The resulting master plan clusters the buildings around a large central plaza, facing the High Street Road. This provides the opportunity for both increased on-site parking during service times, and a large outdoor event space.
As Melbourne’s largest church CityLife Church has a growing congregation and an ever increasing demand for its community services. DKO was commissioned to master plan an expanding campus to accommodate a new foyer for their auditorium building and a new Community centre for the community services organisation, CityLife Community Care. The resulting master plan clusters the buildings around a large central plaza, facing the High Street Road. This provides the opportunity for both increased on-site parking during service times, and a large outdoor event space. For the new auditorium foyer DKO designed a large, highly visible two-level structure with a clear glazed and transparent ground floor that opens views to the street and to the community. This design responds to the brief that sought a building that is equally open and inviting to the public. The building’s first floor volume cantilevers to provide shelter and sun-shading for the ground floor. Large apertures in the form frame key vistas out of the building, while a two-level ‘activity street’ functions as a circulation axis from which all rooms are accessed. A café and visitor lounge areas were located within this circulation space, allowing the activity street to become a vibrant social space where chance meetings are encouraged and new relationships can be fostered.
YEAR
2017
STATUS
Complete
CLIENT
CityLife
LOCATION
Knox City, AUS
SCALE
5,800m2
DISCIPLINE
Public
EXPERTISE
Master Planning
Architecture
Interior Design
Photographer: Tom Roe
DKO is a multi-disciplinary, award-winning design practice centred on creating ingenious spaces that are driven by the needs of the user, site opportunities and the dynamic process of translating design intent into built outcomes. Founded in 2000 by Principal Koos de Keijzer, its operations have expanded from Melbourne to studios in Sydney, Perth, Auckland, Ho Chi Minh City, and Brisbane. DKO has remained committed to the same underlying principles since day one. Its multiple teams spread across the Asia-Pacific region are solidly united behind the same grounded and humble approach taken to each project, big or small.
Keeping minds open to any possibility, DKO always focuses on finding the best idea, regardless of where it came from. By encouraging the personal growth of each individual within the organisation, DKO plans to become a globally oriented entity, consistently forging ahead in both business and creative objectives. DKO embraces the role of architecture in shaping a more sustainable future. As a practice, it never loses sight of the most fundamental quality that connects all great design – people. Through human understanding and nurture, DKO seeks to continually maximise its potential and deliver architecture at its utmost excellence.