Kinross Woolshed is named for its sprawling woolshed structure. This genuine 19th century sheering shed originally resided just up the road in Hume, before it was transplanted into the suburb of Thurgoona in Albury, in the 1980s.

Forty years on, Technē Architecture and Interior Design was engaged to breathe new life into the woolshed-turned-pub, ousting the detritus of decades past and reimagining the venue into a multi-layered experience. Technē are skilled in working with complex venues and Kinross Woolshed is no exception. Its patrons are both locals and visitors to the region, and span multiple generations. Given its location and size, the venue might find itself hosting up to a 1000 people on a busy night, while scaling down to accommodate under 100 patrons on a quieter day or evening.

“The premise of this project was to create a multi-faceted hospitality venue of scale and make it work for the local community, while making it special enough to be destinational as well,” says Nick Travers, founder of Technē Architecture and Interior Design.

Spatial planning is one of Technē’s fortes and the studio has decades of experience in designing large hospitality venues of this nature. Nick and team reimagined the woolshed as a series of indoor-outdoor spaces with a bistro, sports bar, gaming lounge, function room, and six-lane bowling alley. “We had a lot of space to play with, and we’ve designed this series of different spaces so that you can carve out a spot for yourself, for the period of time that you’re there, and choose what suits you.”

This has the effect of enticing patrons back to the venue on a regular basis for different modes of engagement – from a quiet coffee with a friend, to a family-friendly bistro meal or even a larger community event that might spill out onto the surrounding lawns.

Building extra life into the venue, the Technē team have put particular focus towards reactivating the venue’s outdoor realm, too. An external covered courtyard has been revitalised through screening, planting, and the punchy addition of a highly graphic proper bar. Giving patrons additional space to settle are a series of charming cabanas, or projecting decks, which operate as semi-private pods that jut out over the event lawn.

All these new uses required the Technē team to upgrade the building’s structure and services, however they didn’t want to lose its original charm. The team has retained the historical woolshed structure, reskinning it to operate as a contemporary building. “We kept all the flooring, walls and structure exposed but it was no longer a leaky old shed, as it was before.”

Every memorable venue needs a strong and compelling sense of character, and Technē has balanced the brash with good taste to build the Kinross Woolshed personality. The aesthetic of the pub is clear and bold yet relaxed enough that anyone might settle in without feeling overwhelmed.

“We’re absolutely tapping into nostalgia,” says Nick, who points to 1980s references of Australian artist Jenny Kee, as well as “a touch of” the iconic Australian mother-daughter duo, Kath and Kim. Underpinning these quirky cultural cues are serious “CWA vibes” harking back to wholesome cake-making competitions, and agricultural shows.

The Technē team keep it fresh, though. Hints of sentimentality – farming and gardening memorabilia, as well as decorative prize-winning rosettes and the occasional doily – enliven a durable yet warm material palette of timber, terrazzo, plaid textiles and patinaed metals. (Not to mention the multi-coloured carpet – a feature in itself).

Within the raw bones of the woolshed’s timber structure, roof trusses and other rustic surfaces, Technē have used tiles to create punchy, graphic surfaces that are as hardwearing as the rest of the material palette. Cladding tabletops, bar tops and surrounds, the program features Arute Rinen Square, a tile with nuanced glazing and a finely textured surface that appears almost as if pressed into fabric. Mutina’s DIN tiles in a glossy red finish are used to accentuate the form of the bar.

With key requirements of durability and atmosphere at the fore, Technē have wrangled this project into a dynamically enticing destination – aided in great part by the addition of a delicious smelling American barbecue smoker – strategically situated by the entry. The scent of barbecue aside, “You open the door and it’s a breath of fresh air, and it’s vibrant, and it’s colourful… The whole thing just needed a big dose of love put into it,” says Nick.