Now in its eleventh year, the Shaw Contract Design Awards honour architecture and design firms that change the way people engage and interact in spaces. With over 497 entries submitted from 32 countries, competition was fierce, yet the Frank Bartlett Library & Service Centre by FJMT is a deserving global winner in this year’s awards.

Creating a Town Epicenter

The creation of the Frank Bartlett Library & Service Centre, a multi-purpose civic environment, has reinvigorated a town previously divided by geography and socio-economic disadvantage. The city of Moe in Victoria’s Gippsland region is split by rail line and, previously, lacked a central community gathering space. Increased demands for inclusivity, community space, a public market and festival and event spaces saw Latrobe City Council engaging with FJMT to create a dynamic space that is led, and importantly owned, by residents.

Dubbed simply ‘the community centre’ by the Moe locals, the building offers up a strong and vibrant civic epicenter, uniting local demographics and communities across different precincts of the town.

“There was a strong focus on creating diverse public urban spaces, to attract all demographics to the building and make full use of community rooms and the library. The client appointed locally sourced materials and trades to encourage sustainability outcomes, boost the local economy, and meet government targets for supporting local communities,” described FJMT.

Using Shaw Contract

One of the aspects of the Shaw Contract Design Awards is employing Shaw products in a unique and meaningful way,

“Because this project brief brought together so many different functions in one building, it was important that the flooring became the cohesive element to tie the design intent throughout the building between the many and varied spaces. The challenge then was to ensure that whilst the building finishes took a cohesive approach, they also assisted in giving identity to each of the special areas or groups,” FJMT revealed.

“By using Shaw Contract product, we were able to variegate the finish through the building, in order to give spaces identity, but also to ensure that they worked together to create a whole. The carpet also assisted in some areas in providing a foil for the rich natural timber and concrete architectural elements. Its job was to provide texture and life to the flooring, but not so much as to overpower the feature design elements.

The sustainable qualities of the carpet were crucial in order to meet the project’s design objective of sustainability. Whilst there was no formal LEED equivalent (Greenstar) objective on this project, the firm and the client were keen to maximise sustainability initiatives.”

The Frank Bartlett Library & Service Centre is an inclusive and welcoming environment, and a deserving winner amongst others, be sure to view the full list of the 2017 Shaw Contract Design Awards winners online.

Photography: John Gollings