MANGROVE CREEK DAM VISITOR CENTRE

MANGROVE CREEK DAM VISITOR CENTRE

When contacted by Central Coast Council, the brief was to recreate the Mangrove Creek Dam Visitor Centre, incorporating a new interactive visitor education centre, accessible amenities, picnic shelters and a children’s play area.

The design of the visitor centre comprises of a feature butterfly roof that is angled in 2 directions to embrace the views and orientation towards the dam.

Materials have been selected to reflect the natural environment and provide longevity and include natural finishes such as rammed earth, polished concrete, plywood, timber look screens, black steel and framing. The amenities building and picnic shelters have been designed with a similar aesthetic in order to provide a cohesive built form.

Apart from budget and time constraints, there were a number of other site constraints to overcome such as flamezone bushfire requirements, minimal maintenance and vehicular and accessibility requirements.

The collaborative design approach was key to the success of this project and input from expert consultants was obtained an at early stage in the design process. The design encourages insight into the natural environment, cultural heritage and highlights important components of the Central Coast’s water supply system.