Sharkra Medispa – Preston Lane Architects
Project summary
Sharkra Medispa is a small, ever-growing business run by a very passionate owner. The brief required a ‘face lift’ of a rundown tenancy within Trafalgar Square in Hobart and an extension to incorporate the beauty school (Sharkra Academy of Aesthetics). The new layout allows for the spa and school to be positioned side by side, establishing a precedent in beauty school training within Tasmania. The design tactic for the fit out stemmed from the idea of a ‘beauty theatre’, with the aim of creating a layered space filled with drama and surprise. Pivotal to the design was the need to provide varied experiences for the client with increasing levels of privacy. ‘Theatre thresholds’ provided a secondary tool to arrange the linear space and, as a result, the scheme was divided into three sections – front of house, front stage and back stage. Central to the scheme is a large timber joinery item that acts as a curtain, providing a buffer between the ‘on show’ front stage treatments (makeup and nails) and the more hidden, ‘behind the scenes’ treatments (waxing and massage). The ‘curtain’ transition provides a textured backdrop to the front of house reception whilst concealing the extensive storage beyond.
Construction
Cordwell Lane Building – builder
Consultants
JMG – mechanical consultant
Jonathan Wherrett – photographer
Holdfast – building surveyor