Electra Community Centre

Client

Date

2010

Awards

2010 Winner Design, Development and Management Award for Leisure Facilities’, Parks and Leisure Australia National Awards of Excellence

The Electra Community Centre is an important part of the City of Monash Council’s objective to develop and extend services and facilities within the municipality. The community centre is an integrated facility and accommodates a number of different community groups and clubs that cater for both indoor and outdoor activities. Central to the design of the Community Centre is the provision of environmentally sustainable design. An integrated approach for energy efficiency, occupant comfort and water harvesting has been implemented in the design. Passive design strategies were employed to reduce the cooling and heating load, including natural ventilation, external shading, increased building envelope performance and exposed thermal mass. Natural ventilation is provided through low-level louvres on the façades, and high level exhausts. This delivers both fresh air and large energy savings. Daylight reaches deep into internal spaces, while shading to the northern façade, light shelves and high performance double glazing control the internal spaces. The system incorporates light sensors and automatic dimming as natural lighting permits, ensuring optimum balance.

Photography by Rhiannon Slatter.

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