Project Name
Burleigh Pavilion
Posted in
Architecture, Design, Interior Design
Location
43 Goodwin Terrace Burleigh Heads
Gold Coast QLD
Australia
Architecture Practice
Alexander & CO.
Area (sqm)
1200
Completed
December 2018
Detailed Information
Project NameBurleigh PavilionPosted inArchitecture, Design, Interior DesignLocation
43 Goodwin Terrace Burleigh Heads
Gold Coast QLD
Australia
Architecture PracticeAlexander & CO.Area (sqm)1200CompletedDecember 2018

With most Australians living within 50 kilometres from the country’s more than 10,000 beaches, it’s no wonder that beach life is an integral part of the Aussie culture. Indeed, oceanfront pavilions, the quintessential feature of beach life, appeared as early as the beginning of the twentieth century to cater to a growing number of bathers, and later on surfers, who flocked to the beaches when the ban on daytime ocean bathing was lifted in 1903. Built much later, in 1987 to be exact, Burleigh Pavilion at Burleigh Heads on Australia’s Gold Coast, a metropolitan area south of Brisbane famous for its long sandy beaches and extensive network of man-made canals, has become nonetheless a local landmark, not least because it was built on top of an iconic 1950s swimming pool. So when Sydney-based architectural practice Alexander & CO was commissioned to renovate and expand the dilapidating structure, they not only had to design a robust and easily maintained multipurpose venue that would appeal equally to guests who walked straight off the beach to those enjoying a smart lunch or dinner, as well as prevent flooding from storm surges, but they also had to reaffirm and reinvigorate its status as a local landmark.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

The refurbished pavilion consists of three areas, ‘The Tropic’, an all-day restaurant run by head chef Guillaume Zika, ‘The Pavilion’, a coastal brasserie serving burgers, pizzas and milkshakes, and a beach bar, a casual outdoor space where you can step straight up from the sand for a drink or snack, have a shower and rack your board off to the side. All three sections coalesce around a large open kitchen which is an expansive culinary hub with two pizza ovens and fire pit. Built within a white-washed curving masonry arbour, the design of the kitchen is a nod to the historic pavilions that once dotted up and down the coast. In fact, nostalgia is the predominant theme underpinning Burleigh Pavilion’s interior design, with Alexander & CO’s scheme abounding in retro references: from the faded pastels that channel 1980s Miami Vice to the corbeled blockwork evoking the Gold Coast beach houses of the 1970s where the Pavilion’s current owner spent his childhood holidays.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Each of the three sections has its own distinct characteristics and yet they still appear to belong together. Splashes of pink and mint green, rattan ceiling panels, tropical plants, and brass wall scones define The Tropic’s laid back, retro elegance. Simpler in detailing but larger in area, the beach bar blends the distinction between interior and exterior against expansive ocean views that stretch from the Gold Coast skyline in the north to Burleigh beach point break in the south. Pale pink splashes and tropical foliage can also be found here, along with high bar seating on the water’s edge and tiled window nooks, while pink terrazzo round tables and long communal timber tables animate the brasserie.

The Pavilion is the third project in a series of ‘low cost material fit-outs” that the practice has designed, including the renovation of the iconic Sydney LGBT venue The Imperial Hotel, which aim to reduce wastage and redundancy while also ensuring brand deployment and operational efficiency. Moreover, by employing a range of eco-friendly measures, from using renewable materials, and inert and low VOC fabrics, to taking advantage of embodied energy, the Pavilion also proves that sustainability in design and architecture is not incompatible with creativity and sophistication, just one more thing to ponder over as you sip a Pavilion Negroni (Applewood Gin, Okar Amaro and Regal Rogue Vermouth) while watching the waves breaking on the beach.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

Photo by Anson Smart.

The Laid-Back Nostalgia of Burleigh Pavilion on Australia's Gold Coast

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