Located in a heritage listed building along Kent Street, the design of a new small bar sought to maximise the site’s existing assets – the carriageway, rear courtyard and proximity to a vibrant city street.

The heritage status and a tight budget focused the design on maintaining the existing fabric as much as possible, with no works to the Kent Street Facade other than minor alterations of the existing entry. The majority of work was focused on connecting at the ground floor the new bar area to the existing carriageway. Four new vertical openings are cut into the existing fabric allowing for access and visual connection to the carriageway and the public along Kent Street, enhancing the bar’s presence without diminishing the place’s heritage qualities.

The weathered rear courtyard, with its dramatic vertical space, was left intact, which allowed both contrast between the Kent Street sandstone facade and the creation of a unique space for boutique events.

Functionally the design allowed for 3 scenarios of patronage, with internal bar, carriage way and courtyard being used in different ways.

1. Weekday. With the requirement for the carriageway to maintain clearway status the daily function was centralised on the internal bar area and an exterior standing zone for a quick coffee.

2. Weekday Evening. Exterior seating in the carriage way allowed for the seating to double in capacity and give greater presence to the passing traffic along Kent Street.

3. Weekend Evening Event Space. This allowed the courtyard to become the focal point with the carriageway used as an area for over flow and relief. The bar space services both areas.