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Entering a conference is not usually in itself a fun experience but developer Capital Alliance thinks that doesn’t have to be the case for its latest project, one of Australia’s largest conference centres.
Located in Melbourne’s Docklands, the SJB-designed project will also have the country’s longest escalator, one in which visual projections will surround visitors on all sides as they journey up to the centre and other spaces.
It is a key part of developer Capital Alliance’s design for its dual hotel and conference centre project at 28-38 Pearl River Road in Melbourne’s Docklands.
Rather than looking solely at a need for tourism accommodation over the next few years, Capital Alliance’s director, Mohan Du, decided future-proofing the project’s feasibility by making it a destination with something enticing to experience that could change would keep attracting visitors to the area.
Visitors will journey through a full visual projection surrounding them on all sides while on the escalator; an opportunity for event organisers to customise their patrons’ entry to their events and provide them with an experience they can’t get elsewhere.
Similar visual art and virtual reality and projection technology has been used in immersive art exhibitions.
However the idea for an escalator came from a choice about where the conference centre would be located in the building.
“Usually a conference centre isn’t set above the podium level but this one is,” Du told The Urban Developer.
“And you will have a view on all four sides at that level, more than you would if you were in the usual conference centre.”
“So naturally, the question then is if you do that, how do you get people up?
“You can’t just use elevators to get people up and down because the wait would be too long,
“So an escalator was the next option but we didn’t want it to be anything like a shopping centre escalator experience.”
City of Melbourne’s deputy lord mayor, Nicholas Reece, likened it to other examples where escalators and a person’s journey were tailored to be part of the experience of the space.
“Just like the Pompidou Centre in Paris this enormous escalator runs up the side of the building and leads to a fabulous bar and function centre,” Reece said.
“And just like at the Pompidou, I am sure this new escalator will be renowned as one of the best rides in Melbourne.”
The project can now move forward to the construction phase —the Victorian planning minister Sonya Kilkenny granted approval for the project this week.
City of Melbourne’s lord mayor, Sally Capp, is confident the project will attract more visitors to the area, pointing to how many already visit the Docklands.
“The precinct’s popularity continues to grow, with night-time pedestrian activity at New Quay exceeding pre-pandemic levels throughout May [2023],” Capp said.
Its conference centre will have capacity for 1000 people with Australia’s largest rooftop infinity pool and two hotels, one with 105 rooms to be run by A by Adina and one with 200 rooms under the bespoke Collection by TFE Hotels brand.
“Pearl River is our last blank canvas for Docklands and as such represents a significant milestone, so we wanted to create something truly remarkable and, in collaboration with TFE Hotels, a precinct that fosters a work, rest, play lifestyle,” Du said.
The expected end value for the project is $340 million.
Designing projects to be destinations to ensure their long-term fiscal viability is not new with hotels, resorts, casinos and large format retail assets adopting the approach to encourage customers to stay onsite longer by providing services and experiences.
Capital Alliance is also responsible for the $2-billion 10-year Revitalisation of the City of Dandenong project and most recently completed a hotel at South Melbourne, the first AC by Marriott branded hotel in the country.
Du founded Capital Alliance in 2012 which has also refurbished Peppers Docklands and designed and built the 5-star Marriott in the Docklands.
TFE Hotels operates in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark, Hungary, Austria, Singapore and Switzerland with seven brands: A by Adina, Adina Hotels, Vibe Hotels, Quincy Hotels, Travelodge Hotels, Rendezvous Hotels and Collection by TFE Hotels.
Their portfolio includes The Calile Hotel, The Hotel Britomart, Hotel Kurrajong and The Savoy Hotel on Little Collins.
