MOSS HOTEL
Our Story
Two sandstone buildings. Two centuries of history. One hotel.
25 SALAMANCA PLACE
MOSS 25
Number 25 was built in 1841 by Bernard Walford - a merchant warehouse of sandstone and iron, designed to store goods arriving at the Hobart waterfront. The building's defining feature is its roof: original timber rafters, high and pitched, that survive intact in the Loft rooms above. Iron fittings, exposed stonework, and warehouse-scale proportions remain throughout.
Circa Morris Nunn Architects, a Tasmanian practice known for conservation and adaptive reuse, were engaged to transform both buildings into hotel rooms while preserving everything that made them worth preserving. The brief was to add as little as possible.
39 SALAMANCA PLACE
MOSS 39
Number 39 is older - built in 1832 by Thomas Hewitt, it predates its neighbour by nine years and reflects the Georgian proportions of the earliest Salamanca warehouses. Lower ceilings, quieter character, and a warmth to the stone that speaks to its age. The Bower rooms and the Grove Balcony - the hotel's only room with a private outdoor balcony - are in this building.
The two buildings are 75 metres apart, connected only by a short walk along Salamanca Place and their shared identity, yet each retains its own distinct physical character. A guest staying in the Loft (25) and a guest staying in the Bower (39) are having materially different experiences of the same hotel.
COLLABORATORS
Made with Tasmanian collaborators
Moss Hotel was built through a deliberate process of collaboration with Tasmanian architects, designers, and makers. The result reflects the island it is on.
Circa Morris Nunn Architects
Architecture & Interior Design
Tasmania's leading practice in the conservation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings. Their brief: preserve what exists, add as little as possible.
circamorrisnunn.com.auStudio Ongarato
Brand Identity & Visual Design
The Melbourne-based studio that developed the Moss Hotel visual identity - the typography, wayfinding, and the Note caption system that runs throughout the hotel. AHEAD Asia 2020 award winner for this project.
studioongarato.com.auTasmanian Artists & Makers
Art, Ceramics & Objects
Works by Tasmanian artists and makers are installed throughout both buildings. The hotel carries a changing collection of contemporary Tasmanian craft and art.
RECOGNITION
Award-winning since opening
In 2020, Moss Hotel was recognised twice for design excellence: Tasmanian Architecture Awards 2020 Winner for Commercial Architecture, and AHEAD Asia 2020 Winner for Visual Identity. Both awards reflect the rigour of the collaborative design process and the quality of the result.
The architecture award recognises Circa Morris Nunn's work on the buildings and interiors. The AHEAD Asia award recognises the brand identity by Studio Ongarato. Together they capture what makes Moss Hotel distinctive: the building and the identity were designed as one thing.
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