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INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE
ARCHITECTURE AWARD
are robust enough to withstand
them. The multi-function space
below provides a supervised
play area, but also converts to a
function space with commercial
kitchen for wedding receptions
or community meetings. The
suite of other spaces at the lower
level includes amenities, rehearsal
space for musicians, offices and
community meeting rooms.
If the number of people coming
and going in a church space at
9am on a Monday morning is any
measure of the success, then St
Barnabas Church is a model. Not
only has this building achieved a
carefully crafted meditative space,
it has also delivered a highly
flexible building that minimised
capital cost and ongoing
operational cost. It has rebuilt a
rapidly expanding community in
the heart of the city.
St Barnabas Church was rebuilt
after a destructive fire. Today,
a new building is the heart of
an inner-city community. The
clarity of form, quality of light
and material elegance channel
spirituality, which is the essence
of worship.
Dedication is required to achieve
simplicity. Integrated into this
strong architectural concept
is a full range of engineering
disciplines. The arrival foyer and
worship space is conditioned with
only tempered air and lit mainly
by natural light. The resolution of
the functional program allows the
worship space to be utilised for
meetings, dinners and concerts,
when the space is a container for
human communities in action.
Children are a carefully
considered asset to the
community, and they engage with
the forms of the church which
Photography: John Gollings
St Barnabas Church
Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (fjmt)
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE
COMMENDATION
Inside the Charles Perkins Centre,
the energy of the sinuous white
ribbons of the stair and balcony
balustrades is a dynamic symbol
for this world-leading research
and education hub. The focus
on interdisciplinary research in
areas of obesity, diabetes and
cardiovascular disease underpins
the concept of walkability around
these organic forms in the main
atrium space. This space is the
centrepiece for the seamless
integration of the different
disciplines accommodated in
state of the art laboratories,
visible behind glazed screens
and in open write-up areas.
Collaborative hubs distributed
around the atrium showcase
design that is warm, human and
tailored.
Students access the building
through the main atrium,
inspiring and engaging. Student
lounges, teaching spaces and the
Photography: Andrew Chung
Charles Perkins Centre
Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (fjmt) +
Building Studio (architects in association)
superlab utilise state of the art
technology to optimise teaching
and learning outcomes. The
building also houses a ground
floor clinic where research is
applied to health outcomes,
linking the research centre to the
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. The
upper provides a casual meeting
place for all staff, with an outlook
over the leafy campus.
The powerful interior architecture
of the main atrium, whilst it
provides the inevitable hero shot
for this impressive organisation,
is not the full story. The success
of the Charles Perkins Centre’s
interior architecture also
incorporates meticulous, world
leading laboratory design, finely
detailed collaborative spaces,
and the types of social spaces
in demand from the broader
university community.
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