In the early 1990’s Cardinia Shire Council had built a new sports facility for the Community in a central location and basically discontinued use of the old facility at the recreation reserve.  The old Recreation facility was earmarked for demolition but Council suddenly found they had an urgent need for alternative accommodation since they were in one of the fastest growth corridors growing out from Melbourne.

 

The building fundamentally had no services to speak of for heating and cooling and had no thermal mass for us to work with.  The fundamental driving ideas with the design was to get the building protected from the north and west sun, as it was totally exposed.  Provide it with plenty of insulation and create some quality spaces in the small extension that gave us the bulk to allow the building to be transformed.

 

It was fabulous when the Minister arrived to open the refurbished facility because he had no recollection of the original building at all.  He had presented the State Government’s funding on that site 2 years before.