Steel saver - North Lakes Community Centre

The North Lakes Community Centre, corner of Lakefield Drive and Endeavour Boulevard, is a new building making a significant step towards the social sustainability goals of the Pine Rivers Shire Council and Stockland. The Centre provides a multipurpose hall to accommodate 300 people.  When opened up along both lengths to incorporate an adjacent amphitheatre, accommodation is provided for a further 150.  The relationship of the hall to the amphitheatre allows the community to engage in either closed formal activities or open informal congregations.  Complementing this flexible central precinct are three meeting rooms, with independent facilities available for smaller community activities.  Linking the communal facilities is a spacious foyer/reception area which promotes casual gathering in its own right.  A kiosk, ticketing office and public amenities further augment the variety of spaces available for interaction.

The form and fabric of the building was designed from the outset to maximise environmentally sensitive design opportunities.  The use of solar protection, natural light and cross ventilation, water harvesting, minimisation of water use and energy efficiency, when combined with careful choice of material, deliver environmentally responsible amenity and long-term performance.

The original brief for the North Lakes Community Centre called for a design concept that expressed the exposed steel skeleton as an integral design element.  As the project developed, the challenge was to retain this concept while advancing beyond the galvanised finish typical to most mainstream construction.

A two-coat system of self-priming epoxy mastic was used to wet out the steel, providing a thick film protective basecoat, followed by a hard-wearing two-pack isocyanate free Resene finish coat in Resene White Metal (platinum metallic). The Resene White Metal paint finish provided the solution by allowing the design team to maintain the authenticity of the steel skeleton aesthetically, while also providing greater protection and durability with a protective coat that reduced whole of life costs for the facility.   The crispness of the Resene finish further enhanced the aesthetic impact of the design intent.

The striking metallic over steelwork has captured widespread attention and been rewarded with an RAIA Architecture Award 2008.

Building Contractor: Keybuilt
Designer: Mode Design
Fabricator: East Coast Welding & Fabrication Pty Ltd
Property Developer: Pine Rivers Shire Council/Stockland
Resene: Sarah Langstaff, Architectural Representative; Noel Woods, Field Technical Manager

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