Elenberg Fraser’s new commercial office and 5-star hotel project called on the spirit of the Roman deity, Janus – the twin-faced god of transitions.
Why do that?
Well, Elenberg Fraser knew that this space will be many things to many people.
And they wanted to shatter conventional architectural hierarchy.
They did that by blurring the boundaries between one space and the next.
That’s what Janus is all about.
So, Elenberg Fraser created something new – a hybrid model they calling a ‘WOTEL’.
That’s where work meets hotel.
With conventional wisdom abandoned, guests at SO Sofitel are now getting more than a place to crash and a mini-bar to raid.
At 388 William Street, hotel rooms transition into flexible workspaces that encourage collaboration and autonomy.
Guests mingle with office workers at the bar, on the dance floor, and at the gym and pool.
Facilities are shared with the locals.
So for as long as they’re in residence, hotel guests are locals.
They are Melburnians.
But you’ll also find Janus in the visual dichotomy of the building’s chimerical design, one mirrored face looking out across Melbourne’s central business hub, while on the opposite, oblique, façade a cascade of greenery tumbles from stepped terraces towards street level.
Like Janus, 388 William also has eyes on the past and the future.
The anchor for the City of Melbourne’s QV masterplan, this building embodies Melbourne history just as it’s part of its dynamic future.
With the Queen Victoria Market on one flank, and the Flagstaff Gardens on the other, Elenberg Fraser integrated the original Deco building that occupied the site – a former cannery where workers once packed rations for WWII troops.
The fabric of the heritage building is incorporated into the design – it’s a seamless transition between old and new.
Seamless means no barriers.
And at 388 William, twin entrances invite public access to a soaring internal atrium, where voyeurism is not a dirty word.
Here, there is no hierarchy.
Workers levitate to upper levels in glass elevators, looking out as others look in.
Ballroom guests watch people come and go, just as they’re watched from above.
Silhouetted figures criss-cross the massive glazed skylights punched through the atrium’s roof, peering down at the activity eleven stories beneath their feet.
Elenberg Fraser also embraced the liminal zone between nature and structure.
Intriguingly, if you try to work out where ‘outside’ ends and ‘inside’ begins at 388 William, you can’t.
In the building’s atrium, skygardens replicate the forest canopy while in full view across the landscaped terraces are Flagstaff Gardens’ ancient Moreton Bay figs and elm trees.
There’s no fear of missing out for the workers seated at their desks; they might as well be seated on the grass with the picnickers outside.
The sweet spot for the hotel guests and international businesswomen and men who stay here, and the office workers who see this place as their second home, 388 William is a place where the line between work and play falls away.
Sure, you’re at work.
But it doesn’t really feel like it.
Project Details
Project size – 52,913 m2
Site size – 3,913 m2
Project Team
Architecture
Elenberg Fraser
Elenberg Fraser is an expert in multi-residential architecture and interior design.
This expertise has been recognised through industry awards for projects such as Fifty Albert (City of Port Phillip 2014 Design Development Awards – Winner Best New Development); Luna (Architizer A+ Awards – 2014 Winner Residential Mid Rise + Finalist Arch Daily 2014 Building of the Year Awards) and A’Beckett Tower (2011 AIA Victoria Best Overend Award for Multi-Residential Architecture).
Elenberg Fraser residential projects have demonstrated their potential to improve returns and work within strict floorplan and cost considerations, but also provide truly inhabitable environments that excite and engage their owners and tenants.
Elenberg Fraser also design luxury resorts, distinctive hotels and sensory restaurants from hubs in Melbourne, Sydney, and Hanoi.
Town Planning
Urbis
Urbis has one simple goal – to shape the cities and communities of Australia for a better future. Areas of expertise include planning, design, policy, heritage, valuations, transactions, economics and research
Client
Melbourne Institute of Technology (MIT) Australia
MIT provides a suite of undergraduate and postgraduate coursework programs to domestic and international students in Business, Accounting, Information Technology, Computer Networking and Engineering (Telecommunications). In addition, the institute also offers NEAS endorsed English language programs through its English Language Centre.
Rendering
Pointilism
Pointilism is a boutique studio specialising in high-quality architectural visualisation and digital animation.
With direct architectural experience at the core, Pointilism’s multi-disciplined crew understand the inner workings of modern practices and react accordingly.
They take pride in their ability to bring to life that which is yet to be built, and hold a continued appreciation for the power of compelling imagery.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge.
Design © 2020 Elenberg Fraser. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2020 Pointilism. All Rights Reserved.
Other Commercial Office Projects
The Rubik Cube, Melbourne Theatre Company HQ, Botanicca, Civic Quarter.
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