VISITOR CENTRES 105
Below right Penguin Parade visitor centre at Phillip Island, Australia, is a stunning star-shaped building that links the landscape together like a brooch and persuades tourists to stay longer
Size: 4,950 sq m Architect: Terroir
Client: Phillip Island Nature Parks Engineers: Stantec, AS James Landscape: Tract Consultants
engaging people and then educating them about their surroundings. In that way, it not only teaches people about the Port of Rotterdam, but envelops them in the spirit of the port itself.’ Tis idea of being sucked into the very essence of the attraction through the power of the design itself, couldn’t be clearer than in two projects in Australia and China – one where visitors will learn about marine life in the belly of a giant whale, and the other in which visitors to a winter sports direct find their feet inside a series of giant ‘ice cubes’.
Busselton Jetty in Perth, Western Australia, should eventually have a new visitor attraction at the end of its 2km pier to promote education and awareness of the marine environment. A small existing underwater observatory had been outgrown, so UK architect baca was appointed to create a design for the country’s largest marine observatory, to put the tourist attraction back on the map. Previously due to open at the end of this year, thanks to Covid it has been deferred to allow more fundraising. Shaped like a giant whale, using bio-receptive concrete to
‘A desert structure
designed to be in dialogue with its surroundings while keeping the contrast between the natural and built environment’
longer. Te challenge was accepted by Australian architect Terroir, which created an exhilarating £3.3m star-shaped building that architect Scott Balmforth describes as sitting ‘at the nexus between three landscapes: dunes, headland and wetland, linking these landscapes like a brooch’. Te 4,950 sq m, zinc-clad building opened in 2019 to much acclaim and a variety of architectural awards.
Or on a smaller scale, take the Port of Rotterdam Harbour Experience Centre designed by MVRDV and due to open in 2024. Perhaps a family day out to discover more about Europe’s largest port might not be at the top of most people’s idea of a fun excursion, but when it
involves exploring a stack of five rotated exhibition spaces that channel a haphazard pile of colourful shipping containers, suddenly the whole idea seems a lot more enjoyable. Te energy-neutral building, made from largely recycled materials, is powered by 266 solar panels and its own windmill.
‘We think of the Harbour Experience Centre as a machine to reveal the incredible world of the port,’ stated MVRDV founding partner Winy Maas. ‘It’s low-cost, it’s stripped back, you can see some of the building’s structure when you’re inside. But it therefore does its job almost ruthlessly – just like the machinery of the port itself. Every part of the design is geared towards
attract barnacles and algae to graft on to its skin, the visitor centre will become a true ambassador for marine life. ‘Te requirement was to deliver something iconic,’ says baca.
It doesn’t come more iconic than Te Xinxiang Cultural Tourism Center by Zone Of Utopia / Qiang Zou + Mathieu Forest Architecte that is more of a sculpture than a building, with 12,149 sq m of space in nine cubes of printed glass and steel, stacked and cantilevered into a casual tumble. Mathieu Forest described it: ‘By day and by night, it is a lighthouse that rises above the surrounding buildings. Its light attracts visitors and creates a landmark for the entire neighbourhood. At night, the facades are fully illuminated and light up the surroundings and the building radiates a uniform glow that irresistibly catches the eye.’
Tat probably sums up what all these projects have in common – whether they are 170 sq m or 12,149 sq m, they all irresistibly catch the eye, and in doing so, serve their purpose of drawing in visitors and keeping them wanting to stay there.
OHN GOLLINGS/PETER BENNETTS
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