EXPRESS GLASS: PORTFOLIO: THE EASTERN BONDI JUNCTION

Icons go and icons come, and that's exactly what's happened with the opening of 'The Eastern Hotel' on the site of the old 'Billy The Pigs' at Bondi Junction.

With the complete makeover of the Westfield complex it was a natural progression, and the new hotel has a great mix of traditional and cutting edge, from sumptuous interiors to art deco and even Bauhaus architectural touches that will, in time, see it become a Bondi Junction icon in its own right.

The front facade remains, albeit with a sleek new awning, to provide some familiarity and connection to the past. And the Classic Bar and Diner on the bottom level presents art deco hues and lighting but with a futuristic touch. Move on up through the four levels and the traditional gives way to the future.

"The glazing throughout is very purposeful but at the same time forms a significant part of the visual appeal of the hotel," says Adrian Grocott, EG Managing Director. "We installed some 25 toughened frameless doors throughout the hotel and the doors have custom made oversize rails with special imported stainless steel [bronze and mirror finish] covers and imported Japanese handles."
 

The third level, the Ruby Room night club, has two sets of DORMA HSW commercial bi-folding doors opening on to the Indian Terrace featuring the same custom rails and covers. When closed, they showcase the vivid lilac tiles and 'cushion room'. Open, they provide a great indoor/outdoor atmosphere for a balmy night.

Express also installed large mirrors in the main stairwell which reflecting Hungarian 'teardrop crystal' chandeliers, and supplied dozens of custom laminated bevelled mirrors which are fixed to the Ruby Room ceiling.

The top floor Pacifica restaurant and bar is where there are hints of Bauhaus. The restaurant features a glass enclosure consisting of toughened frameless glass panels cantilevered off an adjacent wall, which tie in to a large glass roof. Underneath the roof are two huge top hung sliding glass doors which seal the restaurant off from the outdoor deck. These doors slide the full length of the glass roof straight through the middle of the bar and into a hidden cavity when not in use.

Other work on the site includes the main entrance on Oxford Street, where new frameless glass doors precede the original timber framed doors; a fire break-out door on the Classic Bar level, going out to the centre; and an aluminium framed curtain wall with a 15mm thick toughened frameless door which separates the restaurant from the Westfield Shopping Centre.