Studio Ongarato developed a distinctive site narrative for the W Shanghai hotel and created an immersive experience for visitors, drawing on the history, geography and culture of the city. The conceptual narrative, "Captivating Contrasts," was informed by the uniquely Shanghainese culture of Hai Pai, the art of bringing together the East and West.
In one of the most daring and avant-garde moves in the hotel industry to date, the $40 million Jackalope Hotel was launched in April 2017 in the heart of Australia’s Mornington Peninsula wine region. On an 11-hectare site spanning the Willow Creek vineyard, Jackalope consists of: forty-six guest rooms and suites; destination dining restaurant Doot Doot Doot; meeting and event spaces Jenka and Jackyak; and the surreal and eclectic Flaggerdoot, the hotel’s signature wine and cocktail bar.
Studio Ongarato developed a comprehensive signage and environmental graphics system based on the concept "Testing Grounds" for the Melbourne headquarters of globally respected engineering firm Arup. Designed to complement the organization’s corporate values of honesty, integrity and ingenuity, the final outcome reflects notions of investigation, discovery, innovation and the aspiration to put "Arup on Display."
Located where the “Paris end” of Melbourne meets the darker underground of the Russell Street laneways, the design narrative conceptualized for QT Melbourne was inspired by the site's context and the theatre of burlesque, fusing French Noir inspiration with the glamour of the QT Brand. A noir undercurrent is omnipresent across all guest touch-points, from the intriguing brand identity to the graphic installations, transforming the hotel experience into “Maison QT.”
As part of the W Metropolis Shanghai hotel arrival sequence, the entry atrium provides an opportunity for a key statement installation, but is challenging as the space is 22 meters tall, ascends four floors and is intersected by bridge links.
Melbourne landmark 101 Collins Street is a 57-story skyscraper considered one of the city’s most prestigious business addresses. One of its many amenities, buried deep inside its underground car park, is an end-of-trip cycling facility that caters to competitive commuter cyclists and mid-day joggers.
The flamboyant QT Sydney hotel captures everything its beautifully rejuvenated landmark site demands by blending Gothic, Italian and Art Deco architecture. Old- world glamour, art-deco design and quirky theatrical touches are delivered with a twist.
ANZ bank, renowned for its strong work culture, has a new head office in Melbourne— home to more than 6,500 staff and now the largest single-tenanted commercial office building in Australia.
Inspired by the riverside setting and the maritime character intrinsic to Docklands, the fluid forms and powerful internal spaces contribute to a commanding presence. The design evolved around the concept of an urban campus, focused on a central common, with a hierarchy of shared spaces, an openness fostering interaction, and a rich variety of settings providing scale and complexity.
