The new Amenities building and kiosk at Stuart Park, Hinton, won the Small Project Architecture Commendation in the 2023 Newcastle Architecture Awards last Friday 18 November 2022.
The project included the ‘retirement’ of the existing public amenities, sports change room and associated ‘temporary’ kiosk, replaced with a more modern facility for an expanding user base in Hinton Rugby, Cricket and Tennis Clubs. Despite the upgrade, the site’s natural and historic values, and its “backyard” setting have been maintained – a key criteria of the brief.
The build included new change room facilities, progressive uni-sex shared bathrooms, a standalone kiosk and associated storage, first aid and referees change rooms, and an accessible public toilet.
The Architectural Team presented much needed modern features and inclusions for the new facility, along with robust materials that could withstand the frequent use of sporting teams and school groups, reducing maintenance demands and increasing resilience to damage/graffiti.
The scale and relationships of the buildings were carefully considered throughout the design phase with input from the local community with the new facilities accommodating multiple user groups.
Notable architectural features of the building include:
- distinctive duel pitched roof forms
- thermally treated timber soffits and ceiling linings
- exposure of structural steel sections within the façade of the buildings to articulate and soften the elongated forms
- soldier course / patterned brickwork
- perforated mesh doors and screening elements used to reduce vandalism and improve ventilation
- softer materials such as locally sourced spotted gum have been used to create a curved batten façade directing movement into the site and screen circulation space within the unisex bathroom.
Funding for the project benefited from multiple funding sources including the Crown Reserve Improvement Fund and Port Stephens Council Remake 2020.
The building was officially completed and ready for community use in February 2022. During the recent extreme weather events in June 2022, the facility doubled as an emergency evacuation facility providing an unintended community benefit.
