Hospitality Design - May 2018 - 283

1. The three-story, white
cypress-clad exterior of
MACq 01 mimics the
shipping warehouses
along the wharf, while
timber-box decks open
up to the water.

3. The light-filled
guestrooms each
represents a different
Tasmanian character.

2. A rope installation
screens off the Story
Bar from the Old Wharf
Restaurant, where
iodized steel and
recycled wharf materials
inform the industrial
pioneer concept.

2

Perched over the harbor of Hobart,
Australia's island state capital, local
architects Circa Morris Nunn's intent for the
MACq 01 (short for Macquarie Wharf) was
to resemble the shipping warehouses it sits
among, with its weathered white cypressclad exterior and distinct guestroom timber
box decks. Inside, Amanda Pike, director at
Sydney-based Pike Withers, turned the threelevel new-build warehouse into a hotel deeply
rooted in the area's rich history.
To capture the heart of the island's people,
Pike and her team immersed themselves in

all things Tasmania, traveling to the places
that shaped the island's past "to soak up
as much of the local character of the state
as possible," she explains, adding that she
also consulted with indigenous and other
specialists to be sensitive to the island's
history.
Each of the 114 rooms, for instance,
embodies the story of a different Tasmanian
character through its design-from
indigenous warriors, colonial explorers, and
famous convict bushrangers to inventors,
cricket heroes, and artists, including some
of the area's more obscure but beloved
personalities, such as Taffy the Bee Man, a
honeymaker in the Huon Valley in the 1930s,
and profane publican Elizabeth 'Ma' Dwyer.

To complete the story, Pike and her team
lined an entry wall niche with artifacts that
relate to the person's life, and centered the
look around one of five main personality
types, including the hearty and resilient-
defined by quality timbers and leather
furniture-and the colorful and quirky,
where vibrant artworks and creative décor
are the focal point.
This complex narrative is woven
into the public spaces as well, where the
industrial pioneer-inspired Old Wharf
Restaurant with iodized steel, recycled
wharf materials, and views over the cray
boats from the dockside deck and Story
Bar flow from the lobby lounge, while a
rope installation slightly screens one space
from the other. The lounge is anchored by a
circular fireplace crafted by a stonemason,
while indigenous artifacts, such as shell
necklaces and handwoven grass baskets
made by local Aboriginal descendants of
the First Tasmanians, emphasize its place
as "the storytelling nucleus" of the hotel,
Pike says. To further drive home the local
feel, a lighting installation evoking a kelp
forest crowns the firepit centerpiece, and
newspapers adorning the walls of the bar
reflect Tasmania history. hd

3
circamorrisnunn.com.au; pikewithers.com.au;
macq01.com.au

Macq 01
Tasmania, Australia
Owner Federal Hotels Interior Design Firm Pike
Withers, Sydney Purchasing Firm Pike Withers
and Federal Hotels Architecture Firm Circa
Morris-Nunn Architects, Tasmania Contractor
Vos Construction Lighting Electrolight
Engineering TBS Engineering Kitchen Sangster
Design
*Designers did not provide sourcing for furnishings
shown.

hospitalitydesign.com May 2018

283
http://circamorrisnunn.com.au http://pikewithers.com.au http://macq01.com.au http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Hospitality Design - May 2018

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