Edithvale Seaford Wetlands Discovery Centre (ESWDC)

RESEARCH BACKGROUND: The Edithvale Seaford Wetlands Discovery Centre (ESWDC) is a building owned and managed by Melbourne Water and designed by MvS architects. The building is located in suburban Melbourne on the site of a remnant wetland from the once extensive Carrum Carrum swamp. The site is listed by RAMSAR due to its rich biodiversity and its value as a destination for migratory bird species. The project is an interpretive centre, primarily addressing school and community groups, and provides access to the site and information about the ecosystem, history and plant and animal inhabitants of the wetlands. The site is prone to flooding, necessitating the building be raised above natural ground level. RESEARCH CONTRIBUTION: The project investigates appropriate architectural organisation and expression for this very particular program and site. A typical building in a high value natural environment may seek to 'blend in' to its site by using strategies such as the use of 'natural' materials, and partial concealment by landscape. ESWDC, takes a different strategy by adopting a highly visible siting strategy appropriate to its suburban context, and using an algorithm derived from certain natural processes in deriving a highly visible facade patination that nevertheless speaks to the natural values important to the building's purpose. There was construction process innovation in developing the CNC controlled milling of molds for the glass reinforced concrete facade panels. RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE: The project received the prestigious Australian Institute of Architects (AIA) Award for Public Architecture in June 2012. It also received the Premier's Design Award in September 2012 and the Master Builders Association Award in August 2012. The project was reviewed in the professional journal Architecture Australia (Carter, P 2012, 'With all the Views,' Architecture Australia, vol. 101, no. 2, pp. Cover, 41-45). It was further reviewed in the Sydney Morning Herald.