Pumphouse Point by Cumulus

ArchiPro Project Summary - Heritage-listed Pumphouse Point transforms a decommissioned hydro facility into unique lakeside accommodation, emphasizing environmental stewardship and minimal site impact while preserving the site's historical significance.

Title:: Pumphouse Point
Architect:: Cumulus
Category:: Commercial/; Hospitality

Originally constructed as part of the Hydro-Electric scheme, the facility on Lake St Clair in the Tasmanian Central Highlands was built to pump water from Lake St Clair to the adjacent St Clair Lagoon to feed the Tarraleah Power Station. However, this use was never realised and after half a century the pump house was decommissioned and subsequently remained unoccupied for twenty further years.

It wasn’t until 100 years after the establishment of the Hydro-Electric Commission that the now heritage-listed art deco buildings of the industrial facility finally whirred to life, not as a pump house but as a unique accommodation experience suspended over the pristine lake.

From inception, the Cumulus team envisaged that the Pumphouse redevelopment should encapsulate rugged simplicity and unrefined comfort. In keeping with the best heritage practise and the values of the World Heritage Site in which it is located, the design is focused on environmental stewardship, sustainability and minimal site impact. To achieve this objective, new guest suites have been constructed within the existing building envelopes.

The commercial adaption of the building in line with the best heritage practise and the values of the World Heritage Area in which it is located has protected and enhanced the iconic property for the appreciation of generations to come.

LocationLake St Clair, TasmaniaClientPumphouse PointYear2014Status CompletedPhotography: Adam Gibson, Stuart Gibson, Sharyn Cairns

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Cumulus is an award-winning architecture and interior design studio with offices in Hobart, Launceston, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney. The offices operate as one combined studio, providing flexibility in the size and scope of work undertaken and ensuring a cohesive and collaborative approach to all projects.

The studio consists of more than 40 team members, including 17 registered architects with specialities in tourism, residential, commercial, heritage, urban design and interior architecture.

Cumulus also regularly collaborates with a number of external specialist consultants from across Australia for the coordination of a broader range of services from feasibility studies and brand management to contract administration and post-occupancy evaluation.

Cumulus respectfully acknowledges the First Peoples of Australia, their Elders past, present and emerging, who were and are the keepers of their cultural and spiritual knowledge and traditions, and the traditional owners of the land on which we live and work.