Richmond Shire Council

Richmond, Queensland (2010-2011)

Brief & Context

In 2010 Richmond Shire Council invited Studio Mango to visit Richmond and discuss options for their decaying Council Administration Building, with a view to advising the feasibility of repairing it or embarking on a new building across the road. We soon concluded that the existing building was not worth repairing, having little architectural merit and being significantly damaged. We also advised that a new building on the existing site could be crowded and compromised.

Over the next night and day we wandered through Richmond absorbing it’s character. A beautiful outback town surrounded by vast savannah, it’s key industries are cattle and dinosaur fossil tourism. They have a very successful tourist venture, The Kronosaurus Corner, based around a Pliosaur fossil originating from the time Richmond was an inland sea. It was this fossil around which we eventually based our design.The presentation to Council the next day was an instant success with everyone embracing the concept.

Design Approach

The Pliosaur shape was surprisingly practical, being able to combine a library in it’s head, reception and public meeting rooms in the front flippers, offices and chambers in the two ribs, ancillary spaces in the other flippers, and the spine acting as a circulation corridor. It could orient north and take in views out across to the Flinders River. Roof forms help suggest the shape without being too literal – it’s an abstract dinosaur!

Other design elements such as expressed timber ribs added to the effect without compromising functionality.

Materials

The building uses a range of materials with low maintenance and muted colours to suit the outback landscape. Zinc roofing was used for the spine to enable low pitches with complex falls and guarantee water tightness. Other roof elements were differentiated with different colorbond hues and profiles.

Curved walls to the head and flippers were designed in core filled polystyrene blocks to enable a fully insulated wall that could also have an earthy, cement rendered appearance inside and out. The opposing curved walls are in a dark, rough sawn plywood with a closely spaced chunky batten effect. Finally, the rib walls are left simple with wide glazing and a basic fibre cement panel.

Sustainability

The building is highly insulated with the main office space oriented towards the north. There are massive overhangs, not just to control heat gain, but also glare. Richmond gets bloody hot, so roofs are double insulated using both a bulk insulation system as wall as a closed cell foam bonded to reflecting aluminium foil with air gaps. The building will be air conditioned most of the year, but spaces can be closed off, windows opened, and ceiling fans can provide localised additional coooling

Design Team & Builder

Mango Team: James Maude, Nicole Ewing, Liam Froggatt, Melanie Jackson