A Grand Revisioning – Moss Manor by Luke Moloney Architecture

Transforming an existing town council chamber, Moss Manor emerges as an Art Hotel ¬– a fusion of Victorian-era detailing and modern crispness. Luke Moloney Architecture layers the spaces with collected treasures to create a carefully curated setting among the Southern Highlands of New South Wales.

A firmly established presence within Moss Vale, Moss Manor has a past of multi-functionality and layered use – the latest reimagining adding to its legacy. Originally a civic building, the structure was built to be the home of the town council chambers. Combining heritage features with a modern interpretation, the existing structure is restored and extended to integrate with the surrounding landscape at the rear. With a balanced approach to the building’s eras, the old and new elements remain definitive of their separate periods. Luke Moloney Architecture carefully integrates a series of modern gestures to enliven the interior of Moss Manor whilst celebrating its heritage.

A firmly established presence within Moss Vale, Moss Manor has a past of multi-functionality and layered use – the latest reimagining adding to its legacy.

Immersed within the Southern Highlands, the additions and amendments to Moss Manor were carried out respectfully. Converting the previous rooms into eight independent guest suites, the structure’s original sense of scale is continued into the new by incorporating an openness and extended ceiling height throughout. The idea for the transformation of the building into an Art Hotel was the product of three combining forces – the owner, an art gallery and an architect – resulting in a structure embodying an evolved purpose and continued relevancy.

Throughout the hotel, artwork has been carefully curated to elevate the nature of the building and features new works that capture various personalities. The palette and finishes used throughout provide the ideal backdrop for the introduced works, with a lightened foundation featuring in the original Victoria-era areas and an immersive and dark tonality in the extension. Sitting behind the original, the crisply conceived pavilion sits tucked away from the streetscape, becoming a sculptural form among the surrounding natural elements. The glass cladded and darkly cloaked form offers a stark contrast to the masonry and heavier nature of the original structure, whilst the interior sees the continuity of floor surface to encourage flowing movement among the artwork.

Luke Moloney Architecture carefully integrates a series of modern gestures to enliven the interior of Moss Manor whilst celebrating its heritage.

Offering a feeling of disconnection and retreat, Moss Manor combines the lineage of its past with a more contemporary occupation. Luke Moloney Architecture has injected the existing heritage structure with a befitting refinement to bind the past and present with ease.