Monaco House

Monaco House

This four storey building is located in a largely pedestrian lane at the east end of Melbourne’s CBD. Dominant in the lane is the historic Melbourne Club wall and large plane trees emerging from the Melbourne Club garden.

A ground level entry and cafe are followed by two levels of office. The top level contains a small reception area to facilitate the client’s role as Honorary Consul of Monaco. Within the office, large apertures to the west are shaded by deep balconies and the adjoining plane trees. Outdoor balconies and the ‘green-roofscape’ provide areas of release from the office desk. The building is an essay in fine-grained urbanism, it seeks to talk about its consular role as well as to enhance the pedestrian experience of the city.

Completed
2007
Location
Ridgway Place, Melbourne
Awards

Australian Institute of Architects National Awards 2008

Winner – Commercial Architecture

Australian Institute of Architects Victorian Chapter Awards 2008

Winner – Sir Osborn McCutcheon Award for Commercial Architecture

Victorian State of Design Awards 2008

Winner – Premier’s Design Mark – Commercial  Architecture

Melbourne City Council Awards

Melbourne Award – Finalist

Publications

Architecture AU, March 2008, Vol 97 No 2, online
Architecture AU Nov 2008 Vol 97 No 6, online
Yatzer, February 2008
Australian Design Review, 21 April 2009

Materials

Exterior Walls – Glass Reinforced cement, Pre-cast concrete panels: Brite n’ Lite concrete, Polished pre-cast concrete: black granite aggregate with black cement, Polished Stainless Steel

Roof – Lysaght ‘Klip-Lok 406’ Colorbond Roofing, Tiger Turf

Floors – Glass Mosaic Tiles, Polished Concrete Tile, Timber decking

Interior Walls – Laminated Glass with printed Interlayer, Glass Mosaic Tiles, New Age Veneers ‘Red Wenge’