Brick Lane Market

James Geer

• Designers

When the Mercat Cross Hotel shuttered in 2017, Melbournians mourned the loss of a beloved city venue. Now, Studio Y breathes new life into the space with Brick Lane Market – an expansive two-storey beer paradise at the heart of the bustling Queen Victoria Market precinct, that blurs the traditional lines between retail and hospitality.

With accessibility front of mind, Studio Y sought to push the boundaries of what was possible within a traditional bar layout. Each touchpoint in Brick Lane Market has been designed around the values of inclusivity and community, which has resulted in a unique and nonlinear venue that balances the needs of both customers and staff. The hero bar has been meticulously developed to provide a range of different seating scenarios, including wheelchair accessible bar seating. These communal zones provide punters with an opportunity to interact with the bartender and fellow beer lovers, as if they were having a chat around someone’s kitchen island bench.

The design intentionally blurs the line between hospitality and retail, subverting the traditional service zones of an establishment – for example, positioning grab-and-go fridges that encourage customers to walk behind the bar and grab their takeaway beers, and making the keg room another space that customers can enjoy.

Another consideration was needing to conjure the vibe of a brewery experience, without the presence of brewery tanks. This was done through material choices – heavily utilising stainless steel and concrete elements; whilst use of custom brick motif timber cladding and bar tops provide a contrasting warmth to the space.

By virtue of preserving the existing structure of the original Mercat building, the Brick Lane Market project was able to reuse the existing base materials – the exposed red brick, the concrete floors and ceiling – to their full potential. This allowed for a less-is-more approach, whereby any unnecessary wall cladding or flooring was avoided in the design.

The angled shape of the existing Mercat building also posed a challenge in ensuring all sight lines were optimised, while ensuring the floorplan was practical and made the most of the busy corner street front tenancy.