Forget about viewing towers and infinity pools. Aer Bar, designed by Architects Perrett Ewert Leaf (PEL), is the latest rooftop destination in Melbourne’s CBD.

Offering customers a drink and respite from the urban rush going on below, Aer Bar is perched on top of the long established European Bier Café on the corner of Lt Collins Street.

The 200sqm venue is kept cosy and personal with the mix of reclaimed timber boxes in a variety of textures and patterns, which give a lovely ‘home made’ feel to the central bar area. The raised pitch cathedral ceiling, featuring clear openable skylights, opens up the bar to the Melbourne sky and allows for natural light and ventilation.

The old style chairs and stools, and long, high timber benches hark back to the European style of the rest of the venue. This is also reflected in the highly durable and sustainable sleek bamboo floors and touches of wrought iron, such as the recycled wrought iron gate barfront on the stone topped bar, which pick up on the theme of the old building.

“The aim was to create a modern bar that serves food and drinks in a casual atmosphere while looking like it has been there for decades,” says PEL partner architect Toby Ewert.

In a bid to make the bar more comfortable for patrons, Aer Bar also has a large L-shaped area surrounded by mature planting, and provides well-placed flat screen TVs for entertainment.

But what makes Aer Bar perfect for Melbourne is that it is fully functional even during the cold winter months or rainy days. With Melbourne’s variable climate a key factor, Ewert states that the brief was to build an outdoor bar that would be fully functional all year.

“To accommodate this requirement, the saw tooth roof was removed and replaced with a tiled and timber floordeck that is open on two sides with a retractable roof and pull down café blinds that can be put in place to shield patrons from the heat, rain or the cold – it is in Melbourne afterall!”

Built by Procon Developments in a tight eight week program, Aer Bar can hold up to 200 people. It has also been nominated for a Melbourne Design Award – Corporate or Hospitality, which celebrates innovative and creative building interiors.

Geraldine Chua

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