Pebble-Mix’s latest project is the Crowne Plaza Torquay, an $80 million hotel located in the surfing capital of Victoria and the gateway to the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. Almost 4000m² of balconies was covered in Pebble-Mix in Sandstone as part of the contemporary design of the resort that is said to set a new benchmark of style. The resort is situated in Torquay overlooking the Zeally Bay, home to the biggest brands in surf fashion and venue for the Rip Curl Pro, one of the most sought after awards on the World Championship Tour. Crowne Plaza Torquay is the hotel element of The Casey Group's $130 million resort and lifestyle development on the Torquay foreshore named Onshore. This project revitalises Pebble-Mix’s reputation for excellence and quality.
This resort project is designed by the visionary behind some of the most innovative designs Lines MacFArlane and Marshall has manifested an experience that is rare. The Crowne Plaza Torquay mirrors the design directive and the world renowned characteristic Australian surf culture, all the while expressing an overall aura of a modern and relaxing environment. The project is expected to enjoy a great tourism prominence along the Great Ocean Road. With a detailed insight of contemporary townhouse and apartment design trends, and the client’s goals, the team at Studio 35 Architecture worked to modernize the overall area and offer a stylish and relaxing design concept. The use of Pebble-Mix in Sandstone evokes the familiar beach-side living appeal, but with a new appearance. A selection of subdued fashionable hues such as sandstone, beige and warm brown delivered a fresh feeling of serenity with eye-catching design fundamentals as focal points. Hickory Development’s meticulous workmanship will help the resort establish itself among the global dynamic competition of resort design. Recipients of multiple design and ESD awards for the practice’s townhouse and apartment building projects, the creative and visual talent of Studio 35 Architecture enabled the execution of a dramatic design blueprint within a short and restrictive time frame.
The Studio 35 Architecture’s extensive project portfolio symbolises a diverse collection of designs, including various commercial buildings and showrooms such as King Gee, Malvern Star, Everlast, Robert Lane Honda and Slazenger. Part of their impressive portfolio are several merchandising and retail projects such as the ‘superstore’ for the Sydney Olympics at Homebush, the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and for the Euro 2005 Soccer Tournament in Portugal. Studio 35 Architecture has designed several suburban apartment complexes along Melbourne’s bayside. This resulted in Studio 35 Architecture becoming involved in the Torquay Resort Project, as the resort was of similar scale to the projects completed in Melbourne. The team at Studio 35 Architecture are currently in the process of completing a design for two high rise apartment towers that are yet to be given life, which given their extraordinary collection is expected to be another groundbreaking project.
With over 15 years of experience, Studio 35 Architecture attends to every individual project’s distinct character exploring many elements to reach the tailored and unique design their clients require. In an attempt to raise the status of The Crowne Plaza Torquay in a highly competitive industry of resort design, Studio 35 Architecture selected Pebble-Mix to address one of the many design challenges.
Pebble-Mix provides a compact, easy to clean, permanent decorative surface that enhances the look of unattractive concrete. With over 30 years of experience, Pebble-Mix has offered the highest level of quality, evocative of the company’s reputation as a leader in its field. The blend of different ratios of white and gold used to create the colour Sandstone perfectly matches the natural ambience of beachside living and lifestyle creating an unobtrusive canvas for the overall design as well as laid-back warmth with a strong sense of beach living style. “The emphasis was placed on functionality fused with the authentic Australian inspired design for which our Pebble-Mix in Sandstone was the perfect choice,” says Geoff Iles Managing Director of the Pebble-Mix Company.
This Pebble-Mix project reveals that resort designs are continually evolving and our sense of lavishness and luxury is constantly changing; but the one thing that remains is that Pebble-Mix, after more than 30 years of service and experience, still not only exists but is used in ultra-modern designs by award-winning architects and designers such as Nation Fender Katsalidis, the creators of the Eureka Tower in Melbourne. Given the demand for Pebble-Mix in recent modern projects such as the QV Apartments in Melbourne, Pebble-Mix is becoming somewhat of a hallmark for innovative and ground-breaking designs.
Crowne Plaza Torquay and the use of Pebble-Mix on all the balconies is a success of creation and beauty. The design embodies the Torquay resort experience. The complex is a fusion of contemporary resort architecture and design with traces of Australian natural ambience delivering a resort unique to Torquay.
This intricate design replicates the natural Australian environment whereby Studio 35 Architecture brought this inspiration alive with use of natural colours and materials and drought-tolerant flora. The use of Pebble-Mix in Sandstone creates a distinctly and unmistakably architecture. Crowne Plaza Torquay takes resort architecture to the next level.
