Titled The Melbourne Grand, this contemporary 58-storey apartment tower is the newest addition to Melbourne's prestigious Legal Precinct.

A coveted location on Lonsdale Street coupled with impressive state-of-the-art facilities like a 24/7 concierge service, a heated pool, and gymnasium, The Melbourne Grand is poised to be one of the most desirable property opportunities in the CBD. 

To help achieve its full potential, The Melbourne Grand’s owners, Central Equity, tapped Arkee Creative to design the project. For James Ward, Senior Interior Architect at Arkee Creative, the aim was to ensure that ‘The Grand’ lived up to its name. “We came up with a palette for the whole building, but our main focus was the lobby and public spaces higher up the stack, where we could really make a big impression," explained Ward. “The vision was to combine minimal and natural with sophistication and luxury. In the lobby – which really sets the tone for the whole building – we wanted expensive materials and finishes, but used in a minimal way that’s elegant and clean, rather than busy and ostentatious."

The Challenge

In order to achieve the natural yet luxurious finish, Ward and his team selected large white marble tiles for the lobby walls. However, they desired a bold contrast for the 30-metre, curved wall leading to the lifts, stairs and concierge offices. “It’s a huge area and so we needed to make it a main feature,” said Ward. “We knew we wanted it to be a dark colour, to make an impact, but then soften it by using a timber finish and texture, curves and battens.”

Although there were several options available that could meet some of the requirements, finding a product that could achieve everything soon became one of the toughest challenges of the project. “The Grand is a huge building and the lobby will be the access point for hundreds of residents,” explained Ward. “The cladded area will potentially have people touching or brushing past it on a daily basis, so it needed to be very durable but also meet a strict, group two fire rating – something very few real timber products can match."

The Solution

“It really became a saviour for us, as it enabled us to deliver the original design intent while meeting all the practical requirements,” Ward enthused, relaying the relief felt when he and his team encountered Covet’s Ever Art Wood series of aluminium products.

Working alongside Covet, the Arkee Creative team selected the Ever Art Wood 1mm Mokuzai panels with 40x40 concealed fix Kabebari Battens, in a beautiful charcoal black colour called Chakooru Gurei. Ever Art Wood two section Kabebari battens were affixed to the curved Mokuzai panels lining interior walls, with all fixtures concealed to avoid any interruption to the flow of the repeating battens. ⁠The resultant effect is a sleek yet soft, timber textured, curved feature wall that sets the tone for the rest of the building.

“The initial feedback from both the client and residents has been very positive – and we’re thrilled with the outcome,” said Ward. “It became the product that literally ticked all the boxes – it was even easy to install but, most importantly, it looks fantastic.”

Cladding profile

Ever Art Wood 1mm Mokuzai panels with 40x40 concealed fix Kabebari Battens.

Ever Art Wood

Chakooru Gurei

Fire rating

Performs well when tested to AS/NZ 1530.3 (spread of flame / index 0) and AS/NZ 3837-1998 (result / Group 1)

Photography: Pierre Curry