The third largest retail centre in Australia, behind Sydney and Melbourne, Chatswood is dominated by large internalised retail complexes and intense retail activity. It was into this context that the City of Willoughby decided to make a public place devoted to creativity, learning and debate as a relief to the compulsion to purchase.
After more than ten years of debate and intense consultation culminating in a popular vote the project for a civic place was realised. A public open space is at the centre of a complex of artistic performance venues, library and community function rooms.
DESIGN DESCRIPTION
The Concourse is conceived as an organic sculptural form opening, embracing and defining a new public place that is raised on a stone platform.
Ribbons of polished aluminium wrap and enclose the timber lined performance venues creating silent surfaces amid the noise of retail and opening the foyer spaces to the street and square through filtering sun shades of plywood.
Below the concert hall and theatre volumes, the other facilities are accommodated within the terraces and platforms of the stone podium. This stone base is an interpretation of the stone ridge that stretches from Sydney City into the northern suburbs, which formed the spine of settlement.
The lowering of many of the facilities under the podiums resolved a series of challenging brief requirements and the overshadowing issues of southern orientation.
The built form, which could have occupied the full footprint of the site many times over, offers over 5,000sqm of accessible open space with significantly improved northerly aspect. One of the largest and busiest municipal libraries in Australia is also achieved on a single level.
Due to the area constraints of the site, and the desire to fully embrace the best aspects of co-location, The Concourse consists of a matrix of interwoven facilities.
Vastly contrasting functional requirements had to work harmoniously and in close proximity to each other. Technical issues, particularly the specific acoustic parameters of the performance venues drove many key design decisions.
The complex is designed as three structurally and acoustically separated boxes. Free flowing interconnected foyer spaces demanded a rigorous fire engineering design; and barrier free, accessible entry to the site was achieved while mitigating significant flood risk.
Despite degraded facilities, the site was traditionally the focus of regional cultural and community events. Consequently the new facilities were benchmarked, both in terms of budget and quality, to a regional standard. Completed within these budgetary constraints, the facilities have gained much broader appeal both as the cultural heart of the North Shore and as a venue for national and international artists.
ACCOLADES
RAIA NSW Awards, Public Architecture, Architecture Award, 2012
Timber Design Awards, Timber Veneers Award, 2011
Master Builders Association, MBA National Award, Public Buildings (Over $50.0m), 2011
Master Builders Association, MBA Excellence in Construction Awards, Outstanding Construction Award, 2011
Master Builders Association, MBA Excellence in Construction Awards, Public Buildings ($75.0m and over), 2011
Master Builders Association, MBA Excellence in Construction Awards, Innovation Construction Technique/Equipment, 2011
Master Builders Association, MBA Excellence in Construction Awards, Best Use of Steel, 2011
Planning Institute Australia NSW, Best Planning Ideas - Large Project, 2011
PRODUCTS
METAL CLADDING
ALUCOBOND ARCHITECTURAL
STONE CLADDING
GOSFORD QUARRIES, GOSFORD BUFF GANG SAWN FINISH
STONE ALLIANCE, BLACK GRANITE HONED FINISH
HILITI
VIVACITY, MEGAPOXY PM
AQUA MIX, SEALERS CHOICE GOLD
SIKA
