Project: Premier Mill Hotel Katanning
Architect: Spaceagency Architects
Product: Custom Manufactured Brass Balustrades throughout
Product Design: Spaceagency Architects
Awards: 2019 National Architecture Awards: The Lachlan Macquarie Award for Heritage
The Premier Mill Hotel is a celebration of the rich fabric of the existing building, formerly a flourmill it was an ingenious industrial invention of its time, however since its hey-day the mill had become obsolete and the building slipped into disrepair, a similar fate suffered by many handsome heritage buildings of the wheat belt towns dating back to the prosperous gold rush era.
In response to their client’s bold vision for tourism in the region Spaceagency embraced the challenge of re imagining the mill as a 22-room hotel including lobby, common areas and basement bar retaining, exposing and expressing the industrial texture throughout.
New elements such as the steel framed lift cage and a dynamic, sculptural stair weave around the original boiler that was retained in-situ rising three stories through a central void forming a dramatic feature in the lobby. The lobby area is a split-level space, the lower part is arranged as a lounge orientated around the fireplace and connects down to the basement bar, the upper level is a ‘kitchen’ complete with an Aga stove and a communal table which serves as a dining area and event space.
Spaceagency designed a series of furniture components in solid timber and black steel that could be configured to suit all the different conditions. These include a wall mounted desk, fridge and television system; a timber bed head, base and built in side tables; and a luggage plinth, wall mirror and bespoke clothes hooks made from re-purposed ceramic isolators salvaged from the site. They worked with furniture designer, maker and ALLOY design partner Paul Morris of Join to realize the design and fabrication of all in-room furniture.
The result is a magical story of the buildings past, present and future made of layers of times past and times to come, it offers a new vision of the region for locals and visitors alike.
Article courtesy of Spaceagency.