Heritage-listed The Goods Shed reaches completion

The refurbishment of the iconic, heritage-listed The Goods Shed in Ballarat is now complete, creating an aspirational hospitality and event space that pays homage to its historical roots.

Located on Lydiard Street and forming part of the broader Ballarat Station Precinct, The Goods Shed will transform the local area with its new food and beverage offerings and event spaces, housing a myriad of cafes and restaurants.

Working alongside the developer Pellicano, i2C was brought on to the project due to its experience and knowledge around placemaking in line with heritage sensitivities.

Drawing inspiration from place, locality and its heritage overlay, i2C and the collaborating teams ensured the retention of as much character as possible, with artefacts being salvaged from the previous buildings to use within the Goods Shed and surrounding areas of the precinct. 

“We took inspiration from all aspects of the original building as we were required to adhere to preservation and restoration requirements set by Heritage Victoria. We designed the spaces to highlight the original timber beams and columns, beautiful bluestone walls, and the high ceilings.

Overseeing the design of the event and conference space, i2C Interior Designer Kate Ellis said the brief was to create a beautiful and aspirational space that could play host to a multitude of different events, while highlighting the existing heritage features.

”The palette features a warm base with the new timber battening wrapping the core of the space, paired with dual toned acoustic wall panelling in neutral colours.”

“All the new finishes have a warmth and lightness that we felt was important to compliment the original timber beams and columns, and contrast against the cool tones of the bluestone,” she said. 

Sitting at the centre of the space and serving the banquet hall, theatre, and meeting rooms, a monolithic bar structure clad with delicate hand cut tiles shines as a key design feature, simultaneously highlighting and contrasting against the warm timber battened ceiling and bronze tiled splashback.

Alongside the event space, i2C was also responsible for leading the concept design of pylon signage and wayfinding throughout the precinct, which features designs celebrating characteristics from the original Ballarat site.

“The design of the wayfinding signage was directly linked to the site through materiality and design features, such as the further use of bluestone and steel, and a pattern that referenced key elements of the site, strengthening a connection to place and historic architectural features,” said Dan Coman, Branded Environments Lead at i2C.

An abstracted logo for VicRail (now known as V/Line), was also created as part of the bespoke mesh to intertwine with the original form of the historical building, anchoring the nature of the site and its former use as a goods distribution line that connected Ballarat and Melbourne.

“The designs were created to provide a clean and functional outcome, allowing for the signage to achieve its intent of directing people easily while still maintaining the connection to place and integration with the site, without looking like an afterthought. This simple idea allows for moments of joy as the designs from afar are nondescript, however upon closer inspection, there is hidden meaning and symbolism for users to explore and interpret; the curious eye will connect the dots,” he said.

Comprising a 120-seat conference centre (Carriage Conference Rooms), a 250-seat function room (Lydiard Hall), a 300-plus auditorium (Terminus Theatre), a bar, and commercial kitchen, The Goods Shed Events Hall is operated by first class hospitality partner Atlantic Group^Ⓡ. 

The Goods Shed is i2C’s second historic Ballarat project, following the careful retention of the heritage-listed Ballarat Ranger Barracks in 2009, now home to a Dan Murphy’s store.

Client: Pellicano Group

Builder: Pellicano Group

Architecture: Interior Design and Branded Environments

Project Lead: Anthony Haslam | Project Coordinator: Michael Kirkovski

Interior Design: Kate Ellis | Technical Interior Design Lead: Martin Dubojski

Branded Environments: Dan Coman

Photo credit: Matt Dunne