Kings Park is a 400-hectare park overlooking Perth Water and the Central Business District of Perth, Western Australia.
The park is a mixture of grassed parkland, botanical gardens, and natural bushland on Mount Eliza with two-thirds of the grounds conserved as native bushland.
Park operations are supported by a 500+ strong community of volunteers that share a deep love for the Park and desire to share their passion with visitors.
Recognizing the nature of their work in a native setting, the Whadjuk name Wanju Marr meaning “welcome hand” has been warmly given to the Kings Park Volunteer Hub building, designed by MJA Studio.
In a location housing existing staff facilities, the Park identified the opportunity to build a new facility for use by the many Kings Park Volunteers groups.
Spaces include offices, workshops, internal and external meeting places, BBQs, parking, and landscaping.
Apart from delivering its primary functionality, the MJA Studio design team wanted this building to promote the social benefits of learning, health, diversity, and tolerance.
This building has increased the quality of experience for volunteer staff which positively impacts their extensive interactions with the visiting public.
MJA Studio conceived Wanju Marr as a building of simple forms expressed through devices of joining and separation to both itself and adjacent Garden Staff quarters.
The Staff Quarters are of simple form and refined detail
A Donaldson and Warn design circa 2001, the MJA Studio team approached their task as one of relating the two buildings in companionship.
Legislation restricts the clearing of native vegetation within the Park.
This constraint limited the placement of buildings west of the Quarters within an existing clearing elongated along the east-west axis.
This companionship provides the buildings with a close working environment and the opportunity to create outdoor spaces as merge points for all building users.
Existing gable and truss forms onsite provided a common reference that the buildings separated by time and function relate to.
They function together; not competing on scale or embellishment.
The MJA Studio design team opted to deploy a simple material palette with this project.
Rigorous execution and refinement of edge and junction details give clarity to the building that remains strong on closer approach.
These refinements are evident in the restrained treatment of parapets where cappings shed water whilst soaking in austerity.
The building modulation is derived from the width of Jarrah cladding boards expressed on the southern facade.
This module is defined by vertical shadow lines that frame the uniqueness of each board.
The jarrah flitch posts continue and strengthen this module.
Post widths follow the jarrah module as do the deep reveals that separate each.
Connecting the galvanized steelwork is made with the concealment of fasteners reinforcing the purity of material and steel form.
The east-west elongation allows a linear transition of functional spaces with habitable internal spaces adjacent to or near the external meeting space.
User amenities are centrally located, with the smaller workshop buffering the minor western exposure.
Placing building services and roof-mounted elements to the northern façade and roof placed limits on their visibility and reinforced the purity of the building forms.
Galvanized sliding screens bring animation to the façade function as wind screening and privacy screening, controlling southern views towards the Memorial Park, and opening to heighten the transparency of the outdoor spaces.
Project Awards
2020 Commendation – AIA WA Chapter Awards – Small Project Architecture
Project Details
Completion Date – 2020
Project Team
Architecture
MJA Studio
MJA is a dynamic and nimble design practice that aims to create happy and healthy buildings that drive positive change in the built environment, exceed the expectations of their clients, and provide tangible community benefits.
The firm operates from Subiaco in Perth and Fitzroy in Melbourne.
Their project team for this project included Jimmy Thompson, Mark Ciesielski, Prudence Hancock, Kuei-Jyun Mao, Ash Blackwell, and Sandra Reynders.
Photography
Dion Robeson
Dion is an architectural, interior, and commercial fit-out photographer based in Perth, Western Australia.
Photo Gallery
Click on a thumbnail image to enlarge it.
Design © 2022 MJA Studio. All Rights Reserved.| Images © 2022 Dion Robeson. All Rights Reserved.
The Builtworks Quest
At Builtworks, we’re on a multi-year quest to document, showcase, and spotlight the best of Australia’s built environment.
That’s why we’re creating this comprehensive online archive and educational resource that showcases a diverse and eclectic range of project types and scales.
Together with showcasing older exemplars of enduring merit, we spotlight and celebrate new and recent additions to Australia’s built environment.