THE Narbethong Hall, opened in November last year, has won a national award for its designers BVN Architects.
The $1.8million building which replaced the community hall lost in the Black Saturday bushfires was one of three projects to win an Australian Institute of Architecture National Award for Public Architecture.
Judges praised the innovation and spirit of both the architects and the local Narbethong community, saying the building heralded a new beginning and nurtured the community which had lost so much.
“At night it appears as a glimmering beacon, transparently defining the activities of the local community and drawing upon the strength of local spirit,” the award commendation said.
The project was driven by the local community with all the professional services including architecture, engineering and surveying provided pro-bono and most of the building services and materials delivered at a reduced cost.
Narbethong Public Hall Committee spokesperson Jennifer Wood said the committee was thrilled with the award.
“We are really happy that Ninotschka Titchosky, the architect, has received acknowledgement for the wonderful job she has done,” Ms Wood said, adding she did the job for the community pro-bono.
The building was designed to meet the high Bush Fire Attack level requirements and being close to a bush reserve required innovative solutions.
The architects in their submission said the floor to ceiling double glazing and exterior of bronze meshfire resistant screening were part of that response.
The awards judges said BVN had worked cleverly within the constraints of the new building regulations to create a building that did not feel restricted.
They noted the interior design and the use of the stunning floor-to-ceiling vertical timber blades which they said referenced the history of Narbethong as a timber town and the elegance of the Black Spur landscape and defined the various spaces within the hall.
Ms Wood said Ms Titchosky wanted to have a more transparent building to enable people to see the vibrancy of the community and that aspect was singled out by the judges.
She said the Narbethong community had enjoyed some fantastic events at the hall in its first year and were thrilled to have it recognised at a national level.
