On a small forgotten street in Lake Macquarie, New South Wales, a colourful civic structure cuts a jagged line in the sky, creating a collective living room for the community.

Designed by Adriano Pupilli Architects (APA), Windale Hub, bilyabayi, represents the evolution of Lake Macquarie’s former community hall and an opportunity gateway for the disadvantaged. With a nod to the original structure, the high-tech facility was designed to create a shared space where the community can feel safe and included. Spanning three sites, it features a brand-new community hall, an expansive public library, community offices, meeting rooms and flexible social spaces such as the youth maker space.

“It broke my heart to see the old community hall go,” principal architect Adriano Pupilli tells ADR. “We wanted to reference it and keep its spirit alive in the new building. The challenge was always ‘how do you combine everything’ – potentially conflicting programmatic elements – and do it in a way that they support each other rather than conflict.”

In what the designer calls a “collective living room”, the hub is a space where members of the community can gather indoors or out and feel like they belong. It’s also a place that offers learning opportunities, such as a barista training kiosk, music studio and multi-use event space. Off the community hall is a tiered grass seating area. The car park offers a multi-purpose area, capable of hosting markets, music concerts and other community events.“For example, let’s say there’s a band practising in the music studio and they get good enough to the point they feel like they want to perform. There’s a natural progression to use the terrace stairs as a performance space,” Pupilli says.

He compares these unifying features to the relationships that existed in the old community hall, where people naturally gathered before and after events – “but doing it in a contemporary way”.

A façade inspired by nature and community inclusion

Pupilli’s vision for the physicality of the project was to bring colour and life into a street that had been left behind for so long. For him, it was more than just a building – it was a space where people gather, learn and celebrate the area’s cultural diversity. “This was about creating a catalyst for transformation,” he muses. “From one side, you see a white undulating form, but as you move [around the building], vibrant colours reveal themselves. The way the façade changes with the time of day and the seasons adds an element of surprise.”

The integration of colours, visible through the perforated metal screen of the façade, ties the building back to its connection with the land. “Our approach was to draw from the local landscape, using the colours of the wildflowers and the national park nearby to bring that connection into the building’s design,” Pupilli shares.

Atop the library and zig-zagging down the expanse of Lake Street, the angled roof of Windale Hub is a defining architectural feature that responds to its mixed urban and bush surroundings. It subtly rises and falls, echoing the pitched forms of nearby post-war social housing while gradually scaling up. “The roof forms draw from the old hall’s gabled structure,” Pupilli says. “It starts lower to relate to the neighbouring houses and gradually rises towards the commercial centre, signalling the presence of the community hall while maintaining a connection to the residential scale.”

This dynamic form bridges the transition between residential and retail spaces but also serves a functional purpose – creating vertical space for high-level windows that invite the warmth of natural light to blanket the wide open space inside. The roof’s apex further enhances the openness of the community hall. Its lower points provide a more intimate scale for workspace and quiet areas, where artwork by local Aboriginal artist Saretta Fielding and Sydney-based artist Jade Oakley add a First Nations presence.

Thoughtfully considered interior spaces cater to everything a township needs to promote community and wellbeing, from kids at storytime to eager job hunters printing out job applications and free-spirited youth playing video games or just hanging out.

A place for growth

Windale Hub reimagines what a community space can be, intertwining function, history and cultural identity. Every design decision Pupilli made is a testament to his dedication to his craft and his reading of the needs of a community. The project supports the elevation of the township, empowering the less fortunate by creating a modern cultural hub. More than just a library, it is a foundation for growth, fostering education and social connection in an area long in need of such a resource. By respecting the past and embracing new possibilities, it stands as a catalyst for change – an inspiring space that not only serves its community but encourages it to shape the future together.

“This building is more than just a library; it’s a place that empowers the community, offering opportunities for education, creativity and connection that will shape the future of Windale” Pupilli says.

Images supplied.

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