating.com/venue for all the latest information.

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Kartell Plastics Duo

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Kartell and fashion brand Kenzo teams up with Space to create a limited edition Plastics Duo Sofa featuring Kenzo’s signature fabrics. The playful Plastics Duo is a modular sofa range which offers multiple configurations and flexibility, letting clients mix and match the vibrant Kenzo fabrics as they desire.

Space Furniture’s highly acclaimed limited edition series has previously seen a successful collaboration between the Kartell POP Sofa and Paul Smith fabric, this new collaboration is expected to also become an immediate collectors item. Price: three-piece modular sofa from $5730.

Kettal Park Life

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Park Life is the first collection of outdoor furniture by British designer Jasper Morrison for Spanish brand Kettal. It comprises chairs, chaise lounge, table and small table, easy chair and sofa, pillows. Park Life is light, but extremely resistant. It is easily transportable or for winter storage. The technical refinement in respect of ergonomic criteria, external usage, structural and visual appeal.

Yakka

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Yakka is a robust, nay ‘indestructible’, stool suited to pubs, clubs and bars — it even comes with an optional handbag hook attachment. There’s a bunch of colours available in powder-coated steel while the fully upholstered seat comes in a choice of upholstery fabrics.

Pomp: (03) 9696 9669 or pomp@pomp.com.au

Dedece: www.dedece.com.au

Space Furniture: (03) 9426 3000 or www.spacefurniture.com

Porta Venezia Chair

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New from OMP Inifiti is the Porta Venezia. Made from a solid European beech with a polypropylene seat and back, Porta Venezia ships in a variety of colours including yellow, green, light grey, black, red, white, natural and wenge. There’s a 24-month warranty and a matching barstool in the range.

Cafe Culture: (02) 9699 8577 or www.cafeculture.com.au

Sprint by Sean Dix

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Sean Dix continues to develop the Dix Collection with the release of the compact Sprint stool and stacking chair range. Sprint is strong and comfortable despite its small footprint. Sprint has personality: it’s friendly, quick, and light on its feet like the Vespa scooter classic ‘Sprint Veloce’ it was named after. The Sprint range is available with injection foam upholstered seat and a powder-coated steel frame with American White Oak or Walnut veneer bent laminate plywood back. The range of powdercoat colours include Anthracite, Pale Grey, Dark Orange and Dirty Green Zenith: 1300 013 013 or www.zenithinteriors.com.au

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Save a packet on a yearly subscription by acting now

subscribe online: www.venue.net.au

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Taken As Read

Another chapter is opened in this South Sydney treasure.

Story: Joanna Lowry The Old Library Shop 1, 15 Surf Rd Cronulla NSW (02) 9544 5360 or www.theoldlibrary.com.au

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CONTACTS Hecker Guthrie (Architecture & Interior Design) (03) 9421 1644 or www.heckerguthrie.com Spence & Lyda (Lighting) (02) 9212 6747 or www.spenceandlyda.com.au Great Dane (Lighting) (02) 9699 7677 or www.greatdanefurniture.com Euroluce (Light) (02) 9380 6222 or www.euroluce.com.au Masson for Light (Lighting) (02) 9690 0666 or www.massonforlight.com.au Smartstone (Bench Tops) 1300 888 607 or www.smartstone.com

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he Old Library is housed in one of Cronulla’s oldest buildings: erected in 1908 and originally a Methodist church, it was converted into a library in the 1970s and later used as a community hall. Mario Kalpou bought the building in 2009 and, in two years, transformed it into what it is today: a spacious seaside eatery littered with literary references. The church and council connotations are gone, but people still gather under its gabled roof all year round — in summer, on comfy linen lounges with antipasto share plates; and in winter, curled up next to an open fire with a glass of vino.

Although the building isn’t heritage-listed, Kalpou made clear from the onset his intention to remain true to as much of the original design as possible. But the building’s turn-of-the-century charm was not without its challenges. “Structurally, it was a nightmare,” Kalpou says. “We had a lot of rotten timber. A hundred years ago they used a lime based concrete render, which basically turns to powder when you touch it. We spent a lot of time fixing the structure before we got to the inside of it.”

The lengthy restoration process was worth it, though. “With a new building you just don’t get that same level of personality and texture,” Hamish Guthrie from Hecker Guthrie says. “At the same time, we didn’t want The Old Library to be an exercise in restoration. We’re not about recreating the old. We wanted to do something fresh and bring in a re-youth and re-purpose of the building.

For us, the building became part of the beautiful backdrop for the concept we were conceiving for the space.”

That concept involved referencing the building’s coastal location as well as its history as a library. The whitewashed walls, gaping windows with hanging drapes, and pale American oak (Kalpou imported four and a half tonnes of the stuff, both for the floor and furnishings) evoke a crisp, airy beach house. The final touches, finessed by Sibella Court — bookshelves painted onto walls, wallmounted reading lights, ceramic deer heads, striped cushions and pot plants — are quirky, playful riffs on the library theme. “One

of the questions we always ask as interior designers is: ‘how do you want people to feel when they’re dining in this space?’” Guthrie says. “Mario wanted to create a fine-dining experience, but he didn’t want it to be too intimidating or slick. We used natural finishes like timber, leather and linen to create something neutral and sophisticated.”

