A classic Melbourne pub gets a modern makeover

For Melbourne residents, the Station Hotel in Prahran’s Greville Street has always been a much loved watering hole. Now, it’s so much more than that.

A recent revision by Interlandi Mantesso Architects (IMA) sees 41 apartments rise discretely behind the classic Victorian pub facade in an uber-cool shell of our glass.

Robert Ficarra of IMA explains how he achieved the apartment complex with such a bold look. 

“Whenever a project involves a heritage building one of our design struggles is to try and achieve a balance between ‘respectful fabric’ of the old building and introduction of the new,” he said.

And what better building material than glass to introduce a modern edge to a classic design?

“We wanted a strong counterpoint to complement the old heritage building. Glass immediately came to mind. The choice of the graphic was an evolution of ideas, evolved by our design team and it’s a strong monochromatic feel for the facade. Because the facade is reflective and translucent, it is particularly interesting from dusk through to dawn with this subtle glow,” Robert explained.

A glass facade doesn’t just deliver a modern look to the new development, it creates an evolving look every day.

“The whole package is alive during daylight hours with that glass facade responding to the changing light and taking on a whole new appearance of an evening. The contemporary interiors are befitting of the area,” Robert said.

“The glass facade against a traditional fit, provides a very modern architectural aesthetic. It gives the distinctive contrast that respects the heritage building. The two read quite independently of each other, yet are not competing. In glass, there is the reflective element, but in this particular case, what we have chosen is to use glass as a cladding system, because the seraphic glass in this facade is not transparent,” he said.

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