THE BAKERY - WINE BAR

Small wine bar and fine dining helping to reinforce the natural grain and scale of the built form of the existing village fabric

The wider context: 

The block is located in the heart of the Darlington Village and shares the space with the existing 1930s residence and liquor store and car park at the front. 

It also abuts the existing red brick church building to the south and a residential building to the north.  The old Darlington Bakery has high historic, social and aesthetic significance for the Darlington community for the sense of place and character that it contributes to the Darlington village precinct.  It is currently on the shire of Mundaring Municipal inventory list and also part of the heritage trail that is organized by the Darlington historical group. The building was reputed to have been used as a bakery until 1947. 

What is it 

The proposed development is a place for the celebration of the old Bakery as a place of social and communal value for Darlington. Function, form, and massing  were carefully balanced to ensure the success of the redevelopment in the center of the Darlington village and to provide a juxtaposition to the traditional existing building of the Bakery 

To accurately represent the whole story of the building we need to acknowledge that we want to celebrate places for what occurred there to remember, renew it and preserve it. The best way to ensure the ongoing role of this place in our community is to use it and not leave it to the time and weather conditions.  

The new restaurant and wine bar's intention is to increase the significance of the place, and offer an engaging and meaningful environment for new and future generations, adding another layer to the long history of the site, without erasing earlier layers. 

Our response to the sensitive fabric of the community development has been greatly considered with the early engagement of an acoustic engineer, traffic engineer, waste management consultant, Bushfire specialist, and on-site wastewater management consultant required to meet the design and technical project objectives and not adversely affect the amenity of adjoining properties and Darlintong community in general. 

Our conversations and planning with both clients and consultants have led us to take the decision to orient the new building around the car park rather than the residential properties on the north section of the site, to allow for physical separation and noise reduction to them. This principle has dictated to focus the venue activities mostly on the internal space rather than exposing the patrons to the external areas. To further minimize any noise coming from inside the restaurant, the entry airlock was introduced. The approach to not creating new parking and allowance for the disbursement of the required parking in the close surrounded local area have been also considered to minimize traffic noise pollution in one single area and the availability to distribute the parking spots within the walking distance which are currently available around the heritage trail, Darlington Primary school, and the Tennis club. Aesthetically, we did not want to create more asphalt areas that are already governing the streetscape.  We considered the proposed client’s hours of operations to not overlap the current activities and with some possible adjustments to the operating hours, this can be managed.

This project is as much about the walking journey and experience of the local site as it is about the enjoyment of the internal space. The elaborate ramp to the front of the building is designed with a gentle slope to minimize the need for the unpleasant handrails in front of the building and to allow for the introduction of landscaping pockets between. 

Though the views of the restaurant are to the car park, they are carefully choreographed so you focus on the internal elements once inside. Approaching the entry, the two large fixed windows have a digital print of the old Darlington map on the glass. It further connects the historic values of the space and maps the journey of the old Bakery along the train station route.

Additionally, the entry courtyard allows us to introduce a green wall that will soften the surrounding space and further minimize the ambient noise. 

The original verandah of the Bakery serves as a welcoming function and congregation space as a nod to the original programmatic function of the Bakery verandah.  Our intentions to preserve the original columns, bracings, and beams and remove only the tin roof have been greatly considered with both the design and technical requirements in mind and our meeting with the Darlington History Group. 

The removal of the tin roof has been considered to allow for exposure of the beams and the placement of the required insulation above the original structure. The compliance requirements to achieve today's energy efficiency and venue acoustic performance would mean that if we were to leave the original tin roof the insulation below would cover the structure of beams, and bracing and would make the ceiling height too low for the current building regulations. Our decision was to preserve the original building fabric as a hero of the space and first impression when you enter the building. The reason we used “V” shape columns was to not compete with the exposed verandah columns, to distinguish new from old. 

This has also allowed us to preserve the original roof of the existing bakery without implication to its structure and with the new roof above the existing veranda at a 1-degree pitch to guarantee the box gutters are at the same level, and downpipes outlets face the outside. 

The Spatial quality of the internal space as distributed into smaller compartments for the congregation allows for separate dining spaces and private areas to minimize louder voices. The experience of walking around the bakery walls also highlights the importance of the existing structure in the middle of the new space. Focusing view from every part of the new restaurant towards the Bakery building. From the outside the framed glazing allows the public to see into the venue from the car park, showcasing the original Bakery building facade while preserving the space internally and allowing the patrons to enjoy the historic value of the space once inside. 

Our interpretation of the materiality used in the project is based on a reflection of the existing fabric and contrast between new and old to distinguish the two and their role in the project. The recycled brick has been used in the courtyard area to create relationships with the existing brick walls of the Bakery, charred timber cladding to the front facade is a validation of the fire risk occurring in the local areas and horizontal pergola beams in the courtyard are a reflection of the train station tracks. Reminders of the subtly rendered walls are to create the offset to the whole palette and background to the landscaped areas at the front. 

We would like to highlight the fact that communities are not homogeneous or static. The old Bakery building is a place of value where we can tell stories that are relevant and meaningful for diverse groups. They help retain memory, while also creating new stories and identities as communities change. Our contribution to this project has been of great significance for us as living in the community and respecting its values and considerations.