Marina ResortRetain and Replace
Located in the centre of Nelson Bay, the Marina Resort sits along the top of a ridge line and looks over the Nelson Bay wharf. Our master plan retains the original 1980s hotel building and adds two additional buildings, all set within landscaped gardens. Stage one, the refresh of the original hotel, is complete. The refurbishment was carried out with design practice, The Stella Collective, who chose durable and tactile finishes that have created a strong sense of place, and interiors that will help the hotel to age gracefully over the next 40 years of its operation.
Located in the centre of Nelson Bay, the Marina Resort sits along the top of a ridge line and looks over the Nelson Bay wharf. Our master plan retains the original 1980s hotel building and adds two additional buildings, all set within landscaped gardens. Stage one, the refresh of the original hotel, is complete. The refurbishment was carried out with design practice, The Stella Collective, who chose durable and tactile finishes that have created a strong sense of place, and interiors that will help the hotel to age gracefully over the next 40 years of its operation.
Location
Nelson Bay
State
NSW
Country
Woromi
Client
DOMA
Expertise
Master Plan, Residential, Commercial
Year
In Progress
Collaborators
Heritage Now, Indesco, Moir Studio, The Stella Collective
Photography
Lillie Thompson
1/6
Brief
A master plan for the Marina Resort site to house the existing hotel, a new residential apartment building and a new serviced apartment building. The site sits on Magnus Street, in Nelson Bay, a short walk to the town centre and the marina. The project is planned in two stages; the first is the refurbishment of the existing hotel, originally built in the 1980s.
A master plan for the Marina Resort site to house the existing hotel, a new residential apartment building and a new serviced apartment building. The site sits on Magnus Street, in Nelson Bay, a short walk to the town centre and the marina. The project is planned in two stages; the first is the refurbishment of the existing hotel, originally built in the 1980s.
Design
The master plan bookends the existing hotel building with a new serviced apartment building to the north and a new apartment building to the south. The new buildings have been arranged according to their massing relative to their neighbours.
The existing five-storey hotel has been given a mini-facelift with new windows and balcony finishes, its original signage has been maintained, and its 80s brown bricks have been painted coastal white. The original pool has been replaced with a modern design and a dense landscape by local landscapers, Moir Studio, of native and exotic plants that cocoon the pool area. The ground-floor rooms look out onto the dense garden, and the upper floors have views of the sea.
The 6-storey serviced apartment building will replace the original conference centre and will retain conference amenities as well as a restaurant and outdoor terrace.
The 6-storey apartment building will replace an open-air car park, parking has been relocated into the basement, and the proposed one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments will feature generous courtyards and a communal terrace.
The buildings will be unified in their architectural expression with a bright coastal character that reflects its colonial roots as a fishing village and then holiday town in the 1950s and 60s.
The master plan bookends the existing hotel building with a new serviced apartment building to the north and a new apartment building to the south. The new buildings have been arranged according to their massing relative to their neighbours.
The existing five-storey hotel has been given a mini-facelift with new windows and balcony finishes, its original signage has been maintained, and its 80s brown bricks have been painted coastal white. The original pool has been replaced with a modern design and a dense landscape by local landscapers, Moir Studio, of native and exotic plants that cocoon the pool area. The ground-floor rooms look out onto the dense garden, and the upper floors have views of the sea.
The 6-storey serviced apartment building will replace the original conference centre and will retain conference amenities as well as a restaurant and outdoor terrace.
The 6-storey apartment building will replace an open-air car park, parking has been relocated into the basement, and the proposed one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments will feature generous courtyards and a communal terrace.
The buildings will be unified in their architectural expression with a bright coastal character that reflects its colonial roots as a fishing village and then holiday town in the 1950s and 60s.
Impact
An efficient plan that adds dense gardens to the site, diversifies accommodation types (both permanent and transient), and updates amenities for the existing retained hotel.
An efficient plan that adds dense gardens to the site, diversifies accommodation types (both permanent and transient), and updates amenities for the existing retained hotel.









