What was once a 1930s V8 Ford showroom and later a newspaper press and workshop – The Press Hall –now houses a restaurant, bakery, cafe, architecture studio, common spaces and parking. Part of the building was constructed in the late 1800s as a carriage works; various extensions, façade alterations and internal changes were made incrementally over the years by subsequent occupants to suit changing uses and/or current trends. These haphazard additions resulted in construction quirks like bricked-up gables and lintels; curious floor-level changes and hidden, charming details. To avoid overwhelming this, the goal was to insert new parts with recessive detailing and a palette limited to site-observed materials. Fit-out and base building works – including new site servicing – were provided under a single construction contract. The architect was embedded in the project. A full-time site office allowed for daily contact with the builder and a close relationship with fabricators for design and prototyping of custom elements such as a 3.5 square metre scotch oven (modelled off early Tasmanian bread ovens); furniture for the restaurant; internal landscaping elements; and extensive off-form and trowelled concrete finishes. All tenancies were let prior to completion.
Architect
Core Collective
Consultants
Structural consultant – Richard Lawrence, Gandy and Roberts
Mechanical consultant – Ian Loney
Hydraulic consultant – Darryl Blake, Gandy and Roberts
Acoustic consultant – Pearu Terts
Access Consultant – Michael Small
Photographer – Peter Whyte
Photographer – Luke Burgess
Building surveyor – Keith Edwards, Castellan
Contractors
Builder – In2Construction Services
Late 1800s original building architect – Unknown
1938 façade renovation – Philp & Wilson
1992 façade modification – Crawford, Cripps and Wegman
Lift contractor – Access Solutions