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St Ives Cultural & Environmental Education Centre

Client:
Ku-ring-gai Municipal Council

Program:
Community Facility, Courtyard Garden, Sustainable Design

Scale:
570 sqm

Year:
2019 - Ongoing

Scope:
Design, Documentation, Site Services

Team:
Bangawarra, McGregor Coxall, ADP, Lo-Fi, SDA, Advance Building Approvals, Keystone

Location:
St Ives, NSW

Status:
In Progress


The St Ives Cultural & Environmental Education Centre’s (CEEC) main function will be the delivery of environmental education, aimed at facilitating increased environmental awareness in the community and behavioral change for the benefit of the environment. To achieve this Council and the Design Team are embracing the Living Building Challenge which is the most rigorous benchmark of sustainability in the built environment. Living buildings connect occupants to light, air, food, nature, and community to become truly regenerative. As such, the building has been designed with community and sustainability as the core guiding principles, including passive solar design, solar panels, water collection and biophilic design. The building has been positioned carefully within the beautiful natural setting of the St Ives Showground to take in the most amazing views across an existing lawn. The main spaces (a workshop space and an exhibition space supported by reception/office and meeting room) have been organised around an open garden courtyard which provides a place for the community to come together and connect to nature. The spaces allow for maximum flexibility, numerous activities as well as places for repose and reflection with covered outdoor areas and a small kiosk/café. Rammed earth walls, concrete floors and a large roof structure fitted with a hardwood timber soffit along with timber joinery make up a simple, beautiful, sustainable and robust materials palette for the project.