Fire Retardant Acoustic Linings from Supawood

Finishing touch for detailing interior fit-out of Eternity Playhouse

To complete the restoration of the Burton St Tabernacle in Darlinghurst, fire retardant acoustic linings were needed as a finishing touch to complement without overpowering the surrounding heritage and reused materials. SUPAWOOD high gloss black custom slotted SUPACOUSTIC FR panels were chosen to achieve the final intricate detailing.

Built in 1887 the heritage listed building is a valuable example of traditional Victorian Free Classical architecture. For decades a favourite place of worship, the church has a permanent place in Sydney folklore as the inspiration for pavement scribe Arthur Stace's famous message, 'Eternity', which he wrote on Sydney footpaths for over 30 years.

To ensure its preservation, the City of Sydney purchased the building in 2006 and commissioned Tonkin Zulaikha Greer to transform it into a 200 seat state of the art theatre. The most challenging detailing was the ceilings in the foyer area where the designers wanted to highlight upright stepped curved surfaces with a vertically slotted pattern finished in high gloss black to echo restored structural elements. To achieve this SUPAWOOD fabricated custom slotted SUPACOUSTIC curved panels finished in SUPACOLOUR high gloss.

Further matching flat acoustic panels were supplied to keep other detailing coherent, the largest area being a wall at the top of the stairs where the high gloss finish acts like a mirror.

All panels were backed with IAT and a FR MDF substrate was used to meet BCA compliance.

Now restored to its former glory and renamed 'Eternity Playhouse' as a reminder of its past, this building will remain an enduring iconic part of Sydney. Supawood is delighted to have been involved.

Awards received:
2014 Greenway Award for Heritage Architecture Creative Adaption, AIA NSW.
2014 National Trust of Australia (NSW) Heritage Award for Adaptive Reuse.

Photo © Brett Boardman