The new Bushfire Centre of Excellence in the small regional town of Nambeelup, Western Australia is a major training and education resource for bushfire management personnel.
With advanced features including stringent bushfire ratings and ImagInk printing technology, it’s a stunning showcase for the expertise of Cooling Bros – and their ability to collaborate flawlessly with multiple parties. The single-level Centre also features outdoor facilities to store fire equipment and conduct firefighting training. The building’s setting allows for training sessions to be conducted outdoors within the surrounding landscape.
The Centre was the first building completed in the Shire of Murray’s Peel Business Park, which is set to become an innovative business hub. Located one hour south of Perth, the site offers the ideal balance between remoteness and accessibility. The Centre is located in the Shire of Murray within WA’s Peel Region, the ancestral home of the Bindjareb people, an indigenous Australian group of Nyungar speakers. The Bindjareb community have given the Centre the Nyungar name Karla Katitjin (‘Karla’ means fire, while ‘Katitjin’ means knowledge). The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) have developed a positive relationship with the local Indigenous community, who provide input into traditional bushfire practices, and are attempting to integrate these traditions into their training programs.
“Bush Fire Brigades and bushfire management personnel from across the sector use this Centre, which features a training wing and outdoor spaces for operational and theoretical training delivery, programs and events, and an administration wing for the Centre’s staff,” Christian Wetjen from Site Architecture Studio said.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) runs the Centre, offering training sessions in collaboration with volunteers. Chief Superintendent John Tillman was a part of every step of the creation of the Bushfire Centre of Excellence.
“DFES consulted with more than 200 stakeholders to develop the concepts for the Bushfire Centre of Excellence. The aim is to enhance the capability of rural fire management by creating and capturing learnings through a Centre of Excellence to build bushfire capability for the future,” Tillman said.
“The building’s design and landscaping reflect Indigenous and local heritage, local vegetation, and fire design guidelines. These elements are important to the success of the Bushfire Centre of Excellence. It strengthens the ways we build and share skills and information to reduce bushfires and their impacts on our community,” he added.
“DFES has an excellent relationship with the local indigenous community, who offered input into traditional bushfire practices,” Wetjen noted. “Some theoretical training is done onsite, as well as a local site belonging to the traditional owners.”
The building had to comply to tough fire standards – BAL19 at the very least. “An even higher BAL requirement was specified for the Centre’s framing, which had to achieve BAL29,” Wetjen pointed out.
“To achieve this high BAL rating, we had to be sure these elements would be capable of handling extreme heat together with the clients’ requirements for impact resistance and safety, a goal requiring significant input by the technical team at Cooling Bros. Everything was subsequently peer-reviewed by a façade engineer and a bushfire consultant.”
The Centre features a range of artworks rendered in Cooling Bros’ signature ImagInk technology by artist Penelope Forlano, who was commissioned to provide public art for the Centre in collaboration with local Pinjarra artist Karrie-Anne Kearing Salmon.
“For the decorative glazed panels featured at the building’s entry, I was aiming to capture the spirit of fire, which is ephemeral yet seemingly alive,” Forlano said. “Using ImagInk printing enabled us to provide a dynamic ‘moiré’ effect where the images seem to vibrate and shimmer as you walk by duplicating the artwork on the two layers of the double glazing. This required perfect alignment during installation.”
“Throughout the process of printing these designs, Cooling Bros undertook extensive testing of various levels of translucency of the images until we achieved exactly the desired effect. The Centre is double-glazed throughout the facility, with the glass specification assisting to achieve the BAL ratings and thermal performance – all manufactured and supplied by Cooling Bros,” she explained.
The architect confirms this positive impression. “Penelope together with us and the client group tested numerous samples of this ceramic frit print with Cooling Bros, reviewing these to ensure the optimal distance between the heat-toughened glazed sheets. One layer of artwork was printed on each side of the IGU to provide that movement effect while fitting within the glazing pocket.”
The IGUs featuring the artworks involved significant logistical challenges during transportation and installation.
“As each was encased in a single double-glazed unit, the framing suite also had to be upgraded to cater for the thickness of the heat-strengthened glass and composition of each IGU,” Wetjen said. “To meet the high BAL19 bushfire rating specified, Cooling Bros also had to make sure any additional toughening and heat strength processes wouldn’t impact the artworks.”
Cooling Bros excelled as a key player in this logistically challenging environment. “Organising this complex artwork and hi-spec glazing required a collaborative effort between the architect, DFES, the Department of Finance, the artist and Cooling Bros, who worked closely with us to provide the installation within a tight timeframe,” Wetjen said.
Project Details
Architect: Site Architecture Studio
Artist: Penelope Forlano
Photographer: Douglas Mark Black
Glass Fabrication:
- 52mm HP Clear Toughened DG41 Heat-Soaked Laminate (IGU)
- 52mm Clear Heat Strengthened Laminate, with central ImagInk® print
