When they were conceiving the Prahran Hotel, Techne Architects presented two design proposals. This more unusual option got the go-ahead, giving the Melbourne suburb an eye-catching addition to its hospitality sector. We’re not sure if the Techne folk were imagining a stack of beer barrels in a cellar, or a giant game of Connect 4 when they dreamed up the impressive frontage. Probably the former, this place is an Aussie pub and not an Asian hostess bar after all.

Those huge tubes that make up half the façade are certainly the dominant feature of the new-look Prahan Hotel – 17 of the custom made things weighing between four and seven tonnes each were lifted in over 11 days. The tubes serve as wood-lined booths from the inside, giving the otherwise cavernous space a degree of intimacy. Other neat touches are the weathered looking pipes on the bar front, and collapsible furniture on the patio that makes way at the weekend to create a dancefloor on the lovely tiles.. A well-rounded venture.

Photography, Peter Clarke