Digilin LED Lighting at the Junction Hotel Features in Venue Magazine

The following is an excerpt from the article in issue 24 of Venue Magazine LED lighting at the Junction Hotel

Newcastle has always been a bastion of the working-class, with earthy, down-to-earth, salt-of-the-earth, stout-hearted folk pouring into good ol', spit 'n' sawdust Aussie pubs, where the bartender would rather stick hot coals down his jocks than serve a cosmopolitan, let alone an imported beer. But the gentrification that has enveloped most areas of Sydney has spread north and Newcastle now offers several lah-di-dah venues.

One suburb of Newcastle that is in the midst of a transformation from typical suburban shopping area to that of a boutique precinct is The Junction. The suburb has seen a growth in restaurants and cafes with a distinctive alfresco feel, and this change to a more sophisticated setting has recently been whole-heartedly embraced by one local boozer, The Junction Hotel. The owners, architects and interior design team have not only pulled together a great place to eat and drink... they've played a significant part in setting the area's hospitality agenda.

Turnaround

"The old Junction Hotel was very much an internally focused hotel with the pokies taking centre stage," commented Michael Rodgers, Director of EJE Architecture and mastermind of the renovation. "This, in turn, attracted a male-dominated clientele, limiting the opportunities for social interaction. Our principle aim was to complement the transformation of the area by opening up the hotel to the streetscape, encouraging people to enjoy the ambience of not only the hotel but The Junction in its entirety."

The emphasis on light and space is complemented by a fresh palette of materials that reflect the beachside location without being too literal about it.

"Once we engaged the contractors we invited them to some 'workshops' to nut out the detail," explained Michael. "Contractors would recommend alternative solutions in the workshops, many of which we went with."

One of the principal objectives of the refurbishment was to reduce running costs. By opening up the hotel through the streetscape windows and glazed opening, there's now a good cross draft which means the air conditioning is switched off more often. In addition, LED lighting has been incorporated throughout the refurbishment, which again has not only reduced running costs but added to the ambience with the colour-changing bar, transforming the hotel to a sophisticated inner city bar by night.

Venue Magazine
Junction Hotel Project Page