The Boutique Hotel is a contemporary 5 storey hotel located in the heart of Echuca which is currently engaged in the planning process with Campaspe Shire Council.

In collaboration with our client and Campaspe Shire Council, DX Architects have designed, developed and refined the imaginative re-use of an existing red brick church hall to create a modern, high-quality hotel for the popular tourist town steeped in history. The project retains, restores and enhances the existing red brick church hall which is protected by a heritage overlay, and proposes a new 5-storey rear addition located on a relatively compact site within a short walk from the Murray River.

The design is grounded in the history of the broader area, pulling direct influence and references from the log bracing of the Echuca Wharf and the industrial steel bridges, which are standing monuments describing the rich history of the Port of Echuca and iconic of the lower Murray River.

The catalyst for the design has been the integration of a building facade or ‘skin’ which draws from these influences and encompasses the rear addition, providing acoustic and visual separation, solar control, overlooking screening, articulation, depth and interest. The skin is split into an even vertical grid in direct reference to the series of unique vertical windows in the gable fronted heritage building being retained.

Within this grid, the repeating ‘X’ pattern derived from the Echuca Wharf and Murray River bridges appears at a large scale. This ‘X’ pattern is illuminated and highlighted as the building’s defining feature.