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tis more lhan 20 years since Oueanboven rece1ved a new pubhc buildmg of such significance. But now wnh the opening ol the four-level NSW Government Services Cuntre (lhe John Aklster Bu1ldmg, named olter lhe former Labor mambtr for Monaro). d'lts cous1n of Canberra on lhe New Soulh Wales stote border IS raassartmg rts idanmy as 1 major re9tonal centre and Slgnlttng reStOftd ltJth 1n its futuft
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Destgn O.rectet on IN prOJec~ Ptullp VMan from Bates Smart Atchttac-ts. dascnbes the budd•ng as "bold end uncompi'om1S1ng·. So, perhaps not surprisingly,lhe blllld1ng"s jOumev from concept to compleuon was d1fficuh and conuovarsi1l. When lhe architects explained to Counc~ lhat the wealhenng steel cladding used for the folded roof plene and slatted sun-screening lowres was 1ntendod to age mto an oxided crust resembling the bnck bu•ldtngs which are its neighbours in the town·s civ1c pree1nCl. the response was "Why not JUst do a bnck buildmg?"
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"The whole idea is to create fra med views to open space. Uueanbeyan is a very open town and we di£ln't want a building that simply sat there" Then. as the building was going up, there was dobato in Council end the pross. People wanted to know: "When are vou going to paint it?". But tho intendant at the police station oppositel1ked it and Project Architect Alben Gregori recalls that he was cornered by a photographer lrom the local newspaper at the openmg In the buJid1ng·s spectacular foraeourt who confided: "I was sent down hero to rubbish lhe buikbng. But I can' do it - I love itr The building 1slhe first to be dolrvered from 'greenfield" to cornptouon by tho NSW Stett Propenv Aulhority. estobiiShed in 2006 to wnprove operational efficiencies in lhe use of Government propomes. It ts also a prototype for a prOJICttd roii·OUl of muttJ.. agency oenues- 'one·stop shops' - on New South Wales. The John A)Jstar Bu11d1ng consoltdltes 13 government aganctts. The 11m tS to provide a Stng-le mformatJon po1nt for oovemment services and more access1ble and effie1ent sorvicas and, 1n so dotno. reduce costs and ellmmato dupllcauon of suppon serv1ccs and butlding management costs. Fittingly, thi$ heraldiC bu1ld1ng stands lin Farrer Place I at the gateway to Ouoanboyan and forms pan ol the civic precinct which meludes the law courts, the police station. the pollee museum and an information centre. end it bocks onto the showg1ounds which also include sovoral historic brick buildings. Although tho aim was elwevs to design e modern building, tho architects left It lmponont to respect the existing scale and cheractor of tho town - Its verandahs. wide streets and brick buildings. In this way, tloo
buitdrng would eomptement the h.istorieat town and play 1 role in eff~rming Queanbeyans identity. The 81111, says VMan. was to boild ·something wllich is bo1h CMC, I>Utalso of ns pll Ce.
"Tho wholo odu.· he e>q)lains, "is to create framed views to open space. Oueanbeyan is a very open town and we didn't want a building lhat simply sat theft. The building has two bars at the cores. So, it was a case of slipping these two bars at erther end to framo tho open space. This creates the gesture ot a large civic lorecou" at one end and at the other to frame the break·out spaces and the views through to tho showgrounds. So, you get the sense of a building with very solid ends and open and framed vistas.· The butldrng rs set back from the street and steps up to t111 grond entry of the fa<ecourt. with an 1mposing anod1sed SJQn set mto an off· form concrete watl. A colonnade runs down the sueet facade wh11e there are four government departments wtuch. for secunty and privacy reasons, requrre thetr own ground·floor shop-fronts. All tile other governmem departments are accessed through the forecourt into the pub he lobby, which serves as en information centro end informal meeting area.
Tho greet visual gesture is the folded roof planes which both define the building end break up its mass, allowing It to engage with the landscape end its urban context The cladding. including the customised sunscreen louvres on tho street facade, Is XI.£RPlATE UTE'" HW350 steel "ltis," says ViVIan, "custom cladcling.l(s custem·folded usrng tllo sheet d1mens.ons. We cut them in half and creeted tilt cladding drmensoon and thon loldod rt.• It os 1 suategy used once before by Bates Sma" on 1ts Headqut"ers Training Command Building at Sydney's Victona Barracks in 2001. The sheets are held together using horitontal welded joints, In this case bun joints with a flashing 10 allow tor expansion. The overall process minimised wastage, reduced downtime on silo ond eliminated the hazard of metalworkers having 10 weld up in the air.
