New South Wales
One of Australia’s oldest surf life saving club houses is transformed with a bold redesign celebrating its history, and signaling a new era for this iconic community hub. The reborn Coogee Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) in Sydney’s southeast, has greatly increased capacity for training, community events and venue hire to support the club’s crucial work.
Inclusive, sustainable design is core to the project. A new elevator gives full access to all levels for the first time, while new sightlines to the sand now enable lifesavers of all abilities to participate in surf patrol.
Interioir planning of the top floor moved services and offices from the building’s north to south, opening a critical sightline to the sand with a wall of windows overlooking the beach, dramatically framed externally. The Large central space has a new east-facing veranda and retractable acoustic walls that partition into four separate rooms.
This new refurbishment will mean the Coogee Surf Lifesaving Club building will continue to be a place for people to gather for generations to come. It is more accessible, the internal space is flexible and can allow for great number of community events to be held here, it has improved the office space and facilities for the club, all while offering the most spectacular views over our coastline. Improvements to the sea wall mean it is better protected to handle future wild weather, such as the severe storm in 2016 that broke through the previous wall.
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
