The Glenroy Community Hub is a transformational project for Merri-bek Council in Melbourne’s north. Working with a 4,500m2 footprint and $30m budget, the Community Hub forms a vital resource for this vibrant suburb.

The City of Merri‑bek intended this new project to be a catalyst for social change. The Hub decisively fulfils this role, with its major functions including a Library, an Early Learning Centre, and a Kindergarten, as well as maternal health services and neighbourhood learning facilities. A Community Learning Group is also housed within the building, which features shared bookable community spaces and council service desks.

The Council kept environmental factors front of mind when selecting their design – and the Hub richly delivers in this respect. As well as being Australia’s first public building to achieve Passive House Certification, the Hub is also currently seeking Living Building Challenge Petal Certification.

The design is intensely human-centred. ‘The Council’s performance-based criteria were balanced with the requirement to support community health and wellbeing,’ says Project Leader Kieran Leong. ‘The quality of the user experience within the internal environment was central, with biophilic design principles used to meet these criteria.’

Natural illumination was a key concern. ‘The glazing was chosen with natural light levels carefully considered, with the Hub exceeding the minimum green star standard for internal daylight,’ Kieran notes. ‘The glazing was integral to achieving exceptional thermal performance while retaining natural daylight levels.

‘We had to provide the council with a daylight report for the Merri-bek Sustainable Building Policy, which required reducing the energy required to light the space,’ Kieran expands. ‘As the results show, 69% of the Hub’s total usable floor area has a daylight factor well exceeding green star requirements.