| | Toilets are generally not high on the list of ‘desirable’ or ‘fashionable’ conversation points, but every now and then something comes along to put the humble loo in the limelight. The surprise cinema success ‘Kenny’ rates a mention, but the real winner at the 2006 NSW RAIA awards was Lahz Nimmo’s Centennial Park Amenities Blocks.
The project commission was won by Lahz Nimmo Architects through a shortlisted paid competition process, undertaken to find a contemporary design for five new amenities blocks in Sydney’s Centennial Park: a sprawling, high-traffic parkland reserve bordered by the city’s high-end Eastern suburbs - a favourite hang-out spot for around 5 million tourists, picnickers, joggers, cyclists, outdoor cinema and concert patrons every year.
Lahz Nimmo’s amenities blocks were essentially designed to do what all toilets do – exist primarily for utility’s sake without intruding aesthetically. The point of distinction here is that this design actually contributes to its surroundings, subtly highlighting the Australian bush-ruralism of the urban parkland.
The design strategy involved the creation of a template for five linear, landscape-based buildings which could adhere to the existing pathway systems in the park, but also act as a backdrop to the natural landscape. Lahz Nimmo also had a desire to bring the parkland ‘into’ the amenities block, and to create a shared space for female and male users. An elongated rectangular layout consists of two ‘pavilions’ – one male and one female – each with a slatted timber screen covering the front façade, admitting vast amounts of light without compromising privacy. Project architect Andrew Lamond was determined to overcome the grimy darkness and poor ventilation that inevitably features in most public toilet facilities. This, it must be said, has certainly been achieved. Light filters in at any time of the day, either through the slats, or in the space between screen and wall. Each of the low-sitting, box-like structures finds a surprising amount of openness in its central breezeway and timber battens, creating the sense of being simultaneously visible and invisible. The opposing ends are linked by a central open entryway and communal ‘water trough’ wash area with an outward aspect into the bushes and grassland beyond; a view that varies depending on the location of each of the five buildings. The overall effect is thoroughly Australian: a mix of Aboriginal wood sculpture, casual bamboo garden partition, and homestead verandah.
The five such structures are arranged evenly throughout the 189 hectares of Centennial Park, each with its own local outlook and duty to fulfil. The first is among the cricket sightscreens adjacent to the McKay Sports Ground; another fitted between the trees and Lachlan Reserve on Dickens Drive; as a foreground to Federation Pavilion on Grand Drive; on the open cricket fields at Centennial Square; and looking out over Musgrave and One Shot Ponds with an adjoining barbeque and picnic area. At each site, what is essentially a bright, open bathroom replaces what would ordinarily be a dank, uninviting concrete box; the sturdy detailing offering a subtle ‘service with a view’ onto the Victorian landscape and woody bushland. The park’s central depot facilities building – with change and lunchroom facilities for park staff – completes the low-lying linear theme, cut from the same Lahz Nimmo design template.
The healthy, natural rationale of the buildings also extends behind the scenes, incorporating the water systems that do all the hard work. Water gathered from the Centennial Park pond system and rainwater tank collection is recycled into the flushing mechanism, and the male toilets incorporate a waterless urinal system. An example of the firm’s philosophy of cultural awareness and flexibility, these sustainable methods of water conservation were a primary consideration for the client, faced with the ongoing prospect of Sydney’s high-level water restrictions and the desire to utilise healthy environmental practices in one of the city’s most popular natural retreats.
Other talking-point toilets from the creative minds of Lahz Nimmo Architects can be found at Taronga Park Zoo, and in the surrounds of Sydney’s St James Station – where the design foundation was a heritage-listed men’s restroom before the firm transformed it into a stylish sandstone café.+ Top. Designed for year-round high traffic, the design is both durable and unobstrusive. Second. The natural wooden facade blends in with the dappled shade of existing native and Victorian gardens. Third. The open central design ensures that the communal centre of each building is not dark or enclosed. Fourth. The desire to have shared washing facilities and entryway was fulfillled with this elongated trough basin, which looks out onto the living environment Fifth. Natural light filters in through the slatted panelling: a balance of openness and privacy Bottom. The rustic materials and colours echo traditional Australian bush architecture, connecting the amenities to the park surroundings. Photographer: Brett Boardman
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