"Inside" January/1999
The collaborative work of Six Degrees with the owners turned brickie labourers, Dave Sharry and Keith Shreeve, has resulted in the successful transformation of an old kosher butcher into a buzzing cafe. Christened Wall 280, the cafe retains the Carlisle Street, Balaclava address yet actually inhabits the rear of the corner site, behind a used CD and vinyl shop.
The initial design decision in terms of sitting, set the tone for the overall atmosphere embodied by the space; an informal hideaway form the eclectic mixed business that defines the surrounding area. Created in a time where stainless steel and white are becoming synonymous with architectual design, this "jewel box of junk jewellery" as Heally describes it, is a stark contrast, utilising a colourful mix of materials and textures.
The treatment of the box as container guided the articulation of the facade and the division of the interior spaces. The linearity of the facade, being the Wall, has been emphasised by the incorporation of a graphic device designed by graphic designer Andrew Hazewinkle.
This system of painted lettering on the red brick wall which bleeds onto the footpath and telegraphic pole, serves many functions. On one level it states the obvious; this is a wall, but the full extent of this message is only realised when the roller doors are down, the box is sealed, and the cafe closed. When open the graphic is distorted by the appearance of punctures into the wall, these being two entry points and a servery window. The graphic also blurs the line between the graffiti that will be ever present on the site and the purposefully rough, under-designed aesthetic that the owners were aiming for.
The owners were also clear about the type of business they wanted to create and the experience they wanted to offer. The interior planning is centred around the small, open, counter-style kitchen of limited facilities, that spills over to the outside through a pre-existing window, serving customers occupying tables along the wide bitumen pavement that catches the morning sun.
Internally, due to a restricted budget, much of the structural elements have been retained which, as a result, has created smaller spaces within the larger box, giving the effect of a larger area than the 60sqm that the space acually occupies. One of these smaller spaces exists in the old meat smoking room and is defined by a dropped ceiling that hovers above, another is the old staff room which is bound by the rough brickwork walls, now green, that have been retained, window frames and all, that further aid in delineating the space. A communal table of Oregon pine surrounded by green vinyl stools occupies the southern end of the cafe, adjacent to a reading nook which completes the cafe's aability to cater for all sorts of patronage comfortably from singles, to pairs, as well as small groups.A double rwo of silver dipped drop lights signal the circulation space while aiding in linking the various areas.
In what is fast becoming typical Six Degree style, many elements from the original butcher have been retained, reused and installed alongside other recycled materials emanating from the office's endless supply of what some would call junk and others call jewels.
Their special relationships with many of Melbourne's wreckers has led to the repetitive use of old BP House lead lined timber veneer panelling, which in this instance is broken up by a grid of black timber that wraps around the walls of the communal eating area and is mimicked diagnonally across the cafe to once again unite the space. The white tiles of the butchery have been left in some areas and old 70s ceramic tiles in high gloss finish, as well as the occassional bit of mirror, have replaced broken tiles with a result that looks deliberately designed. The old meat hanger now serves as awning to the servery window, old ventilation grills are now mesh to diffuse light, the kosher butcher sign is a piece of artwork, and the old carcass hanging scales takes up a prominent position as focal point of one of the entries.
The runover,overlap and interaction between materials was a conscious compositional approach which continues to expand the space. Healy who begins the design process "with flashes until (he) can walk around it" believes the idea of an over-riding concept is outdated and that through a rigorous opportunistic analysis it is possible to see what can be salvaged and utilised rather than gutting a space only to leave a stamped label of the designer. Yet amongst the unfussed approach to the occasional screw poking out of the tilework, the scratches on the veneer, and the busy palette, is a not too tightly wrapped package where manufacture meets texture, and undoubtedly a stamp is left.
The initial design decision in terms of sitting, set the tone for the overall atmosphere embodied by the space; an informal hideaway form the eclectic mixed business that defines the surrounding area. Created in a time where stainless steel and white are becoming synonymous with architectual design, this "jewel box of junk jewellery" as Heally describes it, is a stark contrast, utilising a colourful mix of materials and textures.
The treatment of the box as container guided the articulation of the facade and the division of the interior spaces. The linearity of the facade, being the Wall, has been emphasised by the incorporation of a graphic device designed by graphic designer Andrew Hazewinkle.
This system of painted lettering on the red brick wall which bleeds onto the footpath and telegraphic pole, serves many functions. On one level it states the obvious; this is a wall, but the full extent of this message is only realised when the roller doors are down, the box is sealed, and the cafe closed. When open the graphic is distorted by the appearance of punctures into the wall, these being two entry points and a servery window. The graphic also blurs the line between the graffiti that will be ever present on the site and the purposefully rough, under-designed aesthetic that the owners were aiming for.
The owners were also clear about the type of business they wanted to create and the experience they wanted to offer. The interior planning is centred around the small, open, counter-style kitchen of limited facilities, that spills over to the outside through a pre-existing window, serving customers occupying tables along the wide bitumen pavement that catches the morning sun.
Internally, due to a restricted budget, much of the structural elements have been retained which, as a result, has created smaller spaces within the larger box, giving the effect of a larger area than the 60sqm that the space acually occupies. One of these smaller spaces exists in the old meat smoking room and is defined by a dropped ceiling that hovers above, another is the old staff room which is bound by the rough brickwork walls, now green, that have been retained, window frames and all, that further aid in delineating the space. A communal table of Oregon pine surrounded by green vinyl stools occupies the southern end of the cafe, adjacent to a reading nook which completes the cafe's aability to cater for all sorts of patronage comfortably from singles, to pairs, as well as small groups.A double rwo of silver dipped drop lights signal the circulation space while aiding in linking the various areas.
In what is fast becoming typical Six Degree style, many elements from the original butcher have been retained, reused and installed alongside other recycled materials emanating from the office's endless supply of what some would call junk and others call jewels.
Their special relationships with many of Melbourne's wreckers has led to the repetitive use of old BP House lead lined timber veneer panelling, which in this instance is broken up by a grid of black timber that wraps around the walls of the communal eating area and is mimicked diagnonally across the cafe to once again unite the space. The white tiles of the butchery have been left in some areas and old 70s ceramic tiles in high gloss finish, as well as the occassional bit of mirror, have replaced broken tiles with a result that looks deliberately designed. The old meat hanger now serves as awning to the servery window, old ventilation grills are now mesh to diffuse light, the kosher butcher sign is a piece of artwork, and the old carcass hanging scales takes up a prominent position as focal point of one of the entries.
The runover,overlap and interaction between materials was a conscious compositional approach which continues to expand the space. Healy who begins the design process "with flashes until (he) can walk around it" believes the idea of an over-riding concept is outdated and that through a rigorous opportunistic analysis it is possible to see what can be salvaged and utilised rather than gutting a space only to leave a stamped label of the designer. Yet amongst the unfussed approach to the occasional screw poking out of the tilework, the scratches on the veneer, and the busy palette, is a not too tightly wrapped package where manufacture meets texture, and undoubtedly a stamp is left.
Wall Two 80
