The Narbethong Community Hall that was burnt to the ground in the Victorian bushfires is being replaced by a building designed to become a community icon.

It will be officially opened by the Governor of Victoria, The Hon. Alex Chernov AO, QC on Saturday 26 November.

According to Ms Ninotschka Titchkosky, prinicipal of BVN, the architects of the new hall, “one of the greatest challenges was designing a timber hall in an area that has a very high rating of bushfire protection.”

“We wanted the hall to reflect the timber industry that is the heart-blood of the Narbethong community, and to give the people of Narbethong a good and positive legacy out of the disaster of two years ago,” said Titchkosky.

Titchkosky noted that in discussions with the community before commencing the design community members said they wanted the building to express the heritage of Narbethong that was founded as a ‘timber town’.

 “In order to meet the bush fire requirements, the outside of the building is made up of floor to ceiling double glazing that is  wrapped in a bronze mesh fire resistant screen,” she said.

The building design is the result of Pro Bono design services provided by BVN and ARUP who were engaged to help through Emergency Architects Australia.

Internally the primary material is local timber, the timber floor, ceiling and curved screen are all expressions of Narbethong’s history and the 4.2m high verticals of the timber screen are reminiscent of the beautiful trees found in the region and the Black Spur Forest.

Titchkosky pointed out that the timber screen also creates a variety of internal spaces including nooks for small group meetings to the perimeter with the primary large gathering space located in the centre of the building with access to the outdoor terrace to the North.

She noted that, “the new Narbethong Community Hall is a highly transparent building that allows the residents and passing traffic to see the liveliness of the community whilst allowing the occupants of the Hall to have a strong connection with the surrounding landscape.”

The new hall is the result of a pro-bono collaboration with other consultants including, BSGM, Rodney Vapp & Associates, Contour Planning, Rodney Aujard & Associates, Douglas Partners Pty Ltd, Fitzgerald Frisbee Landscape Architecture, who then worked in conjunction with Edwards Moore, Hedger Constructions, The Victorian Bushfire Recovery and Reconstruction Authority, DSE, Murrindindi Shire and the Narbethong Public Hall Committee to design and implement the rebuilding of the Hall, which was made possible with McDonald’s major sponsorship of $520,000.

Images: BVN