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Aerial Site View of Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Mon Repos Turtle Centre Bundaberg - Sustainable Architecture

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Mon Repos Turtle Centre Gallery Entrance at Dusk

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Rooftop Wind and Light Catchers on the Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Tourists entering at the southern wing of the Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Tour guide taking a tour group through the Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Exterior view to cafe at Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Mon Repos Turtle Centre Entrance and Facade

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Public bikeway in front of Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Tour guides outside the entrance hall display area and gift shop

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Mon Repos Turtle Centre External timber and copper folded cladding panels

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Sun reflecting off the external timber and copper panels and skylight hoods

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Mon Repos Turtle Centre interior timber ceiling and wall features

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Large scale timber panelled doors and wall at centre entrance

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Mon Repos Turtle Centre interior architecture showing timber column and diagrad beams

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Interior design highlighting diagrid ceiling construction at Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Mon Repos Turtle Centre visitor reception and information kiosk interior design

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Natural ventilation in interior of Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Interior centre signage showing diamond turtle pattern

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Interior design of educational displays for Turtle Tales Self-guided Experience

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Immersive theaterette at Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Interior design of visitor education centre at Mon Repos Conservation Park

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Interior workspace and staff facilities at Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Internal naturally lit and sustainably ventilated spaces

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

Cultural & Public, Sustainable Architecture, Interior Architecture, Performance Spaces

Context and Siting Contextual Response Sustainability Engineered Timber Drawings
Project Index

Mon Repos Turtle Centre

The Mon Repos Turtle Centre is a world-class, vibrant community hub offering authentic experiences that inspire action and create opportunities for connections between Mon Repos' visitors and turtles. The Centre celebrates the unique qualities of the place as the southern gateway to the Great Barrier Reef.

Location
Mon Repos, Queensland, Australia

Client
Queensland Parks & Wildlife

Status
Design 2017; Construction 2018-2019; Opening November 2019

Gross Floor Area
1063 m²

Context and Siting

KIRK's Mon Repos Turtle Centre devised an innovative and highly sustainable solution to the challenges of building a large public building in the Great Barrier Reef conservation and protection zone.

Located in Bargara, Queensland, the visitor and research centre occupies a sensitive beachside location, Mon Repos beach and environs. This area is the most important turtle nesting ground in Australia hosting key research into the endangered loggerhead turtle and relative impacts of climate change for more than 40 years. The project scope also included master-planning of the entire beachside environs to manage vehicle and pedestrian movement within the sensitive coastal landscape.

The centre operates as an interpretive centre during the day. During the turtle nesting season, it is a briefing centre for up to 300 visitors each evening. Environmental protections require visitors to be guided to and from the centre to the beach in dark night-time conditions via a set of pathways and boardwalks to connect to the beach safely.

The approach was to ensure the new Mon Repos Turtle Centre advanced nature's sustainability and experience across the entire site. This supported our client's vision of bringing people closer to the outdoors and improving their appreciation and knowledge of the natural. An initial key design gesture was siting the new building on the existing asphalt carpark. This moved parking outside the conservation park and allowed a net increase in the landscape along the sensitive beach zone.

Mon Repos Turtle Centre - Aerial View
Mon Repos Turtle Centre - Aerial View
Mon Repos Turtle Centre - Aerial View
Existing Site
Consolidate and Retreat
Whole Site Experience
Site Colours
Mon Repos at Night
People & Light
Enclosed Form / Courtyard
Shared Space Approach

Sustainability

In response to the harsh coastal climate and sensitive wildlife surrounds, the building was primarily constructed using timber for structure and linings. The pre-fabricated, locally sourced, Glulam timber diagrid superstructure, external copper folded cladding panels and internal plywood linings removed waste for both manufacturing and onsite assembly while having an enduring life span. Mixed mode, naturally ventilated and daylighting strategies were employed throughout this state-of-the-art Mon Repos Turtle Centre, reducing reliance upon energy-consuming man-made systems.

