Architecture studio Grimshaw and landscape architect Aspect Studios have completed a visitor experience centre for one of Australia's most-visited natural landmarks, the Twelve Apostles in Victoria.
Located at the top of the site in Port Campbell National Park, the 3,300-square-metre visitor centre is designed by Grimshaw and Aspect Studios with rