Gold Coast City Design Competition

Bloc Design's competition entry for the Gold Coast Civic Centre Design Competition for the Gold Coast City Council.

Pine Rivers Q150 Project

The initial brief from Council required refurbishment of an existing outdoor stage, an increase in amphitheatre capacity and the provision of an iconic multi-use building that would facilitate greater use of the park and amphitheatre.

A recurring requirement was adaptability and multi-use. The project required consultation with various council departments and event stakeholders.

The resulting structures featured:

  • Control Tower - an iconic steel tube tower integrated into a grassed roof terrace/shelter (also used for filtration and gathering of rainwater) under which are located multi-use spaces, event management, amenity and storage areas.

  • Outdoor Stage - extension and refurbishment of the existing stage facility, including addition of performance change rooms and amenity, storage, adjustable stage size and backstage areas by use of sliding wall panels.

  • Lighting Platform - small 3 storey structure for mounting cameras and spot lighting and also incorporating audience viewing and shelter.

Kent Street Deck

The Hub on Kent is part of the Fraser Coast Regional Council's ‘Imagine This City’ programme. 

The project features recycled timber from old wharf buildings in Maryborough, as well as interactive multimedia presentations. Construction was completed at the beginning of September and the Hub officially opened in mid-September.

The site was previously just a burned down building, used only as a carpark. The deck is suspended at street level over the rear carpark, in order to provide a heritage experience and information hub for locals and tourists. The main timber feature wall is constructed from recycled timber, sourced from the recently demolished maritime wharf sheds along Kent St. We have created a historical “son et lumiere” experience with screening of old movies that showcase the history of Maryborough. Light panels will also have posters about the historical narrative of Maryborough. The other end, a “green wall”, has a LCD panel display of what is happening in town, as well as a business directory and free wi-fi spot.

At one end, the past of Maryborough is represented, and at the other, we present the current and future direction of the town.

The Hub will function as a rest space with a variety of seating, in addition to the rear bench. Buskers are intended to have a space here to perform permanently. The project has also been a catalyst for the opening of a new restaurant next door, which will be the first restaurant to open back in Maryborough since the first flood three years ago.

This project was completed whilst operating as a branch office of CORE Architecture. More work by CORE Architecture can be seen here www.corearch.com.au

Bowen Foreshore Catalina Memorial

Bloc Design was commissioned by Whitsunday Regional Council to design and document various building structures within the Foreshore Parklands precinct. Bloc Design worked closely with landscape consultant Tract in developing unique architectural and urban design solutions for a large public site with complex stakeholder requirements. In summary the project featured:

• Catalina Interpretation Centre – providing visitor information about the historic WWII Catalina Flying boats and a War Memorial Wall that commemorate those who served in various armed conflicts. The structure is iconic and allows the visitor a unique ‘cockpit’ experience with curved glass panels depicting the flying boats in their historic site context.
• Bowen Soundshell – a unique multi-purpose structure in the centre of the parklands strip provides an outdoor stage, backstage, service courtyard, ablutions, multi-purpose booths and a pavilion dedicated to the film ‘Australia’ (which was shot on site). The building has additional space and services for a future cafe.
• Various Amenity, BBQ and picnic area structures.
• Retaining most of the existing vegetation.
• Solutions to provide visitor shelter from wind and limit extent of steel corrosion.
• Rainwater harvesting

Tiaro Interpretive Centre

The Tiaro Interpretive Centre was completed in July 2014 and officially opened in mid-September. The Centre is located in Tiaro, approximately 27km south of Maryborough, beside the existing Tiaro Visitor Information Centre. Features include a new deck, a bronze sculpture of a Mary river turtle (known as 'Mr T' by the locals) and interpretive signage with information about the Mary River and the 'Giants of the Mary'.

This project was completed whilst operating as a branch office of CORE Architecture. More work by CORE Architecture can be seen here www.corearch.com.au