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Digiglass Decorative Canopy: Mövenpick Hotel, Hobart
Digiglass Printed Interlayers are showcased across the distinctive glazed canopy on the front facade of the Hobart Mövenpick Hotel - the Swiss hotel groups first hotel in Australia. Artist Julie Stoneman and design company Futago collaborated on the artwork, Site Echoes which references the historical context and former use of the site, situated in Hobart’s CBD at 28 Elizabeth Street. Vividly emblazoning a specially selected series of imagery on the canopy’s glazing, the project sensitively illuminates each image in an unforgettable setting.
Located on one of Hobart’s principal heritage streetscapes, the Mövenpick Hotel was conceived as a ‘family of buildings’ to respond carefully to the scale of the street, the city and the wider geographical setting.
The Podium facade is a considered study of solid and void, drawing on the fenestration, materiality and detailing of the adjacent buildings. This includes a captivating decorative glass awnining featuring high resolution printed interlayers. The awning artwork is one of three public artworks installed at The Mövenpick.
The remaining facades are highly articulated with painted pre-cast cladding off-set by curtain-wall glazing and a composition of vertical sunshades. Public facilities and administration are located on the first three floors, with guest rooms in the levels above providing panoramic views, connecting occupants with Hobart’s beautiful natural setting.
The stylised graphics and colours create resonances in the viewer’s mind, inviting them to contemplate all that has happened before, and what traces are left.
Drawing on the curtains of the Palace Theatre as a reference site
Artists Helen Fraser, Julie Stoneman and design company Futago collaborated on the artwork, Site Echoes which references the historical context and former use of the site. Shimmering with colour and fine detail, the façade’s glazed awning call out with an enticing statement to passers-by. The series of artworks featured on the glazed awning make full use of the unique colour properties of the DigiGlass interlayers to draw attention back to the contemporary features of hotel.
From Helen Fraser, “My ink drawing titled Exhuberant was selected as part of the innovative glass awning installation at the front of the new Mövenpick Hotel in Hobart, Tasmania. A series of individual and dual tassels was created with a .2mm and .03mm copic marker on paper, with twenty individual tassels were first exhibited. This project was designed and project managed by Julie Stoneman of Flux Studios and Futago Design Studio. The drawing was selected to represent the curtains of the Palace Theatre which used to exist on this site.”
Expressing the intensity of each unique image is made possible through DigiGlass technology. Digiglass is a laminated safety glass system where high-resolution inkjet printing is applied to an interlayer. The inkjet process means colour vibrancy to be captured with exceptional accuracy and resolution and durability, made possible by uniquely formulated inks for external glazing applications.
As well as offering an ideal canvas for the artwork, the canopy structure has been designed and positioned to take full advantage of the site’s alignment within its setting. This is particularly evident in summer – when the sun is directly above the artworks.
“Mövenpick Hotel Hobart transcends the traditional hotel experience by masterfully blending Swiss heritage with a premium hospitality experience. We’re excited to share this stunning property with guests visiting Hobart from other parts of Tasmania and Australia.”
SIMON MCGRATH
Accor Pacific CEO
