As part of the Sydney Architecture Festival, Carriageworks has partnered with The Old Clare Hotel to present guided tours of both sites, and a special lunch at Automata restaurant. The Architecture Lunch offers a fascinating exploration of heritage architectural reinvention, and the repurposing of parts of industrial Sydney into artistic, commercial and creative destinations.

Once the Eveleigh rail yards, Carriageworks is now one of the foremost artistic and cultural centres in Sydney, attracting an impressive cohort of the world’s leading contemporary artists since its reinvention (Ryoji Ikeda, Francesco Clemente, Christian Boltanski and Zhang Huan, to name just a few). With the architectural bones of its industrial beginnings maintained, its sweeping, vaulted spaces make it one of the city’s most intriguing artistic backdrops.

The Old Clare Hotel’s design sews together the former Carlton United Brewery Administration Building and the County Clare Pub, covering the laneway in between. Designed as a destination, the hotel features three restaurants, a rooftop pool and bar, and ground level saloon bar.

Both Carriageworks and The Old Clare reimaginings were envisaged and designed by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects.

Speakers at The Architectural Lunch include Tim Greer, Director of Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects, the firm responsible for the design of Carriageworks and The Old Clare Hotel; Lisa Havilah, Director of Carriageworks; and Timo Bures, General Manager of The Old Clare Hotel.

The architectural guided tours will be accompanied by a lunch at Automata, led by chef Clayton Wells who was recently awarded The Weekend Australian Magazine Hottest Australian Chef of 2016. Over lunch guests will be treated to a five-course meal with matching wine as they listen to interviews led by ABC presenter Fenella Kernebone. The interviews will see Ms Kernebone in discussions with leading architect Tim Greer on how he conceived the design of Carriageworks and The Old Clare Hotel.

The Architecture Lunch will take place Saturday 1 October, tickets $225 plus booking fee.