Gayamaygal people
New South Wales
Nestled within the rugged coastal dune scape of Griffith Reserve, the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club emerges from the landscape. It quietly signals its presence via a series of weathered timber forms, each defining a corner of a communal courtyard. This is a place for the community to gather, to save lives, to train, to pause and reconnect with each other and nature. The architecture recedes to allow natural coastal flows and processes to characterise the experience of the building and the land.
Over time the building is designed to weather and patina in place, a robust and hardworking architecture for generations of club and community users to enjoy, be inspired, delighted and surprised, day to day and across the seasons. An architecture where people and place can thrive and be well.
Commendation for Sustainable Architecture
A highly responsive building to its exposed coastal environment, Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club is appropriately robust and elegantly delivers outstanding facilities for a range of community users.
Here, sustainability is at the heart of all design decisions. Natural materials, recycled content, shading, and natural ventilation are cleverly integrated in the design response. The surf club creates an open-air community gathering space that is sheltered and well scaled. Concrete and steel are used for strength and longevity with timber employed extensively on the upper-level enclosure of the generous and breezy main club room.
Award for Public Architecture
The Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club, a collaboration between Long Reef Surf Club, Adriano Pupilli architects and Tyrell Studio Landscape Architects, is a thoughtful and nature-based design response.
It has a functional, flexible layout which enables the spaces to be used by different groups at different times. The pavilion structures are clustered around a central courtyard space, located to retain existing mature trees on site, demonstrating the strong landscape and urban design principles driving the masterplan. It is designed to be visually recessive, with timber batten facades and durable concrete finishes to maintain the primacy of the incredible natural setting in which it sits, nestled behind the sand dunes.
This is a great example of a strong landscape-driven masterplan leading the design process. The building sits beautifully in the context and creates a series of lovely in between outdoor communal areas for use by the whole community.
Council: The new clubhouse will enhance the incredible work that volunteer and Council lifeguards perform in keeping our community safe. Pavilions are arranged around a courtyard a shared space for all, a place to meet and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle, playing an integral role in bringing the community together.
Club: Beautiful yet in many ways hardly noticeable. It all works so well…opening up the training room with hundreds of Nippers… patrols teams preparing with ease fully equipped and immediately ready for action….members enjoying the gym with the fresh air pouring in from the north and through into the breezeway…
Access-i, Access Consultant
Crozier Geotechnical Consultants, Engineer
Horton Coastal Engineering, Engineer
Jensen Hughes (formally BCA Energy), ESD Consultant
Partridge, Structural Engineer
Stantec, Services Consultant
Steve Watson and Partners, BCA
Tyrrell Studio, Landscape Consultant