New South Wales
Mona Vale’s new Amenities and Lifeguard Facilities Building celebrates nature, community and life on the beach. Providing a much-needed upgrade of the amenities block, a home for the weekly lifeguards and additional access to emergency life-saving equipment, functionality sits at the heart of the design to deliver an enhanced user experience.
Paying respect to one of the community’s biggest concerns – the size and volume of the building – the new facility presents itself as three small pavilions, creating permeability and transparency towards the horizon, and, critically, provides lifeguards with 180-degree views of the beach.
We set out to provide the most resilient building possible. Low-maintenance, hard-wearing materials were selected to withstand the harshest conditions, the coast’s first line. Now re-opened to the community, this new facility provides a more inclusive people-first space – breaking down barriers to welcome new visitors from right across the community.
The look and feel of the new Amenities Building complements our newly constructed Mona Vale SLSC. Made from predominantly precast concrete and stainless steel, this building is aesthetically pleasing to look at while maintaining the robustness that is required to combat its two main environmental factors – coastal factors and vandalism. The materials and fittings specified provides a low maintenance, hardwearing environment for all to use, including operational spaces for our lifeguards. This facility successfully utilises its position and is designed so our lifeguards have a 180-degree view of the beach to patrol from, even during inclement weather.
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.