INTIMACY ASSURED The brief also emphasised creating a sense of intimacy. “When we first got into the building it was a big, ugly, empty hall,” Kalpou says. “I said to the guys, ‘look, this is the dining area; this is the lounge area; this is the cocktail area.’ We created lots of little alcoves. There are seven fire places throughout the venue, which people congregate around in small groups.” The bar, which mirrors the slope of the ceiling, and the custom-made communal marble table by Smartstone, which runs the length of the restaurant — both stunning pieces in their own right — also serve to soak up the volume of the space. “We had a lot of height and width to work with,” Kalpou says. “It’s about breaking that huge space down into a series of experiences,” Guthrie says. “The bar is supposed to be a room within a room. It’s a different experience. It’s not one-dimensional.”

Since opening last year, The Old Library’s accolades have been steadily rolling in. Critics have been singing the praises of the menu, which features introductions (entrees) and epilogues (desserts), and it’s not only a hit with locals, but also with city folk, who trek in from Sydney both for the food and relaxed atmosphere. “The thing about The Old Library is that it would be just as comfortable in Bondi or Manly or the CBD,” Kalpou says.

“The fact that it’s in The Shire has raised the bar big time.” The interiors are also getting noticed — Hecker Guthrie recently took out a ‘Special Commendation’ in The Australian Interior Design Awards for its fitout. “We’re rapt with the response,” Guthrie says.

“This is hopefully one of many projects we do with Mario.”

DEEP DEEP SOUTH The team behind The Corner House launch an all-day eatery.

Panama House 251 Bondi Road, Bondi NSW (02) 8020 6698

Story: Heather Barton

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ondi Road’s new Panama House café and bar is not anthropology, it’s hospitality.

Don’t expect an ethnographic survey of Panamanian cuisine.

As Anthony Kaplan, the 36 year-old, coowner and the engine behind Bondi’s Shop on Curlewis street and the Corner House on Bondi Road, said, “We’ve tried to embrace the spirit of Southern food rather than slavishly adhere to the letter of the law.”

By ‘Southern’ he means the flavour of the Americas, especially those regions lapped by the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Think: Lousiana, Texas and Mexico as well as Panama and Jamaica.

Hence, Chef Brent Mills’ menu includes Louisiana ‘po-boys, Jamaican Jerk chicken and Mexican tacos and tortillas as well as Panama Burgers.

There’s lots of lime, tequila, rum, avocado, salsa, chilli and gumbo used creatively and with a lightness of touch for the Australian palate, across breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings.

A po’ boy — for those who don’t know — is a baguette filled with battered oysters, shrimp or fish. Jerk is a dry rub based on pimento and scotch bonnet peppers.

Tortillas and tacos are corn bread cooked with lime and the Panama burgers are made with flavoursome hanger steak.

While it’s now generally accepted that Mexican is the flavour of the month in Sydney, Kaplan wanted to broaden the scope a little. He said, “Mexican food is the Thai food of the 20-teens. In the ’80s in Sydney there was an emphasis on and adaptation of European flavours, in the ’90s and 2000s it was Asian and now there is an exploration of South American flavours.

“I felt there was a lack of daytime options in Bondi. Although having said that, it’s hard to make money dur-

ing the day. One reason being, people generally don’t While he said his eye is better with each fitout, he addrink during the day, so you can’t really make money mits doing things on the fly isn’t especially practical because of potential blowouts in the schedule and budget. from alcohol sales.”

Nonetheless, the result is a success, with a stripped BONDI BY DAY back interior and a materials palette featuring copper, One of the other reasons a daytime venue in Bondi is raw steel, concrete, Brazilian slate, reclaimed black problematic, Kaplan said, is because there isn’t the high butt, equestrian leather, matte white tiles and customtraffic in Bondi that there is in the CBD, Potts Point or made seating by Nicholas Rogers.

Surry Hills.

One of the reasons Kaplan doesn’t have time for cer“Surry Hills, for instance, has that commercial or in- tain things anymore is not only the demands of rundustrial component like the East End of London or New ning three venues but also those of new baby, 15 month York’s Lower East Side,” he said. “There are people who old, Leo. work from home in Bondi, like shift workers, housewives and husbands, surfers, travellers and students but BETTER THAN MELBOURNE While he credits his partner Tara’s willingness to virtuthere isn’t an industry, as such, to create traffic.

“But I got an itch. The Corner House has been open for ally become a single parent while they established Pantwo and a half years and I wanted to explore the middle ama House, to juggle everything he needed to delegate ground between a tiny venue like The Shop and a big- and choose good staff, which he did by trusting his gut. ger one like the Corner House. I felt there was a niche “I’ve very rarely been wrong,” he said. “Although it’s getin the market and a story to be told in Bondi that hadn’t ting harder because there are fewer people to choose from given the boom in the number of venues in the been written as yet.”

Kaplan hasn’t given himself a time limit for Panama past 18 months, due to the new Melbourne-style licensHouse to succeed. “At the moment I’m looking for a ing laws in Sydney.” manager. I’m learning how to delegate those things that Melbourne’s loss is apparently Sydney gain though. KaI don’t have time to do or don’t want to do and those plan said: “I went to Melbourne twice while setting up Panama House. Nothing great has happened there in things I’m not good at.”

