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Architects: Jackson Clements Burrows
- Area: 580 m²
- Year: 2011
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Photographs:John Gollings
Text description provided by the architects. The Keast Park Community Pavilion sits between the Nepean Highway and the Seaford foreshore and is considered by council as a gateway site marking the entry to the broader city of Frankston. The project evolved out of a master plan that was developed for the site in 2004. The master plan determined that the existing bowls club was in disrepair and a new multipurpose community facility was required.
The project seeks to integrate all facilities into a stimulating new community building and encourage park users to engage with the bowls club as part of their daily experience of the site. The integration of community related programme into the new building including the Carrum Bowls club, Sea Scouts, multi-purpose centre/cafe, provides greater opportunity for the overlap of different activities and age groups, and was considered as an important objective of the project.
The ground floor consists of a series of timber pods incorporating building programme which are separated by two large public deck areas. These undercroft spaces provide shade in summer and wind protection year round, as well as suggesting legible entry and visual access between the Bowling Club and the park. The public forecourt located on the Nepean Highway allows direct ramp access to the both levels of the building and park, ensuring the development is fully accessible to all people.
The upper level presents as a linear form that runs east/west from the Nepean Highway forecourt in the east to a cantilevered verandah space in the west overlooking the beach. The undulating sculptural ridgeline recalls the dune-cape topography of the foreshore. This is reinforced by the application of vertical timber planks around the northern and southern facades of the building.
The timber deck connection to the beach further emphasises the permeability of the site and creates experiential qualities of walking through the dune landscape. The positioning of the pathway and dune protection fence encourages beach users to directly engage with the building whilst providing protection from the prevailing south westerly winds.
Sustainable design was an important objective of the project. The east/west orientation of the building allows for cross ventilation, and passive solar shading due to the large verandah and eave overhangs. Rainwater tanks were installed under the building to provide water for irrigation of landscaped areas and toilets. The materiality of the building and landscape form has been selected from sustainable sources where possible, including plantation timber cladding and decking.
