Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre, Port Hedland

Custodianship of the land is a two-way street: a matter of give and take. The custodians, as a reward for taking care of the land, are entitled to benefit from its bounties. And the land, by sustaining its users, benefits from the care they take in maintaining and sustaining it. Located in the tropical, arid environs of South Hedland, Western Australia, the Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre embodiesthis  symbiosis between the land and its community, and the bridging function of the built form at the nexus of this relationship.

The centre incorporates sustainable principles with indigenous cultural sensitivities to provide a serious of functional offices and meeting spaces inspired by the needs of the human users, as well as those of the environment. The Australian bush vernacular – what the architects describe as an “industrial and agricultural corrugated iron aesthetic” – is already ideally adapted to the harsh climate in which it and its users must endure. It was therefore the logical basis for Paradigm’s ultimate concept: a collection of pavilion buildings, with rammed earth to echo the rich tones of the Pilbara land, a timber-screened verandah dappled in shade from native trees, and upwardly curved Custom Orb® wall and roof panelling, for that classic woolshed aesthetic (literally, “with a twist”).

In the desert, it would be impossible to completely eliminate artificial cooling (at some point, one must reach a reasonable balance between saving the environment, and saving the building’s users!). Ergo, each pavilion is cooled by mechanical air conditioning throughout the summer, but demand and consumption is mitigated through careful use of passive thermal techniques, and the system is switched off entirely for the cooler six months of the year.

Structurally, the building works just as hard (though passively of course) to keep temperatures down. High corrugated ceilings and cross ventilation are backed up by ubiquitously Aussie ceiling fans, which help to circulate fresh air into the interior and send hot stale air outside. Insulated concrete floors serve as a heat sink, and the vehicle lock-up holds down two additional roles: protecting the main building from the western sun, and creating a shady gathering area for the centre’s staff. Also a very ‘Aussie’ feature, shaded outdoor decks serve as naturally ventilated and lit work areas, while fostering communication
between individuals, and with the landscape itself.

The choice of lighting solutions is a further display of attention to detail in this even-handed consideration for both the users and the environment. For the sake of comfort, high-level windows and white Custom Orb ceilings introduce ample natural daylighting to the interior, and help to reduce sound attenuation. But on the environmental level, this also reduces the need for artificial lighting,
which, even when it is required, is controlled by both motion and photosensors, and therefore activated only when needed by the user, and also only when insufficient natural light is detected. A solar/heat pump hot water system, wastewater treatment system and selective choice of construction materials further reduces the environmental footprint of the building, with plans for a grid-connected photovoltaic energy
system in the future, which should assist
in achieving complete carbon neutrality.

But let us not overlook the fact that this project also draws on much, much older ideas, inherent to the indigenous people of this land, as well as the newer concepts of environmental sustainability and aspiring carbon neutrality. A breezeway “spine” incorporates a play of light and shadow through screens and roof forms, which combined with the rammed earth wall is intended to recreate the timeless experience of walking through a desert gorge. And as much as the land and its people require practical sustainability, they both also need spirit and vibrancy, culture and colour. And so Paradigm Architects chose a spectrum of vivid greens and pinks, ‘burnt’ veneers and rich reds and browns, to reflect the colourful people and landscape while instilling an atmosphere as professional as it is fun. +

1. An entry verandah welcomes visitors to the building and provides a shady meeting and resting spot. The roof twists up to the north to form a tropical chimney, while timber screens are employed as shading along the verandah edge. 2. The Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre retreat explores the notion of connection to the typical building idiom of the region using corrugated steel, timber, louvres and Pindan. High, corrugated ceilings with ceiling fans are iconic features of the vernacular 3. The breezeway spine, with a play of light and shadow through screens, roof forms and rammed earth walls contributes to the sense of walking through a gorge. 4. Shaded, insulated concrete floors provide heat sinks which regulate internal temperatures while cross ventilation and high ceilings maintain comfortable indoor temperatures for six months of the year when additional cooling is switched off. 5. The design embodies strong and simple environmental principles effectively responding to the difficult and tropical climate while referencing the experiential qualities of the region.

PHOTOGRAPHY by Don Palmer