What he is good at he said is “people, listening, and cre- the past 18 months.”

When it’s mentioned venue remit extends past the Sydating a rapport and an environment.” ney city limits, he conceded, “Well Andrew McConnell ON-THE-FLY DESIGN is a genius. The Pub in Fitzroy is great.” But went on to In creating the environment for Panama House, Ka- say that he thought Sydney now had the advantage beplan, Mills and their business partner Simon Beck- cause “there is more money in Sydney in terms of invesingham had designer Andrew Cliff from The World is tors and possibly more creativity and originality, which Round, who also did The Shop, do the certification but always occurs whenever there’s a new boom.” otherwise designed it, as Kaplan put it, ‘on the fly’.

Panama House’s decor features a stripped back interior and a materials palette featuring copper, raw steel, concrete, Brazilian slate, reclaimed black butt, equestrian leather, matte white tiles and custom-made seating by Nicholas Rogers.

SCHOOL’S IN A new Perth small bar that’s all class.

Story: Lucie Robson CONTACTS

The Classroom 1/356 Charles St, North Perth WA

Surround Sounds (08) 9389 6900 or www.surroundsounds.com.au Intelligent Building Solutions (08) 6189 1127

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uests can go back to school at The Classroom, a quirky new bar in North Perth that showcases a delightful design theme and attention to detail. If ever you felt like drinking at school but were too well-behaved, a visit to The Classroom might be just the ticket. Mini retro desks and chairs, materials for colouring-in, a pinboard for the best drawings and reruns of It’s Academic – owners Daniel Sterpini and Adam Keane, from catering business Cocktail Gastronomy, went the extra mile to make the experience authentic.

Daniel explains that the search for a venue began when he and Adam wanted to find a base for their business operations, which already had an educational component – providing mixology classes and specialising in matching cocktails to food. When they found their site, the rest was history. “This is too good a location to do anything but a small bar,” Daniel remembers thinking.

A similar match happened with their theme for the venue, which ended up aiding synergy between the two businesses: “Straight away we both thought, ‘school theme’, and we never looked back.”

“We really couldn’t understand why it hadn’t been done before,” says Daniel, who adds that one of the best things about a classroom theme was the scope of ideas to draw on. But in the end they settled on something between the 1960s and 1980s (“a time before melamine started being used to make desks,” he adds), which was an era familiar to the kids who became Daniel and Adam, and their target market.

thought it might have been easy at the beginning… but the problem is that everything from that era has become vintage or a collector’s item.” eBay, Gumtree, auctions and spring cleans from local schools (especially those that received government funding for new equipment) provided the most help. The Classroom even sports a real school water fountain. “We could have gone out and bought one, but that went against what we were trying to achieve,” says Daniel. He is most proud of the old-school lockers that store liquor behind the bar, which he and Adam finally found at an auction yard in Melbourne. The whole process of approval for licensing and development applications took 14 months, which ended up being necessary to source all the elements they to create the experience they wanted.

And the effort has been rewarded. The Classroom has queues out the door every Friday and Saturday night, and is busy throughout the week as well. “In our opening week we had two locals that came every single day and brought new people with them every single day to show off the new bar,” Daniel remarks. “Knowing that they are as proud as we are, that takes you aback a little.” Patrons start “acting like little kids again” and showing up in school uniforms, and plenty have written little notes of congratulations or drawings on the paper menus — the best ones go up on the pinboard in the main area.

AUDIO EDUCATION Of course any modern classroom needs great AV, which BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIALS was where Surround Sounds came in. The brief was Far and away, the defining challenge of The Class- to provide the needed technology but integrate it well room was sourcing its components. “We had to locate enough that it did not detract from the retro classroom and source each and every item,” says Daniel. “We atmosphere. Eight flushmount Turbosound Impact 50T

speakers were installed in the ceilings of the main area, and Flatline Acoustic speakers were installed in the restrooms to give guests an audio education, from science lectures to French lessons. Hanimex listening stations were sourced from real retro classrooms in Australia so that patrons at tables could listen in as well.

Having a concrete floor presented a challenge — the audio had to be intelligible and patrons also needed to have a conversation — about their own school days, no doubt. “I’m all for minimalist style venues with hard and chic interiors, but we’ve come across many venue operators that don’t have any regard for the fact that punters won’t even be able to have a decent conversation in the place without shouting, hence a catch 22 situation of raising the entire ambient noise level beyond comprehension,” says Surround Sounds director Mark Jeisman. Mark also donated an old Peter’s Ice Cream enamel sign from his own high school — it can be found above the ‘canteen area’.

For a continued education, teacher’s pets can head along to a cocktail mixology or cooking class on Mondays. Daniel and Adam also did some fundraising for local schools, to get further into the spirit of things. The Classroom is expanding, too. Adam and Daniel have recently signed the lease on the shop next door, which will double the bar’s capacity with a new ‘teachers’ lounge’ (the teachers get a whiskey cabinet).

Daniel and Adam collaborated with architect Paul Starcevich and construction firm Intelligent Building Solutions, as well as local artist Stormie Mills, who created artworks for The Classroom including an image of a troublesome child writing lines. But unlike the subject of this artwork, it’s clear that Daniel and Adam’s bar is at the top of the class.

