Located on the once derelict Nunawading Primary School site, interlinked with its old football oval and Tunstall Park. The new community hub is built on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri Woiwurrung People of the Kulin Nation. While the history of the land pre-colonisation is not clear, there are references to the area as a place of gathering. It is fitting that this once again becomes a place of gathering and shared knowledge.

The heritage schoolhouse is integral to the project’s response, remaining at the threshold of the site, reflecting the local materiality and celebrating the collective memory of so many who spent their childhood there. Abstract white forms rise as a backdrop to the heritage fabric, to the park and to community life. The scheme seeks to create a certain ‘monumentality’, significance and dignity for this important public place and the community values it embodies. It also responds to a constrained budget by delivering considered design and detail within a palette of prosaic materials. It is also playful, developing a dialogue with the surrounding post-war boom homes through its pitched roof profile.

Our approach was to create an open and inviting public place, expressing a sense of equitable access for all. The oval and heritage building drive its footprint. Flexible settings for an extensive range of community activities and gatherings are created, whilst also addressing specific user group need. An inviting and transparent architecture reinforces the connectivity to the natural assets of the landscaped setting and residential suburban context. The architecture is conceived with simple forms, each a response to context and appropriate proportion.

This white, seamless backdrop celebrates people and their creativity, their activity and their sense of togetherness. It celebrates the highly valued park and school building, integral to the memories and future lives of Nunawading’s community.