Bring the stage to the streets.
At the theatre, nothing beats the emotions of the stage curtain’s first rise and regrettable fall. As our response to a 2018 Arts Centre Melbourne competition for Victorians to reimagine the ACM forecourt cafe, Protagonist's bronze-veiled exterior aims to capture these moments. We seized this rare chance to experiment with engaging public space amidst some of Melbourne’s most iconic architecture.
CLIENT
Arts Centre Melbourne
IMAGES
Sean Fennessy
LAND OF
Kulin Nation
COLLABORATORS
Prime Build
Kaynemaile Architectual Mesh
The Assembly
ARGALL Structural Engineers
Installation Theatrical Engineering
AWARDS
2020 Eat Drink Design Awards, Best Installation Design - Commendation
2020 Victorian Architecture Awards, Small Project Architecture
2020 National Architecture Awards, Small Project Architecture - Commendation
Opting for camouflage over competition, our design incorporates unconventional materials and altering forms to nod to and engage with the ACM spire and bronze NGV roof. The screen material itself, however, is something less familiar. Kaynemaile, a polycarbonate mesh, was originally developed as chainmail for the Lord of the Rings movie costumes, and here it provides weather protection, welcomes dappled light within the interior, and allows for natural airflow. It also creates a singular and cohesive design form to discreetly integrate the facade’s raising and lowering mechanism.
Polished steel and a Lord of the Rings polycarbonate.
A bump in the road.
Beneath the curtain, we chose a polished stainless steel counter to reflect the grey and red heritage granite paving along St Kilda road. The pavement proved to be an unexpected constraint. Due to its historical significance, we couldn’t take the usual approach of bolting into the slab, instead creating a completely free-standing structure to protect the paving. By integrating steel and concrete to act as ballast, we were able to maintain the integrity of the original design.
Seeing this playful moving curtain facade come to life in the arts precinct, we feel proud of its inviting, innovative qualities. It was a welcome challenge to distill and develop ideas within a competition, too. It confirmed something we’ve always believed in: just how important a clear architectural concept is to coalesce a team and achieve an exceptional outcome.
The Protagonist structure activates the space in front of one of Australia’s most prominent arts precincts. As an interactive new café, bar and ticket booth, the design plays on a theatre curtain motif as a device to signify a welcoming ‘open’ or a veiled ‘closed’. Beyond key references in form, large-scale projectors allow the new structure to literally bring the theatre to the street. Upon nightfall, the mesh facade transforms, lit up by moving art projections that we created in partnership with a branding agency and digital artist, inspired by the ballet and other ACM events.
Raise the curtain.
