Street art and hotels may seem like an incongruous mix but TRYP Fortitude Valley Hotel, touted as Brisbane’s first street art hotel, fuses the two in a cocktail of whimsy, sophisticated edginess and literal artfulness providing guests with an innovative, boutique experience.

Set in a cultural hub only one kilometre from the CBD, the hotel provides a rooftop bar and restaurant UP on Constance, a second restaurant and bar, Chur and state-of-the-art facilities including an on-site gymnasium and meeting room. Five room types are replete with conveniences and offer guests the choice of four-person outdoor spas and private balconies, indoor spas and private courtyards. Some rooms also provide murals and artworks by acclaimed street artists.

Denman Designs director Shane Denman says the project brief from hotel operators Wyndham Hotel Group who brought the TRYP by Wyndham brand to Australia, called for an injection of “artistic flare” and the design of a ground floor restaurant and laneway bar in a addition to a rooftop bar and restaurant.

The street art theme was borne from a visit to the then derelict building which was once the clubhouse for the Brisbane chapter of international secret society, the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes but had more recently become a haven for emerging street artists. The building’s street art, Denman says, was “exceptional”.

“With the project manager Jeff Pilkington we looked at restoring some of the artwork in the new build (and) at our initial inspection, Zak Denman identified the art and artists and so, communication started there,” he says.

It was decided that the new hotel would showcase the works of different artists per floor with the street artists commissioned to produce exterior artworks including a single face which now festoons the five storey façade.

A new elevator shaft has also been emblazoned with paintings by the artists with lift cars featuring glass – front and back – for optimal artwork viewing.

Working with an old building presented challenges in the form of “substantial” sound and fire ratings and additional floors needed to accommodate the rooftop bar and restaurant.

The end result is a new boutique hotel with facets of the historic building including 150-year old renewed timber flooring, the lobby’s exposed concrete beams and ceiling and the reuse of bricks in the reception wall and desk front. A refurbished stair sits in the entry area and an original wire safety cage has now been reinstated to the main stair.

TRYP Fortitude Valley Hotel (Wyndham Hotel Group).

14 – 20 Constance Street, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland.
Design: Denman Designs Pty Ltd design architect and interior designer: Shane Denman; project architects: M+M.
Design team: Shane Denman Designs design director Shane Denman and architectural technician, interior design and art design co-ordinator Zak Denman; project architects M+M.
Builders: Sommer & Staff.
Art: Street artists: Rone, Beastman, Fintan Magee and Numskull.

Project type: Renovation and partial new build.
Project completion: September 2014.
Cost: $20 million.
Project parameters:  Hotel features: 65 rooms: 20sq m to 35sq m, restaurant: 200sq m and rooftop bar: 300sq m.

TRYP Brisbane
trypbrisbane.com