This information centre has a far more complex program than a simple toilet stop for tourists on the way to the mountains. The area is steeped in culture and history and Greg Burgess draws on it all in his intricate and sensitively detailed design. He also delivered here the sophisticated interlaced geometry for which he is infamous, including long curves, and a series of roof profiles that includes a particularly unique near-vertical undulating "gallery."
The materiality of the building was finely controlled throughout design and development. Locally-grown plantation blue gum poles were selected and cut in the field very early on in the project, and cured during the design phase. These poles are one of the main structural elements of the build, support the metal cladding. Additional natural poles form important sculptural elements in the landscaping and were also locally sourced. The sweeping rammed earth wall was originally specified as masonry, but amended to better complement the natural material palette. The Centre was completed in 2006.
http://www.gbarch.com.au/projects/2006/high-country-visitor-information-centre/
