Australian Aesthetic - Country Road’s Ballarat Regional Flagship Store

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In Ballarat, Country Road has created a regional flagship store for the future, preserving the architectural integrity of a landmark building while incorporating sustainable design principles and embracing a truly Australian aesthetic.

‘Local’ was a key theme in the creation of Country Road’s newest regional flagship store in Ballarat, Victoria. Occupying the site of the former Ballarat Savings Bank, the store embraces both its classical and brutalist architecture and uses locally sourced and recycled materials to create a building that reflects a modern Australian aesthetic. As Elle Roseby, Country Road’s Managing Director, says, the project “is more than a store – it’s a celebration of Australian heritage, craftmanship and sustainability”.

“The interior colour palette was influenced by the ochres in the Black Hill cliff face, located a short distance from the site.”

The original two-storey building dates to 1872, with a 1970s concrete extension. Moloney Architects, a Ballarat-based practice with experience in adapting heritage buildings, helped bring the project to life. Director Mick Moloney explains a primary objective was to reflect the region – a historic gold-mining area – and connect the store to its surroundings. “The interior colour palette was influenced by the ochres in the Black Hill cliff face, located a short distance from the site,” he says. “Working closely with the in-house designers at Country Road, we developed material selections that referenced these tones: terracotta tiles, a burnt orange entry canopy and a continuous ribbon of blackbutt wall panelling running through both buildings.”

Sustainability was another key objective, with Country Road working to target its first six-star Green Star Rating with the Green Building Council of Australia. While a five-star rating signifies ‘Australian Excellence’, six stars represents ‘World Leadership’ and is reserved for “highly efficient buildings powered by renewables while addressing a significant number of environmental and social issues while contributing to the community”.

“It was wonderful to work with an organisation that prioritised sustainability in every aspect of the project.”

The store features parquetry floors crafted from Australian-grown timber offcuts, recycled polyester rugs and tabletops that incorporate recycled yoghurt containers. One particularly innovative element are the benchtops made from damaged Country Road mugs. “It was wonderful to work with an organisation that prioritised sustainability in every aspect of the project,” says Mick. “The reuse of damaged mugs is a perfect example … saving product waste and transforming it into a highly valued benchtop in the store displays.”

One of the most challenging aspects of the project was combining the building’s two very different architectural styles into a cohesive space. As Mick explains, “It may have been potentially more attractive to demolish the 1970s brutalist part of the site – or even just to build a new big box. Instead, Country Road chose to work with the existing structures and save the high environmental cost of building new.” And the result is spectacular. Planted screens connect the outside of the buildings while, inside, the former second storey of the Victorian building has been removed in favour of cathedral-like ceilings. It’s the perfect coming together of old and new, to reflect the best of modern Australian style.