2020
Eat Drink Design Awards
Best Installation Design - Commendation
2020
Victorian Architecture Awards
Small Project Architecture
2020
National Architecture Awards
Small Project Architecture - Commendation
Location
St Kilda Rd, Melbourne
Client
Arts Centre Melbourne
Year
2019
Images
Sean Fennessy
Land of
Kulin Nation
+
PrimeBuild
Kaynemaile Architectual Mesh
The Assembly
Argall
Installation Theatrical Engineering
Protagonist
Bring the stage to the streets.
At the theatre, nothing beats the emotion of the stage curtain’s first rise and regrettable fall. Protagonist’s bronze-veiled exterior aims to capture this moment. It’s the response to a 2018 Arts Centre Melbourne competition for Victorians to reimagine the ACM forecourt cafe. We seized this rare chance to experiment with engaging public space amidst some of Melbourne’s most iconic architecture.
Raise the curtain
The Protagonist structure activates the space in front of one of Australia’s most prominent arts precincts. As an interactive new cafe, bar and ticket booth, the design plays on a theatre curtain motif as a device to signify a welcoming ‘open’ or a veiled ‘closed’. Beyond key references in form, large-scale projectors allow the new structure to literally bring the theatre to the street. Upon nightfall, the mesh facade transforms, lit up by moving art projections. We created these in partnership with a branding agency and digital artist, inspired by the ballet and other ACM events. Protagonist is intended to stay at ACM for five years and, we hope, might find a new home after that.
Polished steel and a Lord of the Rings polycarbonate
Opting for camouflage over competition, our designs incorporated unconventional materials and altering forms to nod to and engage with the ACM spire and bronze NGV roof. The screen material itself, however, is something less familiar. Kaynemaile, a polycarbonate mesh, was originally developed as chainmail for the Lord of the Rings movie costumes. Kaynemaile provides weather protection, welcomes dappled light within the interior and allows for natural airflow. It also creates a singular and cohesive design form to discreetly integrate the façade’s raising and lowering mechanism.
A bump in the road
Beneath the curtain, we chose a polished stainless steel counter to reflect the grey and red heritage granite paving along St Kilda road. The pavement proved to be an unexpected constraint. Due to its historic significance, we couldn’t take the usual approach of bolting into the slab. Instead, we created a completely free-standing structure to protect the paving. By integrating steel and concrete to act as ballast, we were able to maintain the integrity of the original design.
Epilogue
Seeing this playful moving curtain facade come to life in the arts precinct, we feel proud of its inviting, innovative qualities. It was a welcome challenge to distill and develop ideas within a competition too. It confirmed something we’ve always believed in; just how important a clear architectural concept is to coalesce a team and achieve an exceptional outcome.
PROTAGONIST
Bring the stage to
the streets
At the theatre, nothing beats the emotion of the stage curtain’s first rise and regrettable fall. Protagonist’s bronze-veiled exterior aims to capture this moment. It’s the response to a 2018 Arts Centre Melbourne competition for Victorians to reimagine the ACM forecourt cafe. We seized this rare chance to experiment with engaging public space amidst some of Melbourne’s most iconic architecture.
2020
Eat Drink Design Awards
Best Installation Design - Commendation
2020
Victorian Architecture Awards
Small Project Architecture
2020
National Architecture Awards
Small Project Architecture - Commendation
Location
St Kilda Rd, Melbourne
Client
Arts Centre Melbourne
Year
2019
Images
Sean Fennessy
Land of
Kulin Nation
+
PrimeBuild
Kaynemaile Architectual Mesh
The Assembly
Argall
Installation Theatrical Engineering
Raise the curtain
The Protagonist structure activates the space in front of one of Australia’s most prominent arts precincts. As an interactive new cafe, bar and ticket booth, the design plays on a theatre curtain motif as a device to signify a welcoming ‘open’ or a veiled ‘closed’. Beyond key references in form, large-scale projectors allow the new structure to literally bring the theatre to the street. Upon nightfall, the mesh facade transforms, lit up by moving art projections. We created these in partnership with a branding agency and digital artist, inspired by the ballet and other ACM events. Protagonist is intended to stay at ACM for five years and, we hope, might find a new home after that.
Polished steel and a Lord of the Rings polycarbonate
Opting for camouflage over competition, our designs incorporated unconventional materials and altering forms to nod to and engage with the ACM spire and bronze NGV roof. The screen material itself, however, is something less familiar. Kaynemaile, a polycarbonate mesh, was originally developed as chainmail for the Lord of the Rings movie costumes. Kaynemaile provides weather protection, welcomes dappled light within the interior and allows for natural airflow. It also creates a singular and cohesive design form to discreetly integrate the façade’s raising and lowering mechanism.
A bump in the road
Beneath the curtain, we chose a polished stainless steel counter to reflect the grey and red heritage granite paving along St Kilda road. The pavement proved to be an unexpected constraint. Due to its historic significance, we couldn’t take the usual approach of bolting into the slab. Instead, we created a completely free-standing structure to protect the paving. By integrating steel and concrete to act as ballast, we were able to maintain the integrity of the original design.
Epilogue
Seeing this playful moving curtain facade come to life in the arts precinct, we feel proud of its inviting, innovative qualities. It was a welcome challenge to distill and develop ideas within a competition too. It confirmed something we’ve always believed in; just how important a clear architectural concept is to coalesce a team and achieve an exceptional outcome.