75 Eyes on the Blackboard: Everywhere you look in The Classroom you’ll find Gen X-familiar school items. “We had to locate and source each and every item,” said owner Daniel Sterpini.

Armour Screen

Cavalier Cyberspace

korban/flaubert has produced several screens over the years, based on pattern, repetition and sequence. The new series of screens takes a step further, exploring the sculptural possibilities of folded mathematical structures in metal at a larger, more graphic scale. Armour Screen explores the solidity and lustre of stainless steel: folding solid stainless steel plates into each other to form a rhythmic and chunky screen. Armour plates protect: the fortified form is constructed by diagonal translations of a repeated module. The blocky modelling of the screen is enhanced by the stainless steel picking up light from different directions. Apertures are helmeted and multidirectional.

Cyberspace has received a turbo-charge of hot new colour with the addition of four neon bright accents to the range. This patterned loop pile is a versatile option for commercial interiors but now gets a whole new kick from the addition of an electric blue, safety orange, neon yellow and bright lime. The three top selling colours from the existing range remain — while three have been banished to another galaxy to make way for the bright new colours.

Cavalier: 1800 251 172 or www.cavbrem.com.au

korban/flaubert: (02) 9557 6136 or www.korbanflaubert.com.au

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commercial edge

Instyle Kinetic Collection

Tsar Wall-to-Wall Carpet

Inspired by energy generated by movement Kinetic is ideal for interior spaces such as commercial offices, break-out areas, and retail and hospitality for upholstery, screens or wall panelling. Kinetic has 38 colourways ranging from neutrals through to vibrant reds, burnt oranges and fresh greens.

This sophisticated and dynamic collection was a collaborative design effort between the Instyle Design Studio and American textile designer Lori Roop, who has designed for leading textile companies in the United States. Roop’s detailed signature style coupled with Instyle’s unique approach to colour has resulted in an exciting collection for the contract market. Kinetic consists of four small-, medium- to large-scale designs woven in a fine quality Jacquard allowing crisp pattern definition. The use of different yarn types such as worsted wool, mercerised cotton and spun polyester results in a play of matt and sheen.

Tsar has a world-renowned reputation as designers and manufacturers of custom rugs but what many people don’t realise is that Tsar also specialise in wall-to-wall carpet. Like a Tsar rug, a Tsar carpet is made with superior fibres and manufacturing techniques; comes in an extensive range of colours and designs; and has the same luxurious feel underfoot. It is also fully customised and made to order. Apart from the exciting prospect of customising the design and colours of your carpet the beauty of made-to-measure is that there are no seams and no wastage.

Instyle: (02) 9317 0222 or www.instyle.com.au

Tsar: (03) 9525 0488 or www.tsar.com.au

Tsar has a wide selection of products to suit any number of personal styles and budgets (prices range from RRP $140-200 with trade discounts available).

A perfect example is the exclusive Kartina product. Using a combination of hand-tufting techniques a design is able to be ‘sketched’ into the carpet base adding a striking feature without the striking cost.

Bromic Tungsten Smart-Heat

Heatray At The End Of The Wharf

Firestick

Witness the art of smart-heating with Bromic Heating’s new Tungsten Smart-Heat Electric, an infrared electric heater blending aesthetics with function. The Tungsten Smart-Heat Electric is stylishly designed to provide efficient directional heating for commercial and residential locations. Available in four models of varying heating power and compatible with smart control systems to enable precise dimming control. Included are wall and ceiling mounting brackets to allow adjustable angle of the heating direction with simple one-touch on/off switch. Heaters are equipped with a spectral reflector for excellent radiant heat output and are weatherproof.

Housed inside Sydney Theatre Company, in the historic Wharf building at Walsh Bay is ‘The Bar at the end of the wharf’. The extremely high ceiling in the building creates a vast volume of space. A tricky predicament when it comes to heating in the cooler months. Celmec International’s Heatray gas fired Tube Radiant Heaters (TRH) were up to the job. Heatray TRH heaters have been engineered for high volume spaces, perfectly suited to the vast interior. Mounted high, suspended from the structural beams, each TRH unit heats a large floor area, directly warming people and objects below, not wasting energy trying to heat the air. The gas fired Tube Radiant heaters do not glow and produce a medium intensity radiant heat, ensuring ultimate comfort for people in the space. The heaters are highly efficient, having energy savings of up to 50% compared to conventional warm air heating systems. Available in a range of sizes, mounting options and controls, Heatray Tube Radiant Heaters are the perfect solution for large volume spaces with high ceilings.

The Firestick (for use with LPG and natural gas) is a new cutting-edge alfresco heater that is not only efficient, but provides an impressive feature/attraction. The Firestick is a world leader in style, ambience, appearance and in helps create an unbeatable atmosphere. In fact, Firestick has been designed and manufactured for the hospitality industry specifically to create a magical setting and is fully certified and child safe.

The Firestick has become the heater of choice by many highprofile restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues. Use all year round: as a heater in winter, and as a lantern in summer for ambience and to create the perfect mood. There is a full range of accessories such as bolt-on stainless steel bar tables, summer hats and all-weather covers. Available in Silver Grey, Black, Hammermill (antique Grey) or high quality stainless steel. Priced from: $1595.

