46
the World Of Hospitality
Garden State Hotel
Garden State Hotel
Techne Architecture +
Interior Design
Garden State Hotel is a superb, purpose-built
four-storey bar and hospitality venue at 95 Flinders
Lane.Technē has completely rebuilt the venue while
preserving its distinctive exterior, itself a heritage
Victorian era building that began life as a textile mill
in 1896. The design centres on a large multi-level beer
garden, a startling oasis in the middle of the CBD’s
network of laneways. Reflecting this verdant theme,
the name Garden State Hotel borrows Victoria’s
century-old state title, ‘The Garden State’.
The hugely ambitious 2000 square-metre project,
with a capacity for 840 guests, preserves much of the
original textile factory’s sawtooth roof while opening
its central bays to form a terraced beer garden that has
the feel of a Victorian conservatory, a hidden botanical
haven to be explored.
The contemporary architecturally designed pub
is a versatile space, with different rooms and
areas to support varied audiences and functions.
Technē imbues these diverse spaces with intriguing
interconnections and a sense of exploration for their
guests. While a front bar is still likely to be a vibrant
community watering hole, bespoke dining areas and
beautiful private function rooms create opportunities
where the pub now services the entire hospitality
spectrum, from casual get togethers to finer dining
and corporate events.
As well as the multi-level beer garden at its heart, the
project involved the creation of a street level public
bar at the front of the site and a five-level structure
(four of which are open to the public) at the rear. The
sophisticated Technē design creates a flow between
spaces diverse in function, capacity and architectural
inspiration.
The New York-inspired Garden Grill will be the
venue’s main dining area and also features the Raw Bar,
serving Melbourne’s freshest seafood. The basementlevel Rose Garden is an intimate cocktail bar with
chandeliers, eclectic antique wall décor and giant rose
motifs hand-painted by local artisans. Other spaces
include the Balcony Dining Room, for small group
bookings, and The Observatory on the second floor,
the venue’s premier functions space, which will hold
up to 120 people in a light-filled room with views onto
both the garden below and the city outside.