One of the great things about producing The Worst of Perth is the number of people who tell me that they now look at the city in a different way. Instead of letting things blur past, they now apply a more critical eye. Typical of this is a correspondent who recently told me, “I’ve been driving past The Hyatt for years, and have never really noticed what a hideous pile of shit that building is until now.”
That’s the spirit! How could the building not be terrible with its extensive use of glass bricks to give it that lovely toilety look? All of which is sad for the subjects of the new “Vasto” monument who are forever condemned to stare at the thing. Un orinale grande! Santa Madonna!
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The Worst of Perth 
I will always remember it as The Merlin, and a symbol of that bold yet lifeless Perth 1980s flashiness. Pretty sure some Day of the Panther scenes were shot in the lobby too.
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Brownie, you are right, we did shoot something there for Panther films.
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The Merlin was actually the building which originally gave me my treasured hatred of dunny glass. As always, it’s nice to be among company, but I’d happily have borne my grudge alone.
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Love/hate the Merlin, it sits like a big swollen tribute to the 1980s
You did good on the radio LA, its a pity you didn’t get to answer any questions from the previous guys callers, they sounded quite “interesting”
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The building looks like it was stolen out of suburban office park from the east coast of the U.S.
Is brick used a lot in Australia?
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BC, sometimes I think that Bricks are all we’ve got
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BC, brick is huge here. It is the main building material for homes here. You also need to build in double brick, which means two walls of it. Brick and tile (roof) is the material for 80% of houses.
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LA, have you delved beyond the glass bricks to the inner courtyard? A warren of misaligned flecked concrete pavers separating the sad looking ‘commercial’ zone from backside views of conference room curtains. Your flattering external photo looks positively welcoming in comparison.
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I think veterans affairs was in there somewhere too. Somehow appropriate.
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Brick schtick. Midland brickworks designers probably
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It is virtually impossible to build in anything but brick in Perth. Even when you have specified something else on your plans you can come along to your building site and find them happily bricking away! “Yes I know it said studwork with cedar cladding for the top level but we thought it must have been a mistake and you probably meant double brick”
Perthites are not much into “treading lightly on the land”
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I think they actually chiselled away at the worlds largest brick to create the form of the Hyatt. Then they put some plastic on the top. Just because.
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Definitely one of the worst eyesores along that strip.
Our work Chrissy function was held there and as I walked up the stairs towards the front entrance I felt tackier and tackier. It just kind of swallows you up.
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Constructed for a Chinese owned international hotel chain (Merlin) who had apparently never heard of fung shui.
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And the the original 96FM Studios were also on that site, which was demolished to make way for the Merlin.
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Time for Name and Shame, surely. Who was the architect?
No, sorry, I’ve just realised my mistake. There was no architect. This is clearly a BGC or Gerry Hanssen effort gone completely batshit insane.
Morley Drive on Adelaide Terrace.
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On the contrary, LA.
There’s many a Vastese living in Perth that would find that building quite attractive.
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You think driving past it is bad? Not only do I have to work inside it, but I have to live up the street!
It’s oh so nice when the first thing you see when you open your blinds on a Saturday morning is…. your place of employment. And your place of employment is a giant red-bricked monolith! lol
But unfortunately there is not much we can do about the outside of building… at least it’s nice inside :o)
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I heard that the bricks were shipped from NYC from an old housing project.
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