KENSINGTON COMMUNITY CENTRE
The Kensington Community Centre is located on a site originally occupied by the Kensington Bowling Club on the eastern edge of Kensington Park. The clubhouse and greens were built on Crown land in 1928. When the Club ceased to operate in 2013, the building and surrounds were passed back to the control of Randwick City Council. Following extensive community consultation, Council decided that the building be transformed into a Community Centre containing two separate halls, associated amenities and a range of external spaces.
The clubhouse presents as a low-slung face brick building with a hipped tiled roof structure. Over the years the building underwent a number of alterations and additions. The main architectural concept of the proposed works is to remove these additions and to reveal the original roof structure and massing of the building. This included conservation of the original liver coloured bricks walls and terracotta roof tiles. Many of the local community were particularly fond of the original building and were very pleased to see its original form being retained in the final design.
The central section of the building, which originally contained the open plan area of the bowling club, has been converted into two separate community halls. Amenities for each of the halls are located within the more subordinate spaces on the eastern and western ends of the building.
The Main hall is orientated in an east west direction, with a long elevation facing north. The hall opens out to an external covered space, which then connects directly to new landscaped area to the north. A new steel canopy provides shelter to this external space, which acts as a forecourt between the building and the park. The contemporary clean nature of the canopy design sits in contrast to the textural materials and hipped roof of the original building. Beyond the canopy a level flat grassed expanse was included as a memory of the original bowling greens.
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Project Team
Phil Moore, Stephen Evans, Tamarra LaneÂ
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Builder
Momentum Built
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Consultants
Planning – Helen Mulcahy
Structural Engineer – Partridge Engineering
Electrical Engineer – Jones Nicholson ConsultingÂ
Hydraulic Engineer – Whipps Wood Consulting
Access and BCA – AED Consulting
Land Surveyor – Denny Linker & Co.
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Client
Randwick City Council