The exterior of the proposed silo tower development at Invermay. Pictures: SCOTT GELSTON
Delivering potentially one of Launceston's most iconic buildings is no easy feat, says the architect behind Errol Stewart's proposed silo tower development at Invermay.
But getting it right could have a transformative effect and create a new destination for the city, Artas director Scott Curran said yesterday.
``One of things I think Errol Stewart has done very well is he's been able to create things that other people have looked at and said, `I have got no use for that.' Rather than tear it down he's been able to transform these things into really iconic parts of Launceston,'' he said.
``We are looking forward to creating a new building that creates a destination over on the North Bank that we can link back to Seaport, which will really add a lot of importance to that area.''
Mr Stewart announced on Friday he wanted to buy the silos and build an 11-storey 64-room hotel in them.
Mr Curran said the biggest challenge would be flood proofing the hotel, which will sit on the ``wet'' side of the flood levee.
Mr Stewart's solution is a 150-metre wall of concrete as high as the flood levees which would wrap around the silos' bottom floor and serve as a concourse for hotel guests.
``The investigation and discussions with engineers are telling us the challenges can be overcome and in such a way that we can have a very usable building, that will be robust and able to withstand any flooding that may occur in that area,'' Mr Curran said.
The Artas design differs from other silo redevelopments in Hobart and Western Australia by not building outwards.
``One of the things about the silos is to make this stack up financially we have to reuse as much of the silo as we can,'' Mr Curran said.