Located on 555 La Trobe Street, in front of the culinary and hospitality school William Angliss Institute, Gray Puksand has revivified this heritage tram for wholly different purposes. Now a hospitality spot, the unique cafe offers coffee and freshly baked goods from inside the historic tram and is set to draw local and international tourists to experience Melbourne’s world-famous coffee scene.

The 150-square-metre space presents a specialist working cafe that doubles as a training facility for William Angliss Institute TAFE students, including foods, tourism, hospitality and events courses. The cafe is set to upskill the next generation of workers, as the hospitality industry faces future shortages in crucial roles such as chefs and hospitality managers, according to the National Skills Commission in 2023.

Gray Puksand was engaged by the institute to lead the authentic refurbishment of the tram, creating a functional hospitality and dining venue that maintains its original heritage characteristics while revitalising Melbourne’s transportation history and showcasing the city’s dedication to boosting its hospitality sector.

“Following the initial briefing from William Angliss Institute in 2020, we worked with them to develop a feasibility scheme to authentically restore the Tram Café as part of an integrated outdoor plaza, at the heart of the Melbourne city campus,” says Gray Puksand’s National Education Lead and Melbourne Partner, Mark Freeman.

With the return of approximately 187,000 international students this financial year and more than 10,000 apartments due for completion in Melbourne’s CBD between 2024 and 2026, the city’s hospitality scene is expected to generate higher foot traffic as a result of fewer vacancies within the CBD, decreasing to 6.7 per cent compared to the previous quarter (as reported in the JLL Retail Market Overview Q4 2023).

“As tourism experts, we are delighted to have such an iconic piece of Melbourne on campus and bring it to new life as a hospitality venue benefitting students and visitors,” says William Angliss Institute’s CEO, Nicholas Hunt. “We are known for working closely with the industry to deliver the best foods, tourism, hospitality and events graduates, and with this unique training space, students will be exposed to new challenges and opportunities preparing them for their future careers.”

In 2020, the William Angliss Institute was offered an opportunity to become a custodian of one of Melbourne’s iconic W-class trams, which have been stored in Newport decommissioned and retired from service. The tram was transported and taken to Bendigo, Victoria as part of the restoration process.

Gray Puksand worked closely with its specialist consultant team to sensitively repurpose the historic tram to retain its existing materiality and fit-out to integrate spaces for dining and cafe training services. A minimalist, complementary canopy was integrated overhead to not detract from the tram’s roof as well as to provide shelter for patrons and protection to the tram itself.

Related: Robert Puksand comment

By sensitively repurposing the W class tram as a fully functioning cafe venue and real-world hospitality training experience, the unique space will contribute to activating the La Trobe Street frontage. The space is situated within the institute’s courtyard and adjacent to the historic Food Trades School building. Furthermore, its location on a major pedestrian route between Flagstaff Gardens and Southern Cross station will provide the cafe and institute with a reinvigorated identity and reactivated street frontage through increased foot traffic and activation to the campus’ courtyard.

William Angliss Institute and Gray Puksand have been working in collaboration for nearly two decades across a range of specialist hospitality training spaces including a Gelataria and Chocolateria Laboratory, a Confectionary Laboratory, the Angliss Restaurant and Training Bar and various commercial training kitchens.

Gray Puksand
graypuksand.com.au

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