Darebin Arts Centre

Twenty-five years after the Darebin Arts Centre (DAC) was completed by Harmer Architecture in 1996, it was time for a refresh of its front-of-house. Sibling Architecture amplifies a new act of arrival to the theatre complex with a Midas touch.

A full-height concertinaed gold-foiled wall with brush and reflective surfaces creates drama, and also directs attention to the theatre entrance and bar. Nearby, a pop-out reception booth is a kit-of-parts that can be arranged in various configurations and relocated. Across the foyer, navy circular rugs draw waiting crowds from the grey marmoleum floor into chatty groups, or create spots for informal performances, including a recent cello solo. They become part of an interior that gives a sense of theatre.

This project takes cues from John Truscott’s interiors of Arts Centre Melbourne in the 1980s. His legacy taught Sibling that embellishment can be joyful, pure, uplifting, luxe, and for everyone.