The positioning of the facility was carefully considered, and the design process analysed how air movement could be maximised by orientation using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modelling. This was a complex design problem and solution, as there was a, briefed required to limit all light spill at night. The design solution used permanent fixed and operable louvres to achieve adequate natural ventilation. The courtyard space is totally naturally ventilated and supplemented with a number of large overhead fans and dramatic triangular skylights. The floor surface is a honed mass concrete that also contributes to the thermal mass of the centre helping modulate the internal temperatures.

Building Form CFD Study
Courtyard Space CFD Study
Mon Repos Turtle Centre Ventilation Strategy
The centre is a spectacular architectural showpiece and has succeeded in mixing a world-class visitor/education centre with offices, laboratory and research facilities while being extremely environmentally conscious.

Danny Neal
QLD Government Department of Environment and Science

Mon Repos Turtle Centre Siting | Photo by Glen David Wilson
Mon Repos Turtle Centre Construction | Timber tree column erected on site | Photo by Glen David Wilson
Mon Repos Turtle Centre Construction | Timber beam connections coming together | Photo by Glen David Wilson
Mon Repos Turtle Centre | Timber beam connection detail | Photo by Glen David Wilson
Mon Repos Turtle Centre Construction | Timber beam connectors erected onsite
Mon Repos Turtle Centre Construction | Prefabricated glu-lam beams from locally sourced timber
Mon Repos Turtle Centre Construction | Plywood beams sustainably fabricated from locally sourced timber
Mon Repos Turtle Centre Construction | Pre-fabricated timber beams
Mon Repos Turtle Centre Construction | Timber pre-fabrication
Mon Repos Turtle Centre Construction | Timber pre-fabrication off-site

Engineered Timber

Mon Repos Turtle Centre was envisaged from the outset as being constructed in locally grown and manufactured glulam timber. Hyne, a world leader in glulam timber manufacture, is based nearby in Maryborough. The prefabricated timber structure was delivered and fully erected in 2 weeks which saved valuable constructed time. The transportation to the site was minimised through the ability to stack the timber members in single lengths. Erection occurred with a single mobile crane and less than a total of 2-4 riggers.

The use of timber also meant the project could fulfil the 50-year design life in the corrosive marine environment, where a steel structure would be very susceptible to corrosion. Using timber also enabled us to use copper cladding ideal for the harsh marine environment without worrying about bi-metallic corrosion. The timber structure is expected to exceed 50 years of design life and can be reused at the end of its life.

The timber superstructure is a 9.6M x 9.6M diagrid found to be the most efficient structural design to reduce the overall material use and increase spans between glulam 'tree' columns. The diagrid structure also informed the plan shape, creating a multi-faceted series of triangular folds for protected openings to limit light spill while enhancing the mystery of the arrival experience. The diagrid pattern is celebrated throughout the interior, and the diamond pattern implies the intricate patterns of the turtle carapace.

The timber structure is expected to well exceed the 50 years design life and can be reused at the end of its life.
Site Plan
Ground Floor Plan
Reflected Ceiling Plan
Roof Plan
North Elevation
South Elevation
East Elevation
West Elevation

Drawings

Team Publications Awards
Structural & Civil Engineers Arup
Mechanical, Electrical and Hydraulic Engineers Arup
Environmental Engineers Arup
Landscape Architect TCL
Geotech Techtonic
Certifier Certis
Interpretive consultant Focus Production
Furniture & Fitout Design March Studio
Glulam Manufacturer Hyne Timber
Contractor Murchies Constructions
Quantity Surveyors QQS
Photographer Scott Burrows Photography
Hyne Timber 21/09/2019 Timber a Must for New Turtle Centre Download PDF
AA 13/10/2020 Another 50 years of research and conservation: Mon Repos Turtle Centre
RAIA National Commendation 2020 Sustainable Architecture
Queensland Medallion 2020 AIA Queensland Architecture Awards
FDG Stanley Award for Public Architecture 2020 AIA Queensland Architecture Awards
Harry Marks Award for Sustainable Architecture 2020 AIA Queensland Architecture Awards
JW Wilson Award for Building Of The Year 2020 Regional Queensland Architecture Awards

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