Antarctica Group Pty Ltd

Flowerdale Community House

Flowerdale Community House
© Antarctica

FLOWERDALE COMMUNITY HOUSE

Antarctica

ARCHITECTS
Antarctica

LOCATION
Flowerdale, Victoria, Australia

CONTRACTOR
Kendall Constructions

CONSULTANTS
Keith Long and Associates

PROJECT TEAM
Graham Crist (Project Director), Nicola Garrod (Project Architect)

AREA
0.0 m2

PROJECT YEAR
2011

PHOTOGRAPHS
Antarctica

Flowerdale Community House is the new home for the enormous range of programs run by the residents of this small Victorian town. Located an hour north of Melbourne, the project is on the site of the community house and

Flowerdale Community House
© Antarctica
Flowerdale Community House
© Antarctica

kindergarten that was destroyed in the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009. For a building which hosts everything from belly dancing to psychological services, its flexible halls and consultation rooms are drawn together under one large roof.

Located low on the site, this roof is the prominent image of the building, and bears (along with over 100 people in the town) the ‘tattoo’ of the Flowerdale logo. This logo was created after the bushfires and was designed to represent the regeneration of the town following this disaster.

Flowerdale Community House
© Antarctica
Flowerdale Community House
© Antarctica

The corrugated metal of the roof folds down over the façade like the many rural sheds located in the region. In further reference to the surrounding buildings, the printed roof mirrors the over-sized text on the roof of the Flowerdale Hotel.

External cladding and materials continue the building envelope inside, expressing the separate rooms within the large interior, while the open structural space of the roof gives volume and connection to the flexible spaces below.

Flowerdale Community House
© Antarctica
Flowerdale Community House
© Antarctica

Unpainted timber trusses, galvanised steel beams and recycled brickwork reinforce the rural quality within a building type that can often seem institutional.

Where the roof peels back, there are moments where interior elements such as the trusses and tiled amenities block are revealed, connecting external pockets of space to those of the interior.

Flowerdale Community House
© Antarctica
Flowerdale Community House
© Antarctica

The building uses technically simple environmental design features, such as natural ventilation, deep eaves, low-emissivity double-glazing, and an insulated slab, complimented by solar hot water and solar power systems.

In addition, water for both fire fighting and general use is supplied by rainwater collection, and the septic system uses an organic process to produce water to irrigate the site.

Flowerdale Community House
© Antarctica
Flowerdale Community House
© Antarctica

Importantly, the community clients saw this project as an opportunity to go beyond the simple replacement of facilities lost to the fires. It was their ambition that the Flowerdale Community house set a new benchmark, in design and environmental performance, for the public buildings of Flowerdale.


Flowerdale Community House
Plan 01
Flowerdale Community House
Plan 01


Flowerdale Community House
Elevation 01
Flowerdale Community House
Elevation 02

Flowerdale Community House
Elevation 03

Antarctica Group Pty Ltd
T +61 3 96396879
Antarctica Group Pty Ltd
Level 5/358 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia