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COLORBOND
®
AWARD FOR STEEL ARCHITECTURE
COMMENDATION
ease of construction and material
use. It is also the first large scale
use of a new innovative Low-
Glare Coated (LGC) deckform,
which reduces visual and
orientation impairment caused
by glare, and reduces heat and
UV radiation, mading it safer and
more comfortable for workers on
site.
Notched steel blades create a
highly animated facade which
changes depending on the angle
of approach. This streetscape of
jagged forms is evocative of the
Illawarra escarpment, becoming
more open and transparent
as visitors are drawn into the
internal streets within. This is an
exemplary project that recognises
the integral role of shopping
centres to urban life and the
importance of being connected
to place and city.
Constructed in the home of
Australian steel, it might seem
an obvious choice of material
for the GPT Group’s Wollongong
Central, but the pressure to get
it right is perhaps greater than
if constructed elsewhere. From
its use of steel decking to aid
in speed of construction to the
animated ‘iron-oxide’ finished
blades of the Keira Street
facade, steel has allowed for an
impressive structure to be placed
on what was a difficult building
site in terms of materials access
and public interaction.
Almost all of the steel used in all
its various form comes from the
nearby Port Kembla steelworks.
This accomplishment is testament
of the close collaboration
and partnership between the
architects and design team,
construction team and supplier.
This project relied on composite
steel formwork to save on time,
Photography: Brett Boardman
The GPT Group’s Wollongong Central
HDR Rice Daubney
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