The PenrithPanthers have celebrated the great indoors with the $25 million renovation oftheir club that brings the outside inside.
“The existing clubpresented itself as an inward looking building,” Odile Chauvet of AltisArchitecture said. “We have aimed to create a visual presence to the club bydrawing on influences from its natural surroundings.”
The Panthers are located in the foothills of the mountains and so inspirationwas as boundless as the scenery. The colour palate was drawn from the earthyand natural tones found in the Australian landscape – earthy beiges, burntorange and chocolate browns. The choice of materials is of earthy brickwork,warm split-faced masonry and stone, timber cladding, metal cladding andscreening and sandstone.
The design blueprint also included the radical enhancement of the outdoorexperience in the form of a beautifully landscaped lake, with several floatingpavilions designed for outside dinning, lounging and drinking along withviewing sports, films and functions.
Altis Architecture wanted to create the club of the future, a multi-dimensionaldestination venue with flexible spaces setting a benchmark in the hospitalityindustry, added Chauvet.
This was achieved through the creation of a new entry sequence to the club withan expressed three story foyer with transparent glass curtain wall, creating avisual link to the outdoor landscaping and blurring the line between inside andoutside.
The space is made up with a mixture of unique signature restaurants, a highquality food and beverage precinctwith several food offerings, a central bar area and lounge spaces thatlead onto the alfresco terraces and the lake. A central atrium over the mainbar creates a visual link between the function and food and beverage areas. Thefloating pavilions are surrounded by a dramatic backdrop of lighting and waterfeatures situated throughout the lake.
The Altis team decided to avoid the use of pendant fittings and to focus moreon highlighting and enhancing the interior and architectural elements such asceilings, feature walls and joinery items. Energy efficient light sources werealso used as task lighting and within joinery items.
The clubs new conferencing areas are an extension of the food and beverageprecinct through the use of open atrium and transitional spaces.
“Extensive research was undertaken to ensure we were creating something that isunique to the local and far reaching areas of western Sydney, with acontemporary finish that provides for ‘good ageing’,” said Panthers GeneralManager Donald Stewart.
