06. MG-GT Office
A collaboration between TheFulcrum.Agency (previously CODA) and Mark Phillips Architect.
MG Corporation (MG) and Gelganyem Trust (GT) are separate organisations representing the traditional ownership groups of Miriuwung and Gajerong and Miriuwung and Gidja respectively within the East Kimberley region of Western Australia.
In 2009 MG and GT (MG/GT) jointly applied for funding from the Federal Government for a new, shared administrative building to be located in the town of Kununurra. The administration building was intended to enable both organisations to improve the level of service they provide, provide economies of scale in their service delivery and share information across the organisations.
An important concept in the design is to provide a large, welcoming entry where community members can feel comfortable spending time, and are provided with seating, chilled water bubbler etc. The Welcome Space is designed to be the informal meeting area that is at the heart of the building - it extends through the depth of the building and becomes the hub that connects the outdoor meeting area, conference room and reception area. In the consultation process, the MG/GT committee talked about the traditional meeting place being a shady tree. The canopy roof and façade screen can be thought of as the metaphor for times past, as it articulates the building form and filters dappled light down into the Welcome Space.
The Welcome Space opens directly out on to the outdoor meeting area, a key aspect of making all members of the community feel welcome in the building. The outdoor meeting area is an extension of the large conference room, and will allow a large community meeting to spill out on to a landscaped grass area and have people sitting under the shade of trees if they prefer. The outdoor meeting area would allow for small and large groups to meet separately and have convenient access to modern meeting technology and facilities in the conference room.
Images: Peter Bennetts
