Centred around the Perentie Brewery, which is producing craft lagers using a traditional German process, The FED also incorporates space for up to 2,000 patrons to eat, drink and be merry. The indoor space over two levels features the original skylight and clerestory windows of the pre-existing building, and project architect, Jono Medhurst, Principal of Medhurst Architects, explains that the industrial aesthetic was fundamental to the design of the spaces.

All of the working parts of the brewery are exposed, in a dematerialised fitout scheme that brings the workings of the brewery into the view of the dining and entertainment experience. This also delivers a major sustainability win, in keeping with the goal of retaining and celebrating as much of the existing structures in the precinct as possible.

Instead of using panelling to enclose and conceal, strategic use of insulation elements and paint has been deployed to create a timeless and genuine air of authenticity.

“We have re-used the original factory’s copper piping, and most of the original timber and steel. When I was first walking around the site and all the old buildings, I was looking for everything we could retain, including the look and feel. We even left some of the graffiti on the buildings,” Medhurst says.

The original high factory ceilings help keep the vast interior comfortable, by allowing heat and noise from the ground floor dining area and the first floor balcony bars with their dining area seating to drift upwards, keeping air circulating and buffering the soundscape for guests.

As the venue also hosts live music and events, managing auditory comfort is important. Medhurst explains a significant amount of sound attenuation has been installed in the dining area, using clever sustainable materials such as expanded mesh and acoustic insulation created from recycled PET bottles.

In addition to the brewery, with its bold and visually arresting pipework delivering beer straight from the 30 brewing vats to the taps at the bar, The FED features a variety of food options, including a smokehouse located at the outer edge of the indoor venue and connected to The FED’s outdoor dining and entertainment area.

Medhurst says an “enormous number” of air movement and smoke studies were undertaken to fine tune the venue’s ventilation and air conditioning strategy.

To ensure the venue could bask in the abundant Queensland sunlight without excessive heat gain or glare in either the indoor or outdoor areas, ten Verosol Ambience Motorised External Blinds in Monument have been deployed around the perimeter. Verosol ZIP blinds also in Monument enclose the smokehouse to contain any escaping smoke from entering other parts of the venue.

The venue’s spacious outdoor dining area also needed protection from glare and heat radiating from the large carparking area.

“The blinds are simple, and flexible,” Medhurst says. “People can see through them to the view, but they provide wind protection and sun protection.”

The blinds have been integrated with the building’s steel framework so when they are not in use, they seamlessly slip into the background via the matching Monument casing.  A remote control system means the venue managers and staff can easily adjust the blinds to suit current weather conditions or venue activities.

The stainless steel guidewires for the motorised system also cleverly serve an additional function, terminating in the surrounding garden beds and acting as conduits for rainwater to help keep the vegetation lush and hydrated.

Blinds are also a familiar part of the Queensland resort aesthetic, to control the strong sun and also to provide protection from the rain. At The Fed, for example, Medhurst says they provide a barrier to stop mist from rain drifting into the outdoor dining. This which combined with the three-metre-wide overhanging eaves of the building, makes the outdoor area pleasant in almost any kind of weather short of a tropical downpour.

“It has become a real local meeting place,” Medhurst says. We get all kinds of groups, including lots of families. There is quite a progression of people through the day – it’s a real destination.”