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The innovative aspect of the building, according
to Vivian. is not so much the use of the material, but more to do with "the correct detailing and how the building was constructed". The detailing, for example, minimises run-off from the sheets in areas which mighl affect !he public. '"There was a needless concern," says Gregori.
..about people walking under the building coming into contact with oxidisation. However, it's been detailed to address all such issues that have in the past arisen in the use of weathering steel." Hence, !he walls run
down into a gravel· filled spoon drain so that any water coming down the walls is disposed there, rather than splashing onto the paving. The paving has also been pattjally pre-stained to camouflage any oxidisation that may fall on to it This mixture of bush-hammered. exfoliated and honed stone also gives the paving a constantly changing texture. The use of nawrally weathering steel achieved e number of objectives lor !he architects. Its tough appearance echoes the rugged and windswept Monaro Plains, thus helping to anchor the building in its landscape context Its patina will, over time. also weather to reflect the historic brick buildings ol Oueanbeyan. Moreover, as a weathering material it does not require painting or a lot of maintenance.
The use of weathering steal also gave the architects the opportunity to crea1e a rich patene. The interiors of the extruded folds are compressed while cement sheeting. creating a dramatic contrast - what Vivian refers to as a "rustic exterior and refined rnterior* -between !he soffits of !he roo I planes and the crisp interiors and expansive through·views.
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The roof is LYSAGHT KUP·LO~ profile made from COLORBONO• steel in !he colour Woodland Grey" . It collects all rainwater for landscape irrigation and is one of a cluster of sustainable strategies which have gained !he building a 4.5 star ABGR rating. The building is on a nonh·west axis, with natural light maximised by floor·to·cciting glazing (high performance double-glazlng, argon-filled 10 deal wi!h the cold winters).
PANEL SAYS This is a refreshing new office building typo,
one that eschews concrete construction and opts instead lor the drama of XlERPLATE UTf'M HW350 weathering steel. Veering away from !he ordinary and unremarkable,
To reduce the resulting heating and cooling loads, the architects have extended each floor slab 10 create a shaded ..verandah· like space". Customised weathering steel louvres are used on the western (street) facade, angled down and bolted 10 fine mild steel venical pipes which - along with the slender off·form concrete columns- form a filigree referencing !he interplay of horizontals and verticals in Oueanbeyan's historic verandahs. The public and break·out spaces are mixed·mode to allow for naturalventilation.
!he architects have steered towards !he
The use of weathering steel selVes a number of strategies- environmental, aesthetic, sustainable and contextual. The changing surface and materiality of the steel sets up an impressive counterpoint of colours and textures, while the white compressed cement interior planes, stone. the black anodised panels and anodised aluminium windows create a building right lor its place. And for once, the term iconic might be just the right epithet for a building which is certain to help shape a contemporary identity lor historic Oueanbeyan. "')
visitors reason to pause and reflect on the
bold and uncompromising. D1e resulling building roforonces its immediate end wider
surroundings, and effortlessly integrates sustainable design initiatives to enhance
occupant comfort. By far !he most impressive feature, !hough, is 1he building's grand entrance- where a massive awning shelters a generous forecourL It imparts a dramatic
quality 10 the threshold, which 1n1ght give building's physical and metaphorical presence.
I ARCHITECTS f 11 PROJECTTEAM P PROJECT r W , ·• • ' ! Ser C. '' IP ec 0 rc tors A b r: Greg 1 IP tltt A durecll '~•Ill 0.,\' tOes 1 A M J lin! tor 0 i;l!l Le r. t, Erab • U11! a J ~ Srntaton·Out U 8111 !Juf R•third Cr o n Can Hu to l d5t.JP T 1 ill'SI(JI. 8CA & f.,, 11 r,1 tlo,., • ,'J Assot Jlts A Q t1 1\ CoruU• u.o., M , tr R•thollt.! trookes Con •• 1+01'! Mttch4 tal S rv es C t t E e 1 Sot • PRINCIPAl STnl COMPONENTS Roofu 8 uoStDPGI'tSAGHT I< LIP LOI( prof !i iUi I • COL ORB ON t'l u, c ,1 '\\oo r d G•ev coo c
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