The inspiration for the design of the resort was the bogong moth, an insect that migrates to the area from Queensland and is also an important character in the mythology of the local Aboriginal people.
The $65 million Quay West Resort & Spa has been developed by Zacamoco, a joint venture between Morry Schwartz’s Pan Urban and Callum Fraser of architectural firm Elenberg Fraser. The resort, which forms an entry point to the Falls Creek village, opened in 2009 with only ‘east wing’. With the completion of the ‘west wing’, the Quay West Resort & Spa currently features 63 one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom apartment complex, which includes shops, cafes, restaurants, and the day spa.
The Quay West Resort & Spa was designed as an apartment hotel to make it affordable. The two timber wings that house the apartment hotel are located on top of a stone base. The timber surface was developed as it is closest to a cocoon skin to make the resort appear like a cocoon.
Timber cladding in the ski fields and beaches is prone to moisture problems. The timber expands and contracts, dries out, and also starts to crack with two nail holes in extreme seasons. To overcome these problems, Fraser and builder LU Simons introduced a timber system made of thin board that is half the width of normal cladding, with a deeper overlap on either side. Durable ‘blackbutt’ eucalypt hardwood from NSW was used.
Instead of two nails, the architect incorporated one nail down the middle with a slot vertically in place of a nail hole, so that the timber board can expand and contract vertically, and the deep lapping on the sides of the boards allows the timber surface to expand and contract laterally. The timber was pressure-treated with oils, slotted and installed. The surface was stiffened with battens to fix it in place, like a cocoon. The timber battens were continued to the top of the building to form snow cages. The snow collects and slowly dissolves and drains down the surface of the building.
The resort won two prizes for its design – the resort category in the 2009 Australian Timber Design Awards – and alpine accommodation in the 2009 Hotel & Accommodation Management Awards.
