8 minute read
DESIGN & BUILD: NOKTURNL
The art of getting lost
With The Beaufort, Nokturnl have created a Perth mega-pub that is all about the journey, not the destination.
THE TEAM at Nokturnl love a big venue filled with lots of different spaces. They’ve had much success with The Old Synagogue in Fremantle, winning multiple awards for the venue that blends pub with small bar and also houses one of the city’s best restaurants for good measure as well.
Once Nokturnl co-owners Ross Drennan and Drew Flanagan had steered the mega-venue through the beginning of covid, they started thinking about embarking on another venue at the same scale. Once they started looking, they found the perfect site on Beaufort St in Highgate.
The central jungle is a big talking point of the venue
“Things fell into place when we saw this property. Both streets are in the strip in which we’ve all spent a bit of time on over the years. It used to be a very popular stirp which dropped off a bit in more recent times. And we thought it was a good opportunity to come back at some point. So to be able to get that was too good an opportunity to give up,” explains Drennan.
The property they acquired was sizable – it housed three buildings on it. They decided to knock the majority of it down and start from scratch. “Probably 90 per cent of the venue is rebuild.” While the pre-existing building is largely gone, it did serve for some inspiration for The Beaufort’s concept. The building was split level, and Drennan and Flanagan could see how they could use a split-level concept in their mammoth venue to create a plethora of different spaces. It’s something they had always liked doing, as evidenced through The Old Synagogue.
“Our concept of hospitality, we like to do it over multiple levels and we like the idea of a series of smaller spaces that interact with each other.
The Beaufort’s design was inspired by the MC Escher staircase
It’s just about creating interest and trying to create experiences for people when they come in and they can walk around and find a space that best suits what they’re looking for.
“There’s louder spaces, quieter spaces, outdoor and indoor spaces. I think it’s about trying to create something for everyone and then being able to have a whole lot of different people in the same venue at the same time.”
WAYFINDING OUT THE WINDOW
Another inspiration for The Beaufort is the famed MC Escher staircase. A central tiered staircase runs through the venue, but it does not line up neatly on each level. It takes some finding, which appeals to the Nokturnl crew.
“We loosely based this one on the Escher staircase. So in hospitality we usually talk about wayfinding being so important, or people being able to know where they’re going. Whereas this flips it on the head, with the staircases not lining up,” explains Drennan.
-Ross Drennan, Nokturnal co-founder
“So you do kind of get lost and have to walk around the corner to find the next part of the staircase to continue up or continue down. It adds a degree of interest.”
The staircase leads you through from the bottom of the venue all the way to the top. As you walk onto the property, an al fresco area at the entrance interacts with Beaufort St. As you walk in, you’re greeted by the show-stopping central jungle, which is Drennan’s favourite part of the pub.
The first floor is a versatile space thats usage changes often
“It was fun picking all the large mature trees and seeing them get craned in with the big retractable roof over it, which makes it quite a versatile space. I think that central jungle just sets it apart from any other venue in Perth.”
The tiered staircase starts in the jungle. On the first floor, you’ll find the highly rated Lotus restaurant on one side that is proving very popular. Lotus serves up southeast Asian cuisine from head chef Sundoo Kim, who used to work for the Lucas Group in Melbourne. On the other side of the staircase is the main dancefloor area. There’s also a hidden doorway that goes through to speakeasy Cypher. The cocktail bar has one of the largest spirit lists in Perth. Live music sets the tone each night with a range of different genres on offer.
As you continue up the stairs you get to the main public bar and dining area. This space has been designed to be changed up depending on the day and time, making it one of the most dynamic spaces in the venue.
“During the week it’s set up for dining mainly, and then turns into more of a party zone on the weekends where we get a DJ in. There’s also a big TV there that gives it a bit of versatility to broadcast sport,” says Drennan.
Plenty of small spaces attract a wide variety of people to the pub
Lastly, the staircase leads you up to the rooftop deck, replete with casual cocktail bar, and several different seating areas looking up and down Beaufort St. You can also catch glimpses of Perth Hills and the city depending on where you are.
The design was conceived with the help of Studio Roam directors Sally-Ann Weerts and Olivia Maxwell. The duo also helped design The Old Synagogue.
“They’re two young up-and-coming architect friends of ours. It was nice working with people of a similar age. Together we have a vision that’s not too dissimilar, which worked well.”
Next venue on the horizon
Nokturnl will now begin planning for their next big venue. The Western Australian Government has just announced that the group has signed a long-term lease to reactivate Yagan Square in Perth’s CBD. Nokturnl will reconfigure Market Hall at Yagan Square with multiple offerings, in line with their concepts at The Old Synagogue and The Beaufort. The McGowan Government will contribute $5.4 million towards the upgrade.
“Nokturnal has runs on the board with successful business activations at the Old Synagogue in Fremantle and the Beaufort in Highgate,” stated Lands Minister John Carey.
“With the new concepts released today, the team behind the Beaufort and the OldSynagogue is set to develop another exciting hospitality destination set to appeal to all ages, including residents and tourists alike.
PATRONS AND STAFF
It was very important to Drennan and Flanagan to create a venue that would attract a multitude of demograhics. Creating all of these different spaces allowed that to happen and the pub’s clientele has proven it’s for everyone.
“Our restaurant portion is a significant part of the venue. It's extremely popular. We have people from 18 right through to 80-year-olds come in there. Then the hidden speakeasy is more premium beverages and cocktails, so it appeals to more 30-50-year-olds. And then certain parts of the roof deck [can be segmented]. Younger people usually congregate about the Candy Bar a bit more, whereas the other parts of the roof deck you get slightly older people again. The rest of the pub is quite broad.”
The traditional beer garden faces Beaufort St
Having so many different spaces within one venue could call for a complicated service model that requires a lot of extra staff, but Drennan says with the right planning at the design stage, the entire operation runs efficiently without the need for extra staff.
“Operations is something is also something we spend a hell of a lot of time on during that planning phase. A lot of our key back-of-house areas are quite centrally located on the middle level in the middle of the building, so the distance between those key back-of-house areas and the furthest points of the venue is always something we considered.”
Another major efficiency at The Beaufort is the use of one central kitchen that can produce multiple menus.
Having been open for six months now, The Beaufort is gearing up for its first summer. The response since opening in March has been far beyond what Drennan imagined.
“The response has been quite unbelievable. You know, you set out your worst-case, expected and best-case scenarios when you’re setting up a venue, and this one has exceeded anything we thought it could do.”
If that’s an indication of what’s to come, summer is going to be a massive one at The Beaufort.