TIMBER CLADDING
AUSTRAL, HOOP PINE PLYWOOD
DULUX, INTERGRAIN
WEATHERSCREEN CLADDING
FIEDERS KINGFLOR
BLUESCOPE
ANODISING
AUSTRALIAN ALUMINIUM FINISHING
GALVANISING
ZINCALUME
INDUSTRIAL GALVANISERS
INGAL
GLAZING
CHINA SOUTHERN GLASS PTY LTD
G JAMES
ALUMINIUM FACADE FRAMING
SHARVAIN
OCEANIC ALUMINIUM
CAPRAL ALUMINIUM LTD
AUTO SLIDING DOORS
DORMAKABA AUSTRALIA
DOOR HARDWARE
CDS PATCH FITTINGS
ASSA ABLOY
LOCKWOOD AUSTRALIA
DORMAKABA AUSTRALIA
WINDOW HARDWARE
ANEETA WINDOWS
LINAK AUSTRALIA
INSULATION
SISALATION
PAINT
TECH-DRY BUILDING PROTECTION SYSTEMS
INTERPON POWDER COATINGS
DULUX
SEALS
3M
TREMCO
SIKA AUSTRALIA
METAL ROOFING
BLUECSOPE LYSAGHT, KLOP-LOK 700
WARATAH, ROOFSAFE MESH
HB FULLER COMPANY
ACOUSTIC ROOFING & CEILING
ORTECH, DURRA
PARAPET CLADDING
ALUCOBOND ARCHITECTURAL, NATURAL
INSULATION
FLETCHER INSULATION, VAPA-CHEK
CSR BRADFORD, FIBRETEX ROCKWOOL
VENTILATORS
IVR GROUP, ADMIRAL SERIES
PAVING
MOSAIQSTONE, GOLD (EXFOLIATED)
STONE ALLIANCE, BLACK GRANITE (HONED)
AUSTRALIAN NATIVE LANDSCAPES (DECOMPOSED GRANITE GRAVEL)
KLEN INTERNATIONAL (SEALANT),
LATICRETE (BEDDING)
SKATESTOP (SKATE DETERRANTS)
WATERPROOFING
AUSTRALIAN URETHANE SYSTEMS, AUSSIETEX III
HYCHEM SF25
DUROTECH INDUSTRIES, DUROMASTIC P15/DUROMASTIC ACS
PLANTING
TREES IMPACT (SPECIMEN TREES)
DOWNES WHOLESALE NURSERY (TREES, SHRUBS)
LIGHTING
SYLVANIA LIGHTING AUSTRALIASIA LIGHTING AUSTRALASIA
IRRIGATION
LANDSCAPE SOLUTIONS
SOILS AND GRAVELS
AUSTRALIAN NATIVE LANDSCAPES (GRAVELS)
BENEDICT (SOILS)
SHADE SYSTEMS
ELITE SHADE AND SAILS
MASONRY
BORAL BRICKS, CONCRETE BLOCKS
BORAL BRICKS, FIREBLOCK
ABBEY (TIES)
BOSTIK AUSTRALIA (SEALANTS)
PARTITIONS
SAPPHIRE, SERIES TWO FRONTLINE SUITE (ALUMINIUM GLAZED)
PLASTAMASTA
LAFARGE (PERFORATED PLASTERBOARD)
TIMBER LININGS
LAMINEX, NATURAL TIMBER VENEER
BRIGGS VENEERS PTY LTD (AMERICAN ROCK MAPLE HALF CROWN CUT)
PREFINISHED WALL PANELS
LAMINEX
WALL TILING
BETTERTILESettertiles
COLORTILE
METZ
BOSTIK AUSTRALIA, ASA MEGAFIX (ADHESIVE)
MAPEI AUSTRALIA (GROUT)
DOORS
LOCKWOOD AUSTRALIA
DORMAKABA AUSTRALIA (HARDWARE)
AUSTRALASIAN FIRE DOORS (FIRE RATED DOORS)
CORINTHIAN INDUSTRIES (DOORS)
HUME DOORS & TIMBER (AUST) (DOORS)
STYLEWISE (ACOUSTIC)
DORMAKABA AUSTRALIA, BWN AUTOMATICS (AUTOMATIC DOORS)
PRO INDUSTRIES (FIRE RATED FRAMES)
TAYLORS DOORS & FRAMES (FRAMES)
ACOUSTIC SLIDING DOORS
IAC-COLPRO ACOUSTIC SYSTEMS
FIRE & SMOKE CURTAINS
COOPERS FIRE
FIRE PROTECTION
PROMAT AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, CAFCO 300 AND PROMASEAL
VERMICULUX BOARDS
MEMBRANES
ARDEX AUSTRALIA, SUPERFLEX
FLOOR TILING
GLENNON CERAMIC TILES
COLORTILE
JOHNSON TILES (CERAMIC TILING)
ROCKS ON - HARD SURFACE SOLUTIONS (LIFT CARS)
BOSTIK AUSTRALIA, ASA MEGAFIX (ADHESIVE)
MAPEI AUSTRALIA, KERAPOXY (GROUT)
TIMBER FLOORING
BLACKBUTT (EUCALYPTUS PILULARIS) SOLID TIMBER
BONA, TRAFFIC ANTI SLIP (CONCERT HALL)
CARPET
INTERFACEFLOR AUSTRALIA, BLUEPRINT (TILE)
CAVILER BREMWORTH, KARATEX ENCORE (BROADLOOM)
VINYL
FORBO FLOORING, MARMOLEUM REAL
ALTRO, KR-11-20
PAINT
DULUX (WALL AND FLOOR)
MINERAL FIBRE
ARMSTRONG
METAL
ARMSTRONG, ‘METALWORKS’
TIMBER
LAMINEX, NATURAL TIMBER VENEER
BRIGGS VENEERS PTY LTD (AMERICAN ROCK MAPLE HALF CROWN CUT)
JOINERY
LAMINEX (TIMBER VENEER, LAMINATES)
MAICA LAMINATES
CAESARSTONE
HAFELE AUSTRALIA (HARDWARE)
BECKER ACROMA (COATINGS)
PERFORMANCE SEATING
HADLEY AUSTRALIA (CONCERT HALL & THEATRE)
ENTERTAINING SEATS (CHOIR SEATING)
AMERICAN ROCK MAPLE (TIMBER BACKS AND ARMS)
SIGNAGE
CLAUDE NEON
LIBRARY RETURNS & SORTING
TECH LOGIC, ULTRASORT
OPERABLE WALLS
LOTUS FOLDING WALLS & DOORS
CUBICLE SYSTEMS
AUSTRALIAN TERRAZZO & MARBLE
LAMINEX
COMMERCIAL KITCHENS
STODDART AUSTRALIA
SANITARY FIXTURES & TAPWARE
CAROMA
ENWARE AUSTRALIA
URIDAN
HANSA
LIFTS
LIFTRONIC
ROCKS ON (FLOORING)
