Interior

Commune

Commune is a lifestyle hotel that is an extension of home and the community. This community hub targets both local and international millennials and provides them with a uniquely Queensland experience that encourages exploration within the city and understanding of each other.

Eliza Thompson

Issue

This project stemmed from the need to address abuse within the service industry. Abuse is most prevalent in the service industry due to its weak position, low status, brief interactions and customer sovereignty which generates distrust, segregation, unequal balance of power, and feeling unwelcome. This project aims to mitigate this through conscious spatial design – applying the principles of centrality, transparency, threshold, and balance in the hopes of generating trust, equality, connection and integration between its staff and customers.

Design Solution

The proposed concept for this site (129 + 125 Margaret St, Brisbane CBD) is Brisvegas. The term for Brisbane originated in the mid-1990s as a tongue-in-cheek association to America’s, Las Vegas. This concept aims to embrace the old term to showcase the best Brisbane really does have to offer. As this site is generous, each space has its own identity while retaining a consistent aesthetic which was maintained through employing the design principles. Since this project is about connecting people, an investigation was conducted to determine what connected all the past and present users of the site – that being the river. For the original owners of the land, the Turrbal people, the river was a source of food (survival), for convicts it was flooding (destruction), and for the professionals that inhabited the space it was a valuable position in the CBD. This helped inform four other design principles: submergence, reflectance, dislocation and fluidity. Keeping with the concept of Brisvegas, colour was an integral aspect of the design language – the refined colour palette was curated using existing samples found on site to ensure the old was reflected in the new design.

Eliza Thompson

Studying Interior Design with a second major in Architecture allows Eliza to create well considered and balanced spaces that facilitate the needs of its users. Eliza enjoys residential design for its personable nature, but also has a particular interest in designing hotel environments, which stemmed from her experience residing in them throughout her childhood. Her enthusiasm for travel encouraged her to embark on an exchange to Europe, which enriched her appreciation for other cultures, lifestyles and design philosophies.