DESIGN STATEMENTThis design proposal is defined by the creation of a new civic heart for Fremantle.At its centre is a space for the people of Fremantle: the City Lawn. A green space which provides a place for gathering, and is partially sheltered by a welcoming verandah. This ‘City Lawn’ slopes up gently from High St extending the public space deep into the site and allowing it to support the passive enjoyment of Kings Square – somewhere to lunch with your friends, catch up on your email while lying on the grass or have coffee while the children play cha-sey. The lawn also supports more active functions, providing an informal amphitheatre for street performances and council events. A generous terrace is positioned at the top of this inclined plane of lawn – this terrace is pro-tected by a large verandah providing an ‘Urban Room’ that is a valuable and usable outdoor space. Adjacent the terrace, and within the building lies a singular building element: the eliptical ‘Civic Drum’. At the terrace level contains the ‘Community Room’ – a room that provides a space for community groups to gather, interact and exchange ideas. Surrounding this central suite of community spaces is the council offices. The offices are con-tained within a series of adaptable floor plates with rationally designed cores to ensure fu-ture flexibility of the office spaces. The offices have the potential to be divided into two completely separate tenant spaces with separate lift cores and access. At the top of the building, the ‘Civic Drum’ contains the Council Chambers which is surrounded by generous foyer spaces and has ac-cess to a roof terrace for functions.The library is located on a single large floor plate at lower ground level, with generous water courts providing natural light and ventilation. The library space is a contemplative retreat from the vibrant streets above. The library has its own street front entry, allowing it to operate inde-pendently of the council offices and connects to the Town Hall as a break-out space.The experience of the building at street level is one of transparency and activation. Strate-gically located cafe tenancies provide life to Kings Square and William St, while the main entry of the building activates Newman Court. The transparency extends to the upper levels of the building, providing good surveillance of the key outdoor spaces.Materially, the building is conceived as a series of sandstone formations rising up to sup-port a delicate glass prism. White planar masonry forms hover above the streets and define the large verandah. The architecture is clear and coherent, while the dynamic spatial links are complex and varied. The sandstone references the key historical buildings of Fremantle. The white planar masonry alludes to the colour of the ocean liners that frequent the port city.In summary the proposal:• Is a strong piece of contemporary architecture that is capable of adapting to future uses• Re-establishes a civic heart to Fremantle through the creation of a large and usable public space as an extension of Kings Square• Creates a suite of delightful community spaces that encourage both passive and active uses, through the creation of a Civic Lawn, Terrace and Community Room• Creates a memorable design through the singular Verandah space – a gesture of welcome and shelter to the people of Fremantle• Interprets Fremantle’s historical and geological contexts through the use of bold contemporary forms and materials• Successfully re-establishes the qualities of Kings Square by respectfully reinforcing the height datum of the Town Hall and creating a series of active and dynamic uses around the building at ground levelVIEW EAST FROM HIGH STREET

ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE DESIGNThe proposed design will be an exemplar for Environmentally Sustainable Design. As the GBCA Green Star provides rating tools for both Office Buildings and Public Buildings, the design has been analysed under both tools. In both cases, the pro-posed design achieves a 5-star Green Star rating with 10% additional points. To achieve these points, the design proposes using innovative technologies such as those indicated in the section above.

The results of the Green Star assessment using the Office Buildings Tool are outlined below;

the creation of a new civic heart for Fremantle....

While the Green Star tool is both best practice and the Australian industry standard for achieving a level of environmental sustainability, the proposal is also focused on the more holistic and passive elements of environmental design. The orienta-tion of the building makes full use of the benefits of passive solar design while the verandah roof provides shading to cater for the strong summer sun and protection from south westerly winds. The narrow floor plates and double height spaces through central public space also allow for possible natural cross ventilation. The design achieves its environmental credentials through best practice, tried and tested innovative technologies and an understanding of the Fremantle’s climatic conditions. Together these approaches create a cost-effective design which will be economic to maintain.

While the Green Star tool is both best practice and the Australian industry standard for achieving a level of environmental

VIEW SOUTH FROM KINGS SQUARE

ESD STRATEGIES

Urban room / Public space as extension of St. John’s Triangle

Key community space at heart of building

Strategic activation and pedestrian circula-tion at ground level

GROUND LEVEL PLAN 1:250 VIEW OF ENTRANCE FROM NEWMAN COURT

GROUND KEY

1. CAFE2. VISITORS CENTRE3. CITY LAWN4. MAIN ENTRANCE5. EXHIBITION SPACE6. RECEPTION7. LIBRARY ENTRY & TOWNHAL BREAK-OUT8. OFFICE9. END OF TRIP FACILITIES10. LOADING BAY11. CAFE/RESTAURANT12. COVERED PEDESTRIAN CONNECTION13. VOID TO LIBRARY14. LIFT LOBBY15. MAIN LIFT LOBBY16. PUBLIC SERVICE COUNTER17. PUBLIC TOILETS18. AL FRESCO DINING AREA19. FOYER/FUNCTION SPACE20. RETRACTABLE SEATING21. COMMERCIAL/RETAIL22. NEW TOILETS23. LIFT24. KITCHEN25. BACK OF HOUSE26. LOADING DOCK ACCESS

VIEW WEST FROM QUEEN STREET

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Strategically located cafes provide life to Kings Square and William St, while the main entry of the building activates Newman Court.

