Project Description

BYRON BAY AUSTRALIA VISITORS CENTER​ - 5 week project

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Byron Bay is a hot bed for travelers coming to visit Australia. The region is home to many jazz festivals, famous people that come to vacation here, and the Julian Rocks Marine reserve that is surrounded by many types of aquatic wildlife. In order to help bring in more visitors and integrate the strong culture of the Julian Rocks and the aquatic heritage of the area, there needs to be a home to all of this history that will allow the visitors to understand the bay and its history. I began the design by looking at precedence of what kind of architectural forms were created by the aboriginal people that used to live in the bay. In order to avoid the large amounts of rainfall in the area, the roof forms were created in such a way that they would allow the water to shed easily, and not collect in the building materials and wear down the roof and cause leaks. This natural form is also integrated in modern applications of train stations and high end hotels in the area. Between the aboriginal and modern architecture and the aquatic wildlife found at the Julian Rocks, it was only necessary to develop a roof form the was very natural looking and flowing. This flowing form was then stretched over three areas of the program, the central information center, the auditorium and interpretive area, and the interactive media and program area. These three areas allow for a wide variety of information about the aquatic wildlife, the prominent lighthouse at the tip of the bay, and the whaling and aquatic life culture.