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Architects
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Location
South Melbourne VIC 3205, Australia -
Category
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Lead Architects
Peter Knights, James Taylor & Tamara Bird -
Area
240.0 m2 -
Project Year
2018 -
Photographs
Text description provided by the architects. Set in a rustic red-brick warehouse, REHAU’s Design Haus is not your ordinary showroom. Founded in Germany in 1948, REHAU is best known for their quality doors & windows and a vast range of interior finishes. Launching their first showroom in Melbourne, they provided us with a simple design statement; they were seeking to create a space where visitors felt like they were stepping into their own dream home – familiar, comfortable, lush, light-filled, and open.
With the selection of an impressive warehouse space in South Melbourne, it was essential to celebrate the existing heritage bones; which meant, stripping back obsolete items and starting with a clean slate. Steering away from the traditional showroom approach, we have sought to contextualize finishes and present them in a familiar and engaging setting, allowing visitors to interact with products and get a sense of their inherent quality.
Spatially, the approach involves a series of follies; tied together with robust finishes of steelwork, terrazzo, and the warmth of American oak hardwood. An enclosed steel framed pod, elevated lounge, and the structural feat -a giant custom planter suspended from the existing roof structure with cascading greenery – all playful and engaging offerings for staff and customers to enjoy alike
