Construction has begun on the newest Vibe hotel in the heart of Melbourne.
Renderings reveal the hotel will mix history, contemporary design and inner city lifestyle, preserving the 145-year-old building’s facade and adding a 24-storey class fronted tower with four distinct design sections marking the links between old and new.
And it looks absolutely stunning if you ask us.
The original two-storey building on the Queen Street site was built in 1873 in the Renaissance Revival architectural style and was called the Cobden Building, first serving as offices for the maritime trade.
In 1955, clothing manufacturer and retailer Fletcher Jones bought the building for $260,000, and it became an iconic fixture for Melbourne shoppers.
In keeping with this brand ethos, the new Vibe Hotel Melbourne has 206 inspired rooms, contemporary communal areas and a building design that tells a story via four distinct “layers” or strata.
The first strata is Heritage, where the existing building will be rendered in beautiful classic steel blue and off-white, with touches of chrome and metal.
The second is Transition, the bridge between old and new, marked by external stone fins, bronze glazing and black window frames.
The Tower level is a modern masterpiece, with protruding window jambs in black and bronze that beautifully complement the light grey pleating in the façade.
The Crown is the final statement, with a light grey glazing and black window framing, marked by a timber vertical screen and a finished concrete spandrel.
TFE Hotels CEO Rachel Argaman said this marked a great year for the Vibe Hotels brand, which is growing from nine hotels to twelve.
“We have just opened Vibe Hotel North Sydney and we have three more stunning new Vibe Hotels under construction including Queen Street in Melbourne, Argyle Street in Hobart and Sussex Street in Darling Harbour, so it’s a very exciting time for the brand,” Argaman said.
“We are about to unveil a multi-million-dollar refurbishment at Vibe Hotel Gold Coast with a beautiful coast-meets-hinterlands design scheme and we are completely transforming Vibe Hotel Sydney in Goulburn Street, Sydney, adding a new dining offering, Storehouse Sydney Central.”
Vibe Hotels are in nine locations: Melbourne, Sydney, Rushcutters Bay Sydney, North Sydney, Gold Coast, Darwin Waterfront, Canberra and Marysville (Victoria).
Three more next-generation Vibe Hotels are under construction in 2018 – Argyle Street in Hobart; Queen Street in Melbourne; and Sydney’s Darling Harbour. Major refurbishments will be unveiled soon at the Gold Coast and Sydney.