Bromic: 1300 276 642 or www.bromicheating.com

Climate Australia: (02) 9977 3474 or www.climateaustralia.com.au

heating special

Celmec International: (02) 8436 7200 or www.celmec.com.au

Comfortline & Slimline

Stix Fire

Solamagic 1400W ECO+

Most comfort heating solutions are either off or on. Comfortline and Slimline overhead radiant heating panels feature elements that can heat to a range of temperatures, allowing flexibility in the amount of gentle warmth that radiates downwards. Radiant heat energy has a similar effect to the heat given off by the sun on a cold winter day.

Acclaimed Barcelona-based designer Hiroshi Tsunoda has created a fireplace with a contemporary twist on the traditional campfire. Known for exploring the possibilities of geometric figures, Hiroshi’s unique Stix Fire is both visually striking and practical — particularly in an outdoor environment. Consisting of varying-sized tubular stainless steel ‘sticks’ that are secured around an efficient three litre burner, Stix is powered by cleanburning, environmentally friendly bioethanol. No smoke, no soot, no ash — Stix is a stylishly elegant hearth for lovers of outdoor living. Available in brushed steel, black steel or beaded blasted stainless steel. Price $1795.

New from Solamagic is the 1400W ECO+ infrared heater. It has the same low running cost as the 1400W Compact but, with the redesigned housing, the heated area has been increased! Additionally with the redesign the cost per unit has been reduced by 25%. Infrared heating is ideal for outdoor/alfresco areas as it is not wind sensitive so it is perfect for smoking areas in hotels and clubs and outdoor dining areas in cafes and restaurants.

Additionally, for the same reason they are useful for ventilated indoor areas such as bathrooms and kitchens where exhaust fans are commonly used.

Comfortline panels create a desirable climate for outdoor patio and entertainment areas. Unlike some high intensity mushroom heaters that can direct intense and concentrated heat in one direction leading to extreme overheating, Comfortline panels radiate a natural and gentle warmth that can be enjoyed for hours on end. Both Slimline and Comfortline panels have a unique surface treatment that effectively maximises their radiant efficiency.

Devex Systems: 1800 636 091 or info@devexsystems.com.au

Squire One: 0400 025 471 or sales@squireone.com

Solamagic Australia: 1300 765 262 or www.solamagic-australia.com.au

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PREFERRED SUPPLIERS ACCESSORIES

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www.axil.com.au

Acoustica www.acoustica.com.au Baenzigercoles

www.baenzigercoles.com.au Advance Audio Australia

www.advanceaudio.com.au Brown-foreman

www.b-f.com.au Atlas Sales & Marketing

www.asmaust.com

BY Architects Audio Product Group Australian Venue Services Pty Ltd www.byarchitects.com.au www.audioproducts.com.au 5 Saywell Street, Marrickville, Cox Richardson

NSW 2204 Allplastics Engineering Pty Ltd Audio Telex

www.cox.com.au 1300 66 31 66 Unit 20 / 380 Eastern Valley Way www.audiotelex.com.au Goodwin Design

info@a-v.com.au Chatswood, NSW 2067 Sydney, Bishop Audio www.australianvenueservices. www.goodwindesign.com.au Australia www.bishopaudio.com.au com.au Contact Group GSA Phone: +61 2 9417 6111 Electric Factory www.groupgsa.com Fax: +61 2 9417 6169 www.elfa.com.au AVICO Jackson Clement Burrows Mail: sales@allplastics.com.au Funktion One www.jcba.com.au www.avico.com.au www.funkton-one.com.au Bar Icon Group

kp architects Avocent Australia Group Technologies www.bar-icon-group.com www.kparchitects.com.au www.connectivity.avocent.com www.gtaust.com Enhanced Business Solutions marchese Axiom Jands

www.enhancedbusiness.com.au www.marchesepartners.com.a www.axiompl.com.au www.jands.com.au JamFactory

make Beyond AV JB commercial www.jamfactory.com.au www.make.net.au www.beyonddav.com.au www.jbcommercial.com.au Kennards nicholas associates BE Productions jvg sound www.kennards.com.au www.nicholasassociates.com.au www.beproductions.com.au www.djjadeoproductions.com.au Mezzanine Wine

peckvonhartel Bose Australia Len Wallis Audio www.mezzaninewine.com.au www.pvh.com.au www.lenwallisaudio.com www.bose.com.au PILA Group pikewithers Magna Systems BOSCH www.pilagroup.com www.magnasys.com.au www.pikewithers.com.au www.boschsecurity.com.au Raypak Max Home six degrees architecture Canohm www.raypak.com.au www.maxhome.com.au www.sixdegrees.com.au www.canohm.com.au Technogym McCalls sjb Castel Electronics www.technogym.com www.mccallsservices.com.au www.sjb.com.au www.castel.com.au Meyer sound squillace architects+Interior Design Clipsal AMMENITIES www.meyersound.com.au www.squillace.com.au www.clipsal.com.au Music Link Dyson Stanton Creative Group Clearlight Shows

www.musiclink.com.au www.dysn.com.au www.stantoncreativegroup.com.au www.clearlight.com.au National Audio Systems Jet Dryer Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects DJW project www.nationalaudio.com.au www.jetdryer.com.au www.tzg.co.au www.djwprojects.com.au Night Works Audio Tradelink McGlashan Everist Dynalite www.nightworksaudio.com.au www.tradelink.com.au www.mearchitects.com www.dynalite-online.com One Productions RBA Group Webb Australia

