Eynesbury Discovery Centre

Eynesbury is part of a pastoral estate first settled by the Staughton family in the 1850s. The estate was ultimately acquired by the Baillieu Family, who successfully managed the property before identifying the opportunity to develop a new residential estate on part of the land. However this would be no ordinary subdivision, but rather a new township with a supporting town centre including retail and community facilities, laid out using New Urbanist principles.

Demaine Partnership was approached design a new Discovery Centre and Community Centre for the township. This facility acts as a sales centre for the township, and also provides community space for residents in the first stage of the development. The chosen site fronts a lake, created as part of the original Eynesbury Station estate, and the design adopts a simple rural vernacular that takes advantage of the setting. The use of materials such as weatherboard, use of details such expressed eaves, pergolas and boardwalk terraces over the lake, give this small building a visual integrity. This is reinforced by the rich program contained within the building, which includes the sales centre, a café, convenience shop, health centre and multifunction meeting hall.

Principal Consultant

Demaine Partnership Pty Ltd

Client

Eynesbury Joint Venture

Scope of Project

Sales Centre, Convenience shop, Café, Community Centre

Project Designer

Michael Jeffreson

Location

Eynesbury, Victoria, Australia