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The Bankstown Library
and Knowledge Centre is
a benchmark example of
determination, underpinned
by outstanding design.
From the initial rejection
of a brief which called
for the demolition of the
existing building, through
the dedication of staff who
salvaged heritage ceiling
panels and hand sanded
them, to the active hub of
local residents utilising a wide
range of internal settings,
this project is an example of
redemptive design.
The conceptual framework
provides clarity in both the
interior architectural solution,
and to the expansion of a
classic modern building.
Joinery is constructed from
warm salvaged timbers,
interior spaces are light,
elegant and tailored to
their purpose, and furniture
settings are varied – their
popularity and level of
use a testament to the
appropriateness of their
design. Every aspect of the
design is crafted, including
custom lighting, signage
and joinery elements, and
the central green wall is
the visible signboard of a
sustainable solution that goes
beyond rating systems. It is at
once civic and human scale;
accessible across generations
and cultures.
The program that currently
incorporates a new library
over 3 levels, a 300 seat
theatre, IT labs, conference
facilities, community meeting
rooms, scented reading
garden, a new cafe and
landscaped public domain is
continuously evolving. The
integration of new and old
is seamless, and the hybrid
design approach has not only
given new life to a threatened
asset but authenticity to the
new.
PROJECT TEAM
Practice Team:
Simon Barr
Project Architect
Laura Valentine
Project Architect
Annis Lee
Project Architect
Karina Kerr
Project Architect
Katherine Tracey
Project Architect
Consultant Team:
Taylor Thomson
Whitting
Structural Consultant
Steensen Varming
Mechanical
Consultant
Warren Smith &
Partners
Hydraulic Consultant
Acoustic Studio
Acoustic Consultant
Arup
Facade + Fire
Engineering
Accessibility
Solutions
Accessibility
Group DLA
BCA Consultant
Construction Team:
WATPAC
Builder
Established 2007
Named for the English-trained architect John
Verge, who arrived in the colony of Sydney
in the early 1830s, this award is given for
excellence in interior architecture.
20
m
0
5
10
Plan: Ground level
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE
JOHN VERGE AWARD
30