After a two-year hiatus, the Bondi Pavilion in Sydney will reopen to the public on Wednesday, September 21 following an extensive heritage restoration to reinvigorate the beachside venue.
The stunning $38 million restoration includes an updated art gallery, flexible cultural spaces including the new Bondi Story Room digital heritage space, a welcome centre and box office, two dining venues, a larger Pottery Studio including a second kiln and new toilets, showers and a family and accessible bathroom and change space.
All other existing rooms inside the Pavilion have also been refurbished and upgraded.
Features outdoors include landscaped internal courtyards, a new grand entrance to the north and creating additional east-west connections through the Pavilion, better connection from Campbell Parade to the beachfront, terracotta roof tiles in the original 1928 cordova pattern and 220 solar panels that will power 70 percent of the building’s energy needs.
Mayor of Waverley, Paula Masselos, told The Greek Herald the Council’s restoration retains the Pavilion as a community hub and cements its place as a leading arts and culture venue showcasing leading artistic and creative programming.
“The building is a showcase of how you can take an old building, making it a 21st century building, keeping the integrity of the building but repurposing it so that it will be again around for another 100 years,” Mayor Masselos said.
Head contractor Buildcorp Managing Director, Tony Sukkar AM, said the team has enjoyed delivering creative solutions that have brought the Pavilion’s new spaces to life and conserved its many heritage features.
“Alongside our sustainability initiatives, we have created community connections and opportunity during the build, adding to the positive legacy of the project,” Mr Sukkar said.
Lead architect, Peter Tonkin of Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects, said designing the Bondi Pavilion restoration was among the most inspiring projects of his career and relished the challenges that come with restoring an old heritage building.
“The Bondi Pavilion is a fine example of how an old building located in a hostile coastal environment can be reimagined through ingenuity and innovation in design,” Mr Tonkin said.
For more than 90 years, the Bondi Pavilion has been a central part of life for residents and visitors to Bondi Beach, providing opportunities that fuel the full spectrum of human emotion and a space for those to engage, create, and curate memories where culture, art, music, ideas, and creativity hum.
The Bondi Pavilion all-ages community launch will be held at 6pm on Wednesday, September 21 and includes a concert in the courtyard, pop-up exhibitions and activities throughout the building and food and beverage offerings.
“We are delighted to welcome back the community to our beloved Pavilion and for the public to discover and explore all that it has to offer, not just on opening night, but for years to come,” Mayor Masselos said.
The event is free though registration is essential. To register or view the full details of the event, visit the Bondi Pavilion website.
READ MORE: Waverley Council to consult with experts about revamping Bondi Pavilion amphitheatre.
