Over 250 architects, designers, hoteliers and suppliers gathered at Hilton Adelaide on Tuesday May 6 for the annual Design Inn Symposium – the region’s largest and leading hotel architecture and design conference.
This year, an extended full-day conference, supported by Grohe as Principal Partner, covered a range of topics from adaptive reuse to AI in design, refurbishment costs, creative control and much more.
The opening panel session discussed the concept of adaptive reuse and the hurdles and challenges of converting ageing office and commercial spaces into modern, storied hotels.
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Brenton Smith of Bates Stuart stressed the importance of retaining the legacy and stories of these structures, making full use of the building’s history and heritage, while Richard Dalman discussed the environmental and economic benefits including reduced carbon impact by avoiding an expensive demolition process.
Kristi Wayman of Pro-Invest was eager to point out the general lack of “greenfield” opportunities in our cities and, not forgetting heritage constraints, made the process of adaptive reuse attractive.
In a Design Showcase, Charlotte Wilson and Rachel Yabsley of SJB discussed their work on Sydney’s The Eve Hotel in Surry Hills within TOGA’s lifestyle, mixed-use precinct.
A Design Q&A, hosted by IHG’s Jonathan Conroy, shone a spotlight on the new Intercontinental Barossa Resort and Spa. Sonia Lefevre, MD of Hotellerie, discussed the importance of creating an experiential destination that is in harmony not just with the environment but also with the people and community it represented.
Lead architect, Chris Watkins of Baukultur, said the project successfully embraces both simplicity and efficiency and was “free of folly”, a mindset the owners were totally on board with. This harmony, he said, ensured a rare alignment with destination, design and purpose.
An ‘illuminating’ masterclass, moderated by Studio All’s Liam Petrie-Allbutt focused on the importance of lighting in hotel design. Andrew Minty of Gallagher Jeffs highlighted the rise of smart systems to reduce overall energy consumption.
Fay Greenhalgh mentioned that designers can be prone to ‘overlighting’ spaces and that minimal lighting is often all that is required, especially in heritage properties that were originally lit by candles and gas. She also warned against considering lighting design as an afterthought, but to include it in the core design.
Petrie-Allbutt also stressed that colour temperature was critical to matching the environment, i.e. warm tones in cool climates and vice versa.
Australia’s first 1 Hotel was the subject of another Design Showcase. Falk Peuser of FK described the challenges and processes involved in redeveloping and restoring this former wharf and warehouse site on the banks of the Yarra River.
Samson Tiew of One Design Office discussed how he embraced the owner’s vision for a visually stunning, functional, and sustainable property. He incorporated natural cues into an urban environment and reused elements of the existing historic buildings, like rusted steel roofing trusses and waterlogged pilings.
Putting the F&B buzz into bars and restaurants was the next talking point, led by QCC Collection’s Caspar Schmidt with James Bradey from Liquid & Larder and Jason Williams of House Made Hospitality.
The panel recommended a consistent and defined concept for dining and drinking spaces rather than jumping on the latest trends. The advice was to “look backwards” for established concepts and build upon those while retaining a consistent Australian flavour.
Guy Blunden of WMK Architecture and a panel of experts addressed the timely topic of refurbishment costs.
Grace Lei Guo of Stack Studio recounted her experience on the recent Hilton Sydney refurbishment. Marie Colangelo of Salter Brothers warned that too much customisation can escalate costs alarmingly in the procurement process, while Andrew Pickering of SHAPE insisted on evidence of a refurb rather than trying to reuse and retain too many fittings.
The panel also discussed the merits of partial versus full refurbishment, taking into account operating profit impacts, longevity of fittings, and guest experience.
Ivan Sunde of Onyx ASW led a debate on AI’s impact on the hospitality industry. Interestingly, a show of hands in the room indicated a surprising acceptance of this controversial technology.
Julie Ockerby from Meli Studio argued against AI in hotel design, fearing it will bring about bland conformity and predictability while damaging human creativity and a loss of craft. AI can be a tool, she argued, but not the artist.
Andrew Lym-Penning from UniSA took a different approach, highlighting the danger of not being involved with AI and the risk of being left behind. He says it heightens the human touch without replacing it.
Dominic Gaetani of DKO reminded us that while AI can be useful, it does not possess the emotional intelligence and storytelling capability that only humans have. Ashley Hastings from Woods Bagot reinforced this by asserting AI is not simply a source of creativity, rather an amplifier of it.
The Co-Founders of non-profit, ReLove, took to the stage to share their mission to help people fleeing domestic violence, those seeking asylum and the homeless, in rebuilding their homes with quality second-hand furniture from hotel refurbishments.
Adelaide’s first Marriott hotel was also in the spotlight with Eva Sue from Woods Bagot detailing the clever design details that pay tribute to the rich history of the location, at the heritage site of the GPO. LIXIL’s Steven Higgins discussed the selection of bathroom fittings and innovate water-saving technology in the hotel.
The final panel of the day explored creative control in an evolving hotel landscape, with designers discussing the challenges of navigating numerous stakeholders and differing viewpoints during the design process.
The Australasia-Pacific Hotel Design Awards were handed out – view the winners here – before a stellar networking event at Hilton Adelaide.