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VIEW NORTH WEST FROM WILLIAM STREET

LANDSCAPE KEY

A. STONE PAVINGB. GRASSC. WATER MIRRORD. RAISED PLANTERE. STONE GARDENF. PLANTER SEATING

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the library is a contemplative retreat from the vibrant streets above...

LOWER GROUND KEY

1. RECEPTION2. ADULT/FICTION COLLECTION3. I.T. CATALOGUE4. LOUNGE5. MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM6. HISTORY CENTRE7. CHILDREN’S COLLECTION8. OFFICES

LOWER GROUND LEVEL PLAN 1:250

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VIEW INTO LIBRARY FROM HIGH STREETVIEW UP THROUGH LIBRARY ENTRYVIEW OF LIBRARY INTERIOR

VIEW OF LIBRARY WATER COURT

LEVEL 2 PLAN 1:250 LEVEL 3 PLAN 1:250LEVEL 1 PLAN 1:250

SECTION X 1:250 SECTION Y 1:250

LEVEL 1 KEY

1. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OFFICE2. COMMUNITY ROOM2A. COMMUNITY ROOMS IN EXISTING TOWN HALL3. CITY LAWN4. BREAK-OUT AND EXHIBITION SPACE5. PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES6. VOID7. TERRACE

LEVEL 2 KEY

8. TECHNICAL SERVICES OFFICE9. STAFF LOUNGE AND BREAK-OUT10. CORPORATE SERVICES DIRECTOR’S OFFICE11. VOID12. STAFF BALCONY

LEVEL 3 KEY

13. TERRACE14. FUNCTION SPACE15. COUNCIL CHAMBERS16. BREAK-OUT SPACE17. ELECTED MEMBER’S OFFICE18. CIVIC RECEPTION19. COMMITTEE ROOM20. BOARD ROOM21. COUNCILLOR’S LOUNGE22. PROJECT OFFICER’S OFFICE23. PA’s OFFICE24. GOVERNANCE PM OFFICE25. TOWN CLERK’S OFFICE26. MAYOR’S OFFICE

The offices are contained within a series of adaptable floor plates, with rationally designed cores to ensure future flexibility of the office spaces....

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SECTIONS KEY1. COUNCIL CHAMBER2. SOCIAL SPACE3. COMMUNITY ROOM4. EXHIBITION SPACE5. MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM6. CITY LAWN7. LIBRARY8. ENTRANCE FOYER9. OFFICES10. VISITORS CENTRE11. TERRACE12. LIBRARY ENTRANCE AND TOWN HALL BREAK OUT

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HIGH STREET ELEVATION 1:250

NEWMAN COURT ELEVATION 1:250

WILLIAM STREET ELEVATION 1:250

the building is conceived as a series of sandstone formations rising up to support a delicate glass prism. White planar masonry forms hover above the streets and define the large verandah...

EXPLODED AXONOMETRIC

VIEW OF COUNCIL CHAMBER

VIEW EAST BENEATH VERANDAH

SECTION THROUGH CIVIC DRUM AND LIBRARY

the verandah is well protected from the elements, providing an ‘Urban Room’ that is a valuable and usable outdoor space...

VIEW DOWN HIGH STREET

VIEW OF RECEPTION

The design seeks to re-establish the qualities of Kings Square by reinforcing the height datum of the Town Hall. At it’s centre is a space for the people of Fremantle... a new civic heart

LANDSCAPE DESIGN

The proposal integrates the different existing buildings and landscape elements into a singular environment of distinct character and identity.

Linear stone paving unifies the surface treatment of the whole square ensuring durability and low maintenance.Within this paving layout, a band of traditional cobble stones marks the axis of the historic High Street.

The existing Moreton Bay Fig Trees have been integrated into large stone frames that define the different spaces of the square.

A raised sculptural stone garden provides an ample and shaded sitting area below the canopies of the trees west of the church.

In the area closer to Queen Street, a long water mirror amplifies St. John’s Church’s presence with its reflection and de-fines a more contemplative space.

The sloping civic lawn of the Urban Room further engages the municipal building and the public square, blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces.

The project proposes to transform King’s Square into a vibrant and iconic center for the city of Fremantle, offering distinct and flexible spaces were civic life can thrive – A memorable gathering destination to meet and celebrate outdoor life.

VIEW EAST EAST ACROSS THE REFLECTION POND VIEW NORTH UP HIGH STREET

VIEW NORTH ALONG NEWMAN COURT

VIEW WEST ACROSS THE REFLECTION POND