Shell House

Inspired by European grand eateries and the Art Deco style, the monumental heritage-listed Shell House has undergone significant interior refurbishments. Shell House is an unparalleled hospitality experience within Sydney’s CBD. Spread over three levels, the restaurant and bar venues include the Menzies Bar (its name paying tribute to the former Menzies hotel), a dining room and terrace and a rooftop sky bar with a view of the restored iconic 1930s clocktower.

Buildcorp approached us due to our close relationship with PM Electric and enquired if we could partner with them to offer a solution for the Shell House project. We were involved from the concept design stage through to the project’s completion. Our focus was heavily reliant on our product sourcing from global partners. We worked closely with the architects, consultants, builders, lighting designers and electrical contractors to ensure the design concept was realised for the client. Our involvement included project management, liaising with custom design manufacturers, attending design meetings with the project design team, onsite challenges and budget requirements.

As a heritage-listed building, there was a large emphasis on the overall design being approved by the specialised heritage architects to ensure the design was able to achieve the requirements set by the City of Sydney Council. The fixtures and fittings required suitable mounting arrangements to preserve the existing ceiling and wall surfaces of the building.

The project was almost all bespoke lighting products. Due to the high level of customised product design, LPA assisted with these elements whilst keeping an eye on the supply budget as this affected whether the project would move ahead or not. We specially sourced LED (CCT 2000K) chips or entirely custom-made luminaires. Even our standard downlights required special dim-to-warm LED or tuneable white modules and extra glare control accessories. LPA engaged Random Spaces in Melbourne to custom-make the main feature wall light for this project. It was created from the same Onyx carefully selected by the client and the architect to use in the cocktail bar. We accommodated and adjusted the ever-evolving design to suit the concept throughout the project’s process. The impressive result was worth the precise attention to detail by all teams involved.

Being a heritage-listed building, there were several obstacles we had to overcome including visual appearance, keeping to the budgetary constraints and the delivery during the global pandemic. LPA was still able to meet the handover date for all three levels within Shell House despite the short turnaround time.

LPA’s unique knowledge of collaborating and coordinating with all stakeholders and multiple manufacturers across the globe allowed us to create the client’s vision for the space. We are privileged to be a part of the teams involved in delivering this remarkable project. The client was very happy with the end result and was grateful to everyone involved for their hard work to achieve a positive outcome.