Melbourne Place Hotel

Melbourne Place by Kennedy Nolan has emerged as an authentic representation of Melbourne, leveraging design gestures that reflect the quintessential characteristics of the city to render a hotel environment as much for Melburnians as those who visit it.

Drawing from the moderne architectural language and streamlined ornamentation of nearby twentieth-century buildings, the hotel is defined by a highly modelled facade where depth and shadow are emphasised by deep wedges of tinted pre-cast concrete that sit above a hefty plinth punctuated by large reveals. “Our design developed into a zoomorphic form with high brick legs, a long brick neck and two staring eyes,” says Founding Partner of Kennedy Nolan, Patrick Kennedy. “We saw a Llama, which became a touchstone for the building – a way for us to make an emotional connection to the bricks and mortar and a theme that we drew on when developing the design.”

A polestar of Melbourne Place’s design language is its emphasis on local creatives. Within that eminent stable, which includes such vanguards as Robert Gordon and Mains Water Co., Volker Haug, Ross Gardam, and Jardan, Fibonacci has extended on a long-running relationship with Kennedy Nolan through collaboration on six terrazzo colours (five of which were bespoke designs), “literally providing the backdrop to a hotel,” continues Patrick.

The coming together of minds yielded Llama, a product that radiates warmth and blushing lustre. “Having had a long relationship with Fibonacci, we were delighted to collaborate on customised terrazzo for our hotel interiors,” says Patrick. “Colour is such an important element of design and a cornerstone of our design intent for Melbourne Place, so it was a great opportunity for us to build a complete colour palette of distinct but complementary parts. Working closely with Fibonacci Founder Michael Karakolis, we were able to use his technical expertise and highly developed colour instincts to conjure terrazzo uniquely suitable to our intense colour schemes.”

Floating within its colour story of pale eucalyptus and raw jute, Llama is defined by an exploded constellation of warm tobacco, burnt sienna and flesh-toned fragments that each hold an individual shape and expression. The balance of ochres, reminiscent of Australia’s Red Centre, against a grey-green canvas bestows public and private guest spaces with a design language that rises out of nature to become cultural. Through composition, palette and application, Llama diffuses Melbourne Place with an atmosphere that is quintessential of and for Melbourne, captivatingly authentic and beautifully curated.