EPSON www.oneproductions.com.au www.rba.com.au www.webbaustralia.com.au www.epson.com.au Pioneer Woodhead Herma www.pioneer.com.au www.woodhead.com.au ARCHITECTS www.herma.com.au Production Audio Services iMatte’sBody of Work www.productionaudio.com.au AUDIO EQUIPMENT www.techtel.com.au Syntec International www.syntec.com.au Altis Lower Deck Jones Bay Wharf Suite 123 / 26-32 Pirrama Road Pyrmont NSW 2009 +61 2 9364 9000 +61 2 9571 7930 info@altisarchitecture.com www.altisarchitecture.com

BERGSTROM ARCHITECTS Suite 103, 3 Eden Street, North Sydney NSW 2060 + 61 (0)2 8920 1499 + 61 (0)2 8920 1599 info@bergstromarchitects.com.au 2rks Architecture and Design www.2rks.com.au Arkhefield www.arkhefield.com.au Axil Architecture

TAG

www.tag.com.au Audio Logistics Australian Distributors for: Void Acoustics, Audac, Procab, Posh Speakers, Decous & AVM 1300 859 341 info@audiologistics.com.au www.audiologistics.com.au

CMI Music & Audio +61 3 9315 2244 +61 3 9315 2115 36-38 Export Dve, Brooklyn, Victoria, 3012 info@cmi.com.au www.cmi.com.au

yamaha www.yamahamusic.com.au

AUDIOVISUAL INSTALLATION

Impact AV www.impactav.com.au JBN www.jbn.com.au

Laser Vision www.laservision.com.au Milestone Solutions www.milestone.com.au Pulse AV www.pulseav.com.au/

AMX Australia 5 Commercial Drive Southport Qld 4215 07 5531 3103 info@amxaustralia.com.au www.amxaustralia.com.au

Venutech www.venutech.com.au Video Pro www.videopro.com.au YSI www.soundinvestment.com.au

CONSTRUCTION Arcon www.arcon-nsw.com.au

Capital Design Works

www.capitaldesignworks.com.au

Sony www.sony.com.au

Armstrong www.armstrong-aust.com.au

Crown Commercials Bleux www.creationbaumann.com www.bleux.com.au

Wilson Gilkes www.gilkon.com.au

Gibbon Group www.gibbongroup.com.au

Axolotl Group www.axolotl-group.com

Dasch Associates www.daschassociates.com

Viewsonic Australia www.viewsonic.com

Rohrig www.rohrig.com.au

D4 Residential & Commercial Design www.d4designs.com.au

Bravo print www.bravoprint.com.au

ENTERTAINMENT

Caesarstone www.caesarstone.com.au

Isis www.isis.com.au James Clifford Construction www.jamesclifford.com.au

Liquid Lines www.liquidlines.com.au

Casf www.casf.com.au

Dreamtime www.dreamtimeaustraliadesign.com

Design Room Australia

Innersphere www.innersphere.com.au Inset Group www.insetgroup.com.au

Premier Building Group www.premierclub.com.au

Joshua Bacon Design www.joshuabacon.com.au

Quality Project Management www.qpmgt.com.au Reed Constructions Australia www.reedgroup.com.au

DBI Design www.dbidesign.com.au

digiglass www.digiglass.com.au

edge commercial interiors www.edgecommercialinteriors.com.au

Paynter Dixon www.paynterdixon.com.au Premier Club Constructions www.premierbuild.com.au

Barbara and fellows www.barbaraandfellows.com.au

DESIGN

Merrill Design www.merrilldesign.com.au

Hunter Douglas Architectural Products www.hunterdouglascommercial. com.au

Nexus Design www.nexusdesigns.com.au

interior decorative coatings www.idccolourfield.com/

Origin Didier Design www.origindidier.com.au

Laminex www.laminex.com.au

Ryder Hampton www.ryderhampton.com DISPLAY

Mitsubishi Electric 48 Victoria Rd Rydalmere, NSW 02 9684 7777 www.mitsubishielectric.com.au Aquavision www.aquavisiontv.com.au Hitachi www.hitachi.com.au Innovizion www.innovizion.com.au

Playcom Customised Entertainment Digital Signage systems background music and music video Street 22, 89 Jones St, Ultimo (02) 8815 6600 info@playcom.com.au www.playcom.com.au

Liquid Metal Technologies www.liqmet.com

Platinum TV www.platinumtv.com.au

Mermet enquiries@mermet.com.au

Playcom www.playcom.com.au

Pet Shop Studio International www.petshopstudio.com.au

Porter’s Paints www.porterspaints.com.au

FABRIC Dickson-Constant www.dickson-constant.com

Mitsubishi www.mitsubishielectric.com.au NEC www.nec.com.au Panasonic www.panasonic.com.au Philips www.avico.com.au Samsung www.samsung.com.au

Llias www.ilias.com.au Marks & Co sales@marksco.com.au marblo ww.marblo.com

FLOORING

Warwick Fabrics www.warwick.com.au Kvadrat Maharam australia@kvadratmaharam.com

FINISHES

JVC proffesional www.jvc-australia.com

TM DESIGN GROUP PTY LTD DESIGNERS TO THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY Studio 5, 11 Beach Street Port Melbourne, VIC 3207 Ian Macklin (Director) 03 9646 9932 0417 147 110 imacklin@tmdg.com.au www.tmdg.com.au

