recreational spaces

designed by ajar in collaboration with Andrea Rice Architects Rebecca Morgan, JBC, Clouston Landscape Architects. Images by Rebecca Morgan. Engineering design by MDP – structural, AshburnerFrancis – services and ESD, ABP certifiers, QSNT costing.

New Youth and Community Hub, Northern Suburbs Darwin

The well-positioned site in the metropolitan area of Darwin has two street frontages with an approximate site area of 4,500sqm. All existing infrastructure services will need to be upgraded for the new facility. The Youth & Community Hub will be a purpose-built, all-new facility, with internal air-conditioned spaces for a range of youth recreational activities, verandah area, toilets, staff amenities, sports facilities, landscaped active and passive areas and gardens.

During the many team meetings, architectural, structural, QS and ESD consultants all contributed to achieving an unprecedented low-cost, high-performance ESD outcome for new NTG buildings. The roof, wall and floor details were worked through as a collaborative team to produce a low-cost, high-performance outcome using readily available construction materials and structural systems. The energy efficiency Building Code Section J Building façade calculator was completed to inform the glazing selection and confirm that wall materials layering is suitable for excellent performance and lowest cost, for the tight project budget. All shading on the building façade has been accounted for as part of this process.

The Youth Hub main building forms are a playful, human-scale mix between commercial-institutional-residential, with textures familiar to local young people. The forms are intended to present a welcoming invitation to enter, offering a calming shelter with hints of adventure in the garden spaces and glimpses of internal active areas though carefully positioned windows.

The Youth Hub main building has a central entry area, the circulation axis, which connects both internal and external pedestrian circulation, from the southern pedestrian entry and northern secured vehicle entry. The south boundary has an attractive landscaped street address with existing mature native trees retained, and landscape areas from the street front to the building edges, including a nature play garden and yarning circle.

From the central circulation axis at the internal entry area, the facility focal space ‘Activity Room’, leads off to the east and to the west is the staff wing. The generous verandah faces into to the northern open area of the site, connected to the Activity Room, Kitchen and kitchen garden. Landscaped active outside areas are closer to the Activity Room for appropriate acoustic outcomes and supervision.

The Sports Court area is in the central north half of the site; connected to the internal entry and verandah by direct external paths. The Sports Court is flanked by the ablutions and landscape areas. The court area is screened from the car parking area by tall shrubs housed in a wide planter box to the north. Beyond the Sports Court, to the northern most area at the rear of the site, is the car park and vehicle access on the western side. On the eastern side is shady landscaping around a large open green area, screened from Rowling St by trees and shrubs.