Rebuilding the heart of a community

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Official opening

On Saturday 26 November, 2011 the new Narbethong Community Hall was declared officially open by the Governor of Victoria, the Hon Alex Chernov AO, QC.

Around 350 local community members, supporters – including representatives from Arup and BVN, and community leaders and their families attended the ceremony.   At the cutting of the ribbon, there was a collective sigh from the crowd as the front door released upwards to reveal the Hall’s magnificent timber interior. This was followed by a walk-through of the new Hall with refreshments and an evening celebration.

Arup has welcomed the opportunity to work with the community and wish them well in the use of the hall for community activities, meetings and celebrations for years to come.

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September 7th, 2011

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Saturday, 7 February 2009 was a bleak day as fires destroyed property and lives in Victoria. Referred to as Black Saturday, the fires claimed 173 lives and devastated over 2,000 homes and 3,500 structures. It is a day that has changed the lives of many in our community for ever.

Narbethong in central Victoria was one of the worst hit communities. In 1939, the town was substantially damaged in the Black Friday fires; seventy years later, Black Saturday ravaged the community. At the heart of this timber-industry town was the community hall which was burnt to the ground.

The local community sought assistance to rebuild their hall through Emergency Architects Australia (EAA). EAA rebuilds communities after natural or man-made disasters. The organisation works closely with local communities to understand their needs before construction begins. Its core values and mission are aligned to Arup’s commitment to charitable and humanitarian causes.

Working Together For Bush Fire Recovery

Arup and architects BVN responded to EAA’s call for engineering assistance and offered their design skills pro bono for a new building designed along more sustainable lines.

For Arup, the project presented an opportunity to be directly involved in the bush fire recovery process and make a meaningful contribution to the recovery. In replacing the former weatherboard and timber-framed hall, the aim was to create a simple and transparent structure which reflected the timber industry of the town of Narbethong. More importantly, it had to fulfil its main purpose – a centre for the community’s social, sporting and town activities.

The new hall was designed as a multi-purpose space to accommodate a broader range of groups and activities. As part of the recovery process, the community was engaged in the design, consultation and development of the project.

Building Sustainably

Supporting BVN & Arup’s focus on sustainability, the construction employed best practice ESD principles providing a building adapted to the climate and environmental conditions of the site. The designers paid particular attention to the provision of effecting heating and cooling systems, water supply and waste services. They also used materials that satisfied best practice ESD objectives.

During the design process Arup provided structural and civil engineering, MEP, fire engineering, acoustic, façade services and project management. During the construction phase Arup continued to provide technical design service, while our project management role expanded to act in a supporting role to the Hall Committee, who had elected to directly manage the construction process.

A Rewarding Rebuild

Arup’s Peter Bowtell summed up our philosophy: “One of the many things that makes Arup shine is our commitment to humanitarian causes and the pro bono work our team are doing at Narbethong is a vivid example of this ethos.

Through this commitment, over 30 staff have generously donated many hours of their own time and yet continue to be willing to give even more. Our bond with the local Hall Committee has become incredibly strong and we feeling the reward for our efforts returned through friendships that will last for years into the future.”