Project Overview

Following the delivery of The Edge Hotel in Geelong, Geyer were once again appointed by the Event Management Company to develop The Pier, a leading destination venue at the tip of Cunningham Pier on the Geelong waterfront.

The design solution frames the 360-degree views of the bay, retaining the weathered beauty and grandeur of the original building. The iconic building houses four high-class hospitality venues including The Pier Geelong – the event space, Baveras – a relaxed fine dining restaurant, City Quarter – a boutique bar, and The Dock Cafe & Chippery – a relaxing casual space for all visitors.

Project Commissioner

The Event Management Company

Project Creator

Geyer

Team

Geyer’s Design team includes:
Dana Hutchins
David Spaccatore
Tim Giles
Sue Solly

Geyer worked in collaboration with Andrew Tucker who undertook the architectural works including the dramatic staircase entry and Ben Luder who undertook the lighting design.

Project Brief

The client’s brief was to create a destination unique to the Geelong area, and one which would offer a variety of experiences. The idea behind The Pier was one of being on the water in the midst of luxury. The scope of work was to create entertainment spaces with refined design and the highest standards of workmanship, and this prompted the concept of a ‘Luxury Yacht’.

The concept is embodied in elements such as the honey coloured oak parquetry flooring and finely detailed bent metal wine racks in the restaurant. The design of the venue includes considered use of natural materials and sophisticated detailing.

The venue is an ode to simplicity; the structure was pared back to basics to enhance the inherent beauty of the original building.

Project Innovation / Need

The Pier is a bold venue for Geelong, bringing high design sophistication to the area, bringing together four spaces catering to a variety of demographics. The Pier embodies the experience of floating on the water, with the high level of craftsmanship and use natural materials throughout the venue. The simplicity of the original heritage building embraces and celebrates Geelong and its past while the sophisticated detailing and approach to the internal spaces brings with it a “modern city" feel.

The Pier Geelong is a versatile function space catering for an array of events. This room features soaring ceilings and sophisticated AV to create a canvas for a myriad of event designs, while allowing the 360-degree views of Corio Bay to be the star attraction.

Baveras, the 80-seat restaurant, is set 250m out over Corio Bay. The design references luxury yacht interiors and old grandeur with a contemporary twist, utilising sophisticated textiles and lighting to compliment natural materials such as timber and stone.

At the boutique bar City Quarter, the grand staircase creates a dramatic entrance to a space that is designed to encourage visitors to enjoy a drink in a sophisticated yet comfortable environment with sunset views from external decks and an intimate lounging area adjacent a double sided fireplace.

The Dock Café & Chippery’s interior references the shipping history of the Cunningham Pier through use of industrial finishes. It is physically positioned to capture passing visitors and the interior further encourages causal dinning through inclusion of communal seating.

Design Challenge

The challenge was to create a sense of luxury without alienating the local market to visit on a recurring basis. We achieved this with a restrained natural palette and a high quality of detailing. New spaces were created to give a sense of intimacy and comfort and entries to these spaces give a theatre to the journey. The entries capture views of the bay, culminating in the arrival to the destination, much like a yachting outing.

Due to the scale of the project the fit out was done on a limited budget, with a tight timeline. We made use of as much of the original structure where possible.

Sustainability

One of the primary drivers of this fitout was to retain and re-use as much of the existing venue as possible. Construction work was minimal and undertaken only as required to ensure that the operational requirements of the venue were achieved. This included the installation of a kitchen and fireplace as well as the creation of new spaces within the structure.

The original venue was respected with existing features retained and integrated into the design. The existing ceilings and services were retained and refinished and the existing bar was reclad.

The existing exterior was retained as much as possible, with the exception of the new stair entry designed by Andrew Tucker.

Interior Design - Hospitality

This award recognises building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes and aesthetic presentation. Consideration given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
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