Background
The Great Escape’s Melbourne venue at 525 Flinders Street brings together multiple entertainment experiences within a single 1,240 sqm floorplate. The ambitious new venue incorporates nine escape rooms, two nine-hole mini golf courses, an arcade, full bar and kitchen, and a series of lounge spaces.
Engaged by Vicland to deliver the project as a turnkey fitout, Amicus transformed the existing floorplate into a fully realised entertainment destination. Working to a design by ChadandWick, the Amicus team managed the construction, coordination and delivery of the project, bringing together the specialist trades, consultants and custom elements required to realise the design.
The challenge was to create a venue with multiple distinct environments while maintaining a strong sense of continuity throughout. Each space needed its own character and purpose, while contributing to a cohesive experience from the moment visitors arrive.
Design & Delivery
Lighting became one of the defining elements of the interior.
Set against the dark, exposed ceiling, suspended LED lines in pink, purple and blue form a dynamic overhead installation that extends throughout the venue. The lighting creates visual rhythm across the open floorplate, helping connect the different zones while reinforcing the immersive character of the experience.
Integrating this feature within an exposed services environment required careful coordination across the ceiling, electrical and services trades. The extensive lighting setout had to work within the existing building infrastructure while maintaining the clean geometry and visual impact established by the design.
At reception, illuminated signage, digital displays and a stainless steel counter establish the visual language from the point of arrival. Neon lighting continues overhead, drawing visitors into the venue and creating a strong transition from the street into the entertainment spaces beyond.
Along the floor-to-ceiling windows, the bar and lounge areas provide a more relaxed counterpoint to the energy of the games and attractions. Deep lounge seating and layered furniture create places to pause between experiences, while suspended lighting maintains the visual connection with the wider venue.
The bar itself becomes a feature within the space. A custom circuit-board-inspired LED motif wraps the bar front, while illuminated shelving transforms the bottle display into an architectural element.
Across the venue, the design shifts between open social spaces and more immersive environments. Dark finishes, saturated colour, integrated lighting and custom detailing create a consistent visual language across the bar, lounge, arcade, mini golf and escape rooms, while allowing each area to perform a distinct role.
Delivering the project required coordination of a diverse range of architectural, technical and specialist elements. From exposed services and extensive electrical and lighting integration through to custom joinery, technology and specialist entertainment installations, each component needed to be carefully coordinated within the existing floorplate.
Outcome
The completed venue creates a new flagship destination for The Great Escape in Melbourne, bringing multiple entertainment, hospitality and social experiences together under one roof.
Rather than treating the different attractions as separate spaces, the design connects them through a consistent material and lighting language. Visitors move between escape rooms, mini golf, arcade games, food, drinks and lounge areas while remaining within a cohesive environment.
The result is an energetic and immersive interior that balances theatricality with the practical demands of a high-volume entertainment venue.
With construction, specialist coordination and project delivery managed through a single team, Vicland and The Great Escape had a clear point of accountability throughout the project, from the initial empty floorplate through to completion and handover.