Hot Metal www.hotmetal.biz

interior art image www.interiorartimage.com

Quattro Design www.quattrodesign.com.au

Paul Kelly Design 77 Bay St. Glebe. NSW 2007 +61 2 9660 8299 www.paulkellydesign.com.au

Dulux www.dulux.com.au

Moth Design www.mothdesign.com.au

Platinum Interiors www.platinuminteriors.com.au

MERRILL DESIGN AUSTRALIA REFURBISHMENTS SET DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION Unit 1/9 Whyalla St Fyshwick ACT 2609 02 6280 5883 merrilldesign@netspeed.com.au www.merrilldesign.com.au

Nightlife Music Managed Music, Visuals and Digital advertising solutions For more information call: Phil Brown - National Sales 0404 556 727 phil.brown@nightlife.com.au www.nightlife.com.au

INSTYLE CONTRACT TEXTILES Contemporary Leathers Wovin Wall 6 - 8 Ricketty Street Mascot. NSW. 2020 02 9317 0222 esales@instyle.com.au www.instyle.com.au Alloy Design www.alloydesign.com.au

Brintons Pty Limited Level 1, 43 Pakington Street Geelong West VIC 3218 Australia +61 3 5226 3200 +61 3 5226 3242

Cavalier Bremworth Pure NZ wool carpet More than 30 carpet styles 1800 251 172 mrobinson@cavbrem.com.au www.cavbrem.com.au

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Tappeti Level 2, 13 - 15 Levey Street Chippendale 2008 +61 2 9698 2735 +61 2 9698 2788 designstudio@tappeti.com.au www.tappeti.com.au

Academy Tiles info@academytiles.com.au Altro Flooring info@asf.com.au Amber Tiles www.ambertiles.com.au Ardex www.ardexaustralia.com.au

Stone Art www.stoneartaust.com.au

Four two www.fourtwo.com.au

Tappeti www.tappeti.com.au

Furniture Options www.furnitureoptions.com.au

Tascot Carpets www.tascot.com.au

Gadget King www.gadgetking.com.au

The Andrews Group www.theandrewsgroup.com.au

Globe West www.globewest.com.au

The rug collection www.therugcollection.com.au

Great Dane Furniture www.greatdanefurniture.com

Tsar Carpets and Rugs www.tsar.com.au

Hospitality Furniture Concepts www.hospitalityfurniture.net.au

Casino Consoles Australia www.casinoconsoles.com.au

Hughes Commercial Furniture www.hughescf.com.au

whitecliffe imports Iken www.whitecliffe.com.au www.iken.com.au

Instyle Seating www.instyleseating.com.au FURNITURE Interstudio www.interstudio.com.au

Belmondo tiles www.belmondotiles.com.au

Insitu Furniture www.insitufurniture.com.au

Boral Timbers www.boral.com.au Cavalier Bremworth www.cavbrem.com.au Classic Floorcoverings www.classicfloorcoverings.com.au

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Dalsouople Australasia www.dalsouple.com.au DĂŠcor Stone www.decorpebble.com.au Designer Rugs www.designerrugs.com.au DTAC www.dtac.com.au Eco Flooring Systems www.ecoflooring.com.au Eco Tile Factory www.ecotilefactory.com.au Forbo www.forbo-flooring.com.au Godfrey Hirst www.godgreyhirst.com Gunnersen Inspirations www.gunnersens.com.au InterfaceFLOR www.interfaceaus.com.au Karndean International www.karndean.com Lionco www.lionco.com Living Tiles www.livingtiles.com.au National Tiles www.nationaltiles.com.au Polyflor Australia www.polyflor.com.au rms Natural Stone www.rmsmarble.com Rocks On www.rockson.com.au

James Richardson www.jamesrichardson.com.au CAFE CULTURE AUSTRALIA 1/1-25 Adelaide Street Surry Hills NSW 2010 Australia (02) 9699 8577 (02) 9698 3802

Jardan Australia www.jardan.com.au JMH Hospitality Furniture www.hospitalityfurniture.com.au Matt Blatt www.mattblatt.com.au

Aero Design www.aerodesigns.com.au Blok Furniture www.blokfurniture.com.au B Seated Global www.bseatedglobal.com.au BINDI Furn www.bindifurniture.com.au Botton & Gardiner www.bottongardiner.com.au Contempo Furniture www.contempofurniture.com.au Cubus www.cubusconcepts.com.au chairbiz www.chairbiz.com.au comax www.comaxaustralia.com.au Corporate Culture www.corporateculture.com.au Corporate Express www.ce.com.au CF Design www.cfdesign.com.au Echelon www.echelonproducts.com Evostyle www.evostyle.com.au Eurofurn www.eurofurn.com.au Form and Function www.form-function.com.au

Nufurn www.nufurn.com.au PGR Furniture www.pgrfurniture.com.au Prototype Commercial Furntiture www.prototypeproducts.net.au Pomp Furniture www.pomp.com.au Robert Plumb www.robertplumb.com.au Ross Didier www.origindidier.com.au schiavello www.schiavello.com

HEATING

Bromic Heating Head Office: 1 Suttor Street, Silverwater, Sydney NSW 2128 1300 276 642 (within Australia) +61 2 9748 3900 (from overseas) +61 2 9748 4289

Solamagic Australia 1 Comserve Close West Gosford. NSW. 2250.

