Concrete stands out in the materials palette used to build the new amenities block at Marsden Park in Sydney’s north-west.

Background

The humble suburban amenities block has come a long way from the rectangular brick and concrete ‘boxes’ of the 1960s and 70s, evidenced by the new community facility at Sydney’s Marsden Park.

The Challenge

To create a functional amenities block that sits appropriately within the public space in which it is situated and can be something that is a source of local community pride.

Solution/Outcome

Designed by CHROFI, the Marsden Park amenities block is both playful and sculptural. It consists of two distinct, curve-walled concrete structures that house a kiosk, toilets and change rooms, protected by a ‘floating’ canopy roof of polycarbonate and fibreglass.

CHROFI worked closely with landscape architects JMD to integrate the amenities block into its surrounding public playing fields, the overarching design driver being to create something of which the community could be rightly proud.

The wave-like in situ concrete walls were constructed using computer-cut, semi-circular foam formwork, with an internal liner used to impart corrugations into the concrete surface. Since the radius of each curve was the same across the design, the forms and liners could be reused, minimising the number of panels required.

The walls are punctuated by curved, sliding aluminium gates at the entries to the toilet and other internal spaces.

For the internal wall facades, conventional plywood formwork was used to deliver a flat surface, albeit with the form lines and bolt holes exposed.

CHROFI’s Eoin Healy said the inherent plasticity of concrete made it the ideal construction medium for the curving, flowing walls.

“Concrete also gave us the raw quality we were looking for, as well as the durability that you want to see in any exposed, public structure of this type.”

Instead of ceilings, the two concrete buildings are covered by a completely separate, continuous structure hovering above – a monoplane transparent fibreglass roof supported by an intricate pattern of steel-framed arches.

The steel arches are infilled with gold-coloured Kaynemaile polycarbonate mesh with about 64 triangular shaped pieces fitted to the inner forms of the frame. Up close, the intricate weaves of the mesh triangles are obvious; from a distance, they appear as one complete, shimmering form.

Apart from giving the structure a unique aesthetic, the polycarbonate mesh also helps diffuse natural light in the internal spaces.

To prevent potential vandalism at the public building, the concrete walls have been treated with an anti-graffiti sealer – seven months after completion, it’s yet to be tested.

And that, perhaps, is the ultimate tribute to this building – that its unique form and outstanding facilities evoke a sense of community pride that provides far better protection than any surface treatment ever could.

Project Details

Project: Marsden Park Amenities Block

Architect: CHROFI

Main Concrete Elements: Concrete pavements and in-situ, exposed concrete walls

Benefits of Concrete: Durability, formability and raw aesthetics

Photography: Clinton Weaver

Architecture & Design Team

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Cement Concrete and Aggregates Australia

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