Marion Cultural Centre

The building was created in the postmodern style and is intended to emphasize the importance of the creative agenda for Marion's future sustainability.[3] ARM Architecture has given the cultural centre a connecting theme for residents and visitors by incorporating the word "Marion" into the façade and external features of the building. The intent is to encapsulate the vision of Marion as a technology-driven smart zone in a striking and unique design. The design aims to be unique and distinctive upon first impression, while incorporating colloquial elements such as the verandah upon closer inspection.

The entry, midway along the arcade, brings the user into an open circulation space that is partially filled with a café and has wide steps leading up to the library. The building contains a library, a modest gallery, and an auditorium. The latter is the most interior of all, with no windows and clad internally with plywood panels. These stained panels feature many small holes in their groupings. A more direct symbol is used on the ceiling, with two pixilated hands.[4]

Site Context: Marion Cultural Centre

The Marion Cultural Centre is situated between the large Westfield Shopping Centre (the second largest in Australia, Westfield Group) and the SA Aquatic and Leisure Centre.

The building is significantly smaller than the shopping centre, using its proximity to the road to enhance the effect of the word "Marion" on the passer-by.[3]

The centre is designed to provide a welcoming and comfortable public space for visitors to gather and unwind. The building design is driven by the spirit of education. The centre was commissioned to redefine a new generational cultural complex. It aims to encourage and sustain the local arts community—creating something that has a sense of community and a commitment to a positive future. In addition, the design of the building is intended to reflect the public's commitment to environmental awareness and energy efficiency.[5]

Where architects require it, complex programs go beyond the purer architectural triad of structure, form, and light at the service of space. They suggest an architecture of bold communication rather than one of subtle expressions.[6] The Marion Cultural Centre is an embodiment of iconography, or, in architectural jargon, a duck. Its small size does not correspond to its complex form. The silhouette describes a symbolical duck in itself, as decorated with the collage of letters for its content; an Objets Trouvẻs – bas-reliefs in masonry. Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown’s “Leaning from Las Vegas”[7]

The two main elements of the plaza are the undulating lawn and the band of paving slate that intersects the area, interpreting a creek bed pattern flowing from hills to sea. Landscaping themes are also designed to be simple and contemporary, incorporating tree species that reflect the pioneer agricultural settlement of the Marion district as well as recalling the site's earlier role as the site of Warracowie House. Spotted gums will blend with the locally identifiable red and lemon-scented gums that dot the Westfield precinct. Outer landscape elements are stone or slate seating and retaining walls. Garden areas are simple, low-maintenance, and water-efficient, with provisions for seating and relaxation.

The key concept in the architecture reflects that of the Sturt River: effluvia, or the flow of a river. It symbolises the cultures of the area, the western and the eastern. It signifies learning with a rapid flow of intake. The letters MAR can be seen as a source, whilst the flow is articulated by the roof lights, the floor pattern, the northern façade, the ceiling, the paving, etc. The flow of direction from the architecture starts at the hills and ends at the sea.

The plan and layout of the architecture and programs emulate the tradition of strip shops. This model of layout has been the main retail typology in Australian cities, rather than the big industrial shopping complexes. The reasoning is that it encourages outdoor usage, with the plaza as the primary circulation. The shop, gallery, and café are all accessible from outside.

The sustainable design of the Marion Cultural Centre incorporates a stormwater retention system that allows surface run-off to be stored, filtered on site, and then pumped into the ground to replenish the aquifer under Adelaide. It is also used for greywater in the building itself. The centre also features a solar hot water system, water-efficient fixtures and fittings, energy-efficient artificial lighting, low-energy evaporative systems, and economy-cycle air conditioning. Even the external landscaping is low-maintenance and water-efficient. The centre uses a building management system that includes night purging, C-Bus lighting control combined with sensor activation, low-e glass on the eastern facade, and a gas-boosted solar hot water system. The architects were linked with the project managers, sub-consultants, and Marion Council by an Internet-based project management system to ensure tight and responsive management during the construction process. Considerable community consultation also went into the building's design to create a sense of identity that truly reflects the city of Marion.[8]

The library is located on the eastern side of the building and is intended to be the 'information hub' of the centre. The floor plan in the library is designed to be both open and flexible, with the service and information desks conveniently located at the main entrance. The eastern facade is all glazed and screened to let high levels of natural light in; the eastern verandah also creates a certain amount of shading.

The Domain Theatre is the centre's 'performing art' focus. The floor can be arranged into different configurations, which can provide seating ranging from 80 to approximately 250 people. Along with having a versatile seating area, this area incorporates a raised, movable stage for theatrical and musical performances. The floor area is the same as the old Pioneer Hall, the facility it replaces. Internal finishes of sprung timber over a concrete slab and acoustic wall paneling mean this multi-purpose facility provides an excellent venue for a wide range of 'performance-based' activities. Subsidiary spaces, including a backstage area, rehearsal space, storage area, and box office, mean the Domain Theatre can host a diverse range of activities, including performing arts, functions, meetings, seminars, concerts, and conferences.

Located on the western side of the centre, Gallery M has been designed as an arts facility with the minimum invasion of office areas and workspaces into the gallery. Its overall floor area is over twice what was available at the former Red House Gallery and allows for a wide range of display and exhibition options. A gallery shop occupies an open area screened from the rest of the gallery space. A general-purpose storage area and an area specifically designed for the care and storage of artworks also form part of the gallery complex. The gallery has 76 metres of hanging space and is equipped with an advanced system of climate control and a specialised lighting and hanging system. This 'state of the art' facility is the ideal setting for both local and touring art exhibitions.

The cultural centre has three main meeting rooms, all of varying sizes and for different needs. Meeting Room 1 can accommodate 30 people and provides an ideal venue for small-scale presentations, lectures, and launches. Rooms two and three are designed for smaller numbers that would suit planning meetings while at the same time doubling as changing rooms for Domain Theatre performers and players.

The foyer is flexible and split-level. Located in the foyer are the café and an open space with the hubs of the centre's three other functional zones. These zones then link to the outside plaza space.

The café is the 'conviviality' hub of the centre, providing opportunities for alfresco dining on the Plaza forecourt. With a floor area of approximately 200m², the foyer operates simply as a main lobby, a display space, and a performance area, with the steps providing an informal amphitheater or a cafe area with partial or full exposure to The Plaza.