1300 SOLAMAGIC 1300 765262442 info@solamagic-australia.com.au www.solamagic-australia.com.au Celmec International www.celmec.com.au Climate Australia www.climateaustralia.com.au Devex Systems www.devexsystems.com.au EcoSmart Fire www.ecosmartfire.com Everdure www.everdure.com/ Gasmate www.gasmate.com.au Jetmaster www.jetmaster.com.au Keverton www.kevertonoutdoor.com.au Parasol Heaters www.parasolheaters.com.au/ Pure Heat www.pureheat.com.au Realflame www.realflame.com.au

INTERIORS

Sebel www.sebelfurniture.com Space www.spacefurniture.com.au Stylecraft www.stylecraft.com.au Tait www.tait.biz Zenith Interiors www.zenithinteriors.com.au

Di Emme Creative solutions Unit 3, 87-89 Moore Street Leichhardt NSW 2040 02 9550 0811 www.diemme.com.au Crown Doors International www.crowndoors.com.au Ke-Zu www.kezu.com.au Silent GlIss www.silentgliss.com.au Smartstone www.smartstone.com.au Somfy www.somfy.com.au Tint Design

www.tintdesign.com.au Woven Image www.wovenimage.com.au Woven Wall www.wovinwall.com Viridian Glass www.viridianglass.com

WhiteLite Www.whitelite.com.a ULA www.ula.com.au

OUTDOOR

LIGHTING Balanced Technology www.balancedtech.com.au Coemar De Sisti Australia www.cdaust.com.au Display Design www.displaydesign.com.au

LouvreSpan 1 Comserv Close, West Gosford, NSW 2250 Ph: 1300 568 873 Fax: (02) 4323 1951 info@louvrespan.com.au www.louvrespan.com.au

ECC www.ecclightingandliving.com

Skyspan Umbrellas www.skyspan-umbrellas.com

Element Labs www.elementlabs.com

Supershades www.supershades.com.au

Euroluce www.euroluce.com.au

The Fire Company www.ecosmartfire.com

Haron Robson www.haronrobson.com.au

Vergola www.vergolansw.com.au

Illumanon www.illumanon.com Innermost www.innermost.com.au Illumination Physics www.illuminationphysics.com LSW www.lsw.com.au Mance Design www.mance.com.au Mayfield Lamps www.mayfieldlamps.com.au Mega Vision www.megavision.com.au Optique www.optique.com.au Optic Fibre Lighting www.opticfiberlighting.com.au Osram www.osram.com.au Passive Lighting www.passivelighting.com.au PointOfView www.pov.com.au Pulse Show Lighting www.pulse-ent.com.au Satelight www.satelight.com.au Studio Italia www.studioitalia.com.au Tenrod Www.tenrod.com.au Yellow Goat www.yellowgoat.com.au Xenian www.xenian.com.au

POINT OF SALE Fedeltapos www.fedeltapos.com Impos www.impos.com.au Micros Systems www.micros.com Omnipos www.omnipos.com.au Redcat www.redcat.com.au

SECURITY EOS www.eos.com.au Nightkey www.metropolisfremantle.com.au OPOC www.opoc.com.au

SIGNAGE Albert Smith Group www.asggroup.com.au Face Visual Marketing Group www.facevmg.com.au Fen Systems Australia www.fensystems.com.au Fremont Design www.fremontdesign.com.au Sachr Sign Strategy www.sachr.com.au

40/40 Club

New York

Jay-Z likes his sports (as they say Stateside). So much so he’s turned his Manhattan 40/40 Club into a giant sports bar. What’s 40/40 mean exactly? You guessed it, it’s a sports allusion: a buzz term for baseball players who earn 40 home runs and have stolen 40 bases in one season.

New York hospitality designer Jeffrey Beers has given 40/40 an upgrades which includes a reclad central bar, a champagne tower, tiered table service areas, a seeand-be-seen catwalk and hi-tech monitors appropriate for a luxe sports-watching experience (four 3x3 video wall arrays — each measuring 165 inches — and over 30 x 55-inch LED flat-panel HD monitors).

Jeffrey Beers: “We significantly reconfigured the existing space, opening up sight lines so guests can watch all of the action — both on the video screen and around the club. The original ‘bleacher’ seating was too steep and shallow. We’ve expanded it to make inviting, lounge-like areas. Jay visits the 40/40 frequently; it’s where he comes to relax and watch games with his friends and family, so it had to evoke his effortless cool as well as urban luxury.”

Part of the upgrade included a huge complement of Meyer Sound audio in all areas of the club. The main floor of the 40/40 Club features two UPA-1P and two UPQ-1P loudspeakers, five MM-4XP self-powered loudspeakers, two Meyer Sound 600-HP subwoofers, three MM-10 miniature subwoofers, and a Galileo loudspeaker management system with two Galileo 616 processors.

As for the club’s video, a Crestron DM-MD32x32 DigitalMedia matrix switcher provides control of the video wall arrays and flat-panel monitors.

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