2020 National Architecture Awards: National Commendation for Sustainable Architecture

Jury citation

Mon Repos Conservation Park on Queensland’s coast, which is part of the larger community of Bargara, is the most important turtle nesting ground in Australia for the endangered loggerhead turtle. The new visitor centre and research office needed to fulfil the opposing requirements of highly restricted light-spill at night and natural light in the daytime. The design achieves this through ingenuity in the planning arrangement, construction and building fabric design. The clever structural system – a glulam timber diagrid – was prefabricated locally using local timbers.

Environmental responses include the compact building footprint, removal of onsite parking, reduced construction time to suit the turtle season calendar, minimization of waste and site disruption, mixed-mode ventilation and the use of highly durable materials for longevity in the harsh saline environment.

For more coverage, read the project review by Sheona Thomson in Architecture Australia Sept/Oct 2020.

Project credits

Architect Kirk; Project team Richard Kirk, Andrew Magub, Peter Webb, Alex Collins, Michael Croft, Caryn Streeter, Jonathan Ward, George Stratford, Dylan Harland, Karl Eckermann, David Gowty, Cathy Hua, Ikhwan Johari, Adelaide Hampson, Fedor Medek; Builder Murchie Constructions; Structural, civil, traffic, services, electrical, lighting, hydraulic, fire, ESD and acoustic engineer Arup; Interpretive consultant Focus Productions; Landscape consultant TCL; Building certification and access consultant Certis; Retail FFE design consultant March Studio; Programmer Rowles Time Management; Kitchen fitout consultant Foodservice Consultants Australia

Mon Repos Turtle Centre by Kirk is located in Bargara, Queensland, on the land of the Gooreng Gooreng and Gurang peoples.