JEWEL IN THE CROWN
SPECIFICATIONS
Architect
Window Fabricator/Installer
Supplier
Text
Photography
Bates Smart Architects
Minesco
Celsius Glass
Tim Roberts
Shannen McGrath
When Crown Casino required a striking new extension to its ‘High Roller’ area, they turned to Bates Smart Architects. Chief Architect Kristen Whittle speaks about the challenge of creating this striking new addition to Melbourne’s Crown Casino. Located in Crown Casino’s most exclusive area, the new wing is both lavish and welcoming. ‘It was a remarkable project,’ recalls Kristen. ‘We had a superb client in Crown, who provided us with an amazing opportunity to come up with something extremely special.’ Every aspect of the building showcases the casino’s exclusive status. ‘Presenting itself to Queensbridge Street, this new wing acts as the entrance to the entire Crown complex. There isn’t anything more prestigious,’ Kristen observes. To provide an alluring visual reminder of Crown’s high-end facilities, the new Mahogany Room had to be highly distinctive. ‘The question was,’ Kristen recalls, ‘how can we create something iconic and sculptural?’ Innovative glazing provided the answer. ‘The glazing forms the outer face of Crown’s new Mahogany Room, which is the world’s foremost high-end gaming venue. Crown is very proud of what they’ve created, and it was a real privilege to become involved with such an enticing design.’ Due to Crown’s strong emphasis on visibility, glazing was the logical option. ‘Crown wanted to maximise visibility for people in the Mahogany Room to look out over the city of Melbourne, but they also wanted the public to be able to look in and see the facilities,’ Kristen explains. ‘This created a need for extensive glazing on the façade.’ Much of the new wing is glazed with corrugated panels, an unusual technique which presented significant design challenges. Clint Adams, Director of Celsius Glass, speaks enthusiastically about his company’s experience manufacturing the façade’s 2000mm panels. ‘The glass had to be shaped into a flat corrugated panel, which we then had to curve to a specific radius,’ he recalls. ‘We
PROJECT PROFILE: JEWEL IN THE CROWN
manufactured the mould that created the corrugations, as well as the one which curved the glass.’ As Clint points out, this delicate shaping process required extremely high precision. ‘It really comes down to the experimental or testing phase,’ he confirms. ‘When you’re forming or heating glass, the temperature has to be very precise.’ Achieving the exact specifications demanded for the Crown project wasn’t easy, either. ‘It took significant skill,’ explains Clint, ‘because heat buildup in the moulds can cause unwanted variation.’ Although time constraints on the project were tough, Clint is confident that Celsius ‘created a very good product which satisfied the lead times.’ During the manufacturing process, ‘people from Crown, Baulderstone, Minesco and others were viewing the project as it was being done.’ According to Minesco’s Paul Cremasco, using a local supplier enabled ‘improved communication and ease of access to the local production facility, enabling us to review the manufacturing processes, quality and schedule.’ Kristen describes the exterior’s unique finish as ‘a drifting patchwork of stone and glass, which gives the building enough weight and sculptural quality to make it really stand out.’ In a subtle touch, the glazing’s unusual texture reflects the building’s purpose. ‘That’s why we didn’t want a flush glazed façade,’ Kristen explains. ‘To add gravitas, we treated the glass almost like a heavy, precious object.’ The new wing features a striking set of visual contrasts. ‘Although it’s quite different from the rest of Crown,’ says Kristen, ‘the colouration is attuned to the same palette.’ Striking the perfect balance between standing out and fitting in was crucial. ‘While the colouration matches the rest of the building, the finish and quality of this glass is new to Crown. The curved scalloping provides a sense of openness, which fully embraces the view of Melbourne. By taking this path,’ he concludes, ‘we were able to push the personality of Crown’s Mahogany Room toward the city.’
with scalloped double-glazed units. As they’re side-hinged and mechanically operated, they open right up to provide ventilation.’ Paul Cremasco expands: ‘The main façade’s bespoke twin glazing system has a pressurised air-conditioned airspace, with an inner layer of curved double low-E glass,’ he explains. ‘The framing system is a complex system of aluminium components, roll-formed and laser-cut to form the curved profile. Also, the windows feature a hybrid pressure-equalised rain screen system.’ Due to the architect’s careful planning, the building’s appearance reflects its core purpose. ‘We wanted to make the building feel precious, in the same way that a piece of jewellery has a wondrous character,’ Kristen elaborates. To provide this desired jewel-like quality, ‘we encased the mullions in a front piece of glass with a double-glazed unit at the rear. The extensive cavity inside the glazed units makes them feel much heavier, deeper, and more alluring.’ Every detail complements this valuable aesthetic. ‘Around the façade is a framed glazed section with curved, precision-cut Indian sandstone,’ Kristen says. ‘Its nose-end fits between the curved glass panels – within which we have installed fluorescent tubes, which push a warm, almost candle-like orange glow back into the double-glazed or triple-glazed units. The crenulations of the glass pick up that warm glow, making the whole building look like molten gold at night.’
PROJECT PROFILE: JEWEL IN THE CROWN
low-iron glass also provides cosmetic advantages. ‘If each layer contained iron, you’d end up with a very green façade,’ Kristen explains. ‘We made the outer skin out of low-iron glass to give it a more crystalline appearance.’
The building’s interior is similarly lavish. ‘When you visit the gaming floor, the soft curves of the interior glass facing makes you feel like you’re inside a jewellery piece. It’s a real spectacle,’ Kristen says. The Mahogany Room’s library section features yet another innovative use of glazing. ‘In the book share area, glazed panels completely enclose the bookshelf,’ he continues. ‘Those panels cantilever out of the front of the building, between 4 and 5 metres high, forming a continuous reading of the façade all the way to the ground.’ The façade contains ‘four or five different glazing systems joined together, providing complexity, intrigue and a sense of movement. There’s nothing like it in Australia.’
Several other glazing types are contained within the complex façade, which is ‘double-glazed at the back and curved at the front,’ says Kristen. ‘The ground floor restaurant is completely encircled
Kristen closes with a well-tested insight. ‘You have to rely on people delivering first-rate product, and I think with Crown we achieved that.’ Looking at the superb results, it’s hard to disagree.
According to Kristen, the glass itself is highly advanced. ‘The curved corrugated glass is low-iron – making it clear, with no visible greenness. The internal double-glazed unit bonded to the back of the mullion is the best-performing low-E glass available. It has a slight greenish tinge, supporting the building’s environmental performance while matching the surrounding buildings.’ The triple-layered