A new precinct plan, community centre building and revitalised Griffith Park at the heart of Bankstown’s commercial centre.

Set to become the new focal point for Bankstown community, Griffith Park’s multi-purpose space will include a community centre and park upgrade. A series of rain gardens and wetlands will structure the park, linking it to past connections with Salt Pan Creek and a strong First Nations heritage and identity. The community centre provides a place for movement, meetings, and learning.

As an architectural celebration of one of Western Sydney’s most vibrant multicultural communities, the community centre features a dramatic sweeping roof conceived as a richly coloured three-dimensional tapestry. EOC have been engaged since competition stage and through an integrated design approach during the design development, the structural solutions have evolved in parallel with the architectural intent, allowing technical precision without compromising the fluid, curved aesthetic of the building. Of which, steel columns were positioned to allow a clear external walkway along the building’s internal curved edge to maintain circulation without causing visual obstructions.

The centre’s primary structure comprises a steel frame supported on a ground floor slab. Particular attention was given to the design of roof members over the large open-plan areas, where geometry was rationalised to follow the pitched roof form whilst accommodating the offset relationship with the internal curved edge. In addition, roof beam depths were optimised relative to the column positions, beam spans, and cantilever lengths achieving structural efficiency. Digital design tools were used to reduce the material volume for bespoke roof trusses.

Location
Sydney, Australia

Client
Canterbury Bankstown City Council

Architect
Collins and Turner

Render
Collins and Turner