The City of Launceston has appointed Terroir to design a new entrance to the historic Albert Hall.
The new entrance to the eastern wing is part of a $10 million, three-stage project to upgrade the Launceston icon.
Terroir won a competitive tender for the project and the council endorsed the Tender Review Committee’s recommendation at a meeting on 8 April.
Albert Hall was designed by John Duncan and built in 1891. It was added to the Australian Heritage Register in 1978 and is significant for its high Victorian design style and for its organ.
“As our city’s most iconic event venue for 130 years, these updates are essential to ensure the hall remains fit for purpose and can cater for a wider range of events over the coming decades,” said Bridget Archer, federal member for Bass.
Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten said, “It has been some time since the hall received a significant overhaul, and it is understandably starting to show its age.”
“We’ve heard from many event organizers that it needs improvements to accessibility and functionality to remain relevant as a venue for conferences, functions and events.
“This project is designed to make the Albert Hall more attractive to event organizers and we’ve been consulting with various user groups and events stakeholders in recent months to formulate the first two stages of works.”
The council has begun stage one works, which include upgrades to heating, lighting, audio visual capabilities, and wi-fi connectivity. Stage two includes upgrades to meeting rooms, dressing rooms, stage access and toilet facilities, and stage three will also include upgrades to the box office and cafe.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
