A hall among the trees – Matraville Youth and Community Hall by Sam Crawford Architects

A grove of mature native trees determined the plan of a new community hall for Randwick Council in Sydney’s eastern suburbs by Sam Crawford Architects (SCA).

According to director Sam Crawford, the site of the new Matraville Youth and Community Hall contained 18 mature native trees – a mix of banksia, paperbark, blackbutt and casuarina. The design process was both “extremely challenging and very rewarding”, but Crawford says his team appreciated Randwick Council’s commitment to sustainability throughout.

“Working with council staff and our arborist, we managed to finesse the layout of the building to retain 16 of those beautiful trees,” Crawford says.

Site and structure

The hall replaces a rundown 1950s steel-framed and clad structure on the site of a former migrant hostel, which had been used as a local meeting venue until the last few years.

It knits two adjoining areas together: a corner site and a parcel of crown reserve in a suburban area, drawing people in from different access points. The inverted L-shaped layout allowed the trees to be retained and celebrated, with a much-loved blackbutt tree informing the geometry of the entry sequence. Form and materiality are residential in scale, simple and sympathetic to the surrounding context.

“The building sits comfortably in the existing landscape, enveloped by the stunning trees, and [is] a beacon at night when lit from within,” SCA project architect Ben Chan adds.

A mixed-use building for the community

The local community had expressed a strong interest in a venue for dance, yoga, exercise classes and indoor sports. In response, SCA designed a flexible space, which features a large hall available for hire with a kitchen, accessible storage and toilets. A wide, covered verandah surrounding the building on three sides offers additional gathering space for special events such as community and cultural celebrations.

“The local community has embraced the new facilities (from 80th birthday parties to little kids’ soccer) and its new landscape (joggers and dog walkers),” Chan says.

Signposted with a playful skylight shaft of fibreglass, the entry is a beacon that lights the space and emits a soft glow at night. A wide stair and accessible pathway with a shaded verandah welcome visitors into a vestibule space, which features a mural by Indigenous artists Re-right Collective and local school kids. This entry lobby and a toilet corridor airlock are separated from the main hall, while storage is accessed directly from the main space.

Matraville’s materials

SCA selected materials for Matraville Youth and Community Hall based on their robustness, tactility and sustainability.

The main hall structure, walls and ceilings are made from glue-laminated plantation hardwood timbers and the floor is Australian hardwood.

“The use of sustainably sourced Australian timbers provides a warm and welcoming feel – something greatly appreciated by nearby residents,” Crawford says.

This interior softens a tough, yet playful expression on the exterior. Featuring painted brick in colours expressive of the local coastal environment, the exterior is made from corrugated Zincalume steel and polycarbonate.

Window openings in the hall and amenities provide a connection between the inside and out, curated to offer expansive views to the trees and adjacent reserve. A stack effect with a high opening to the north and a lower opening to the south increases natural ventilation and lighting in the hall, while large operable wall panels allow summer breezes to naturally cool the building.

Offering additional natural light and insulation, the southern wall is made of a translucent polycarbonate insulated wall system. Meanwhile, ceiling fans provide cooling, and in winter recirculate warm air generated by a reticulated underfloor heating system.

Matraville Youth and Community Hall’s considered materiality earned SCA a nomination for a Timber Design Award in the Public Buildings category, for which it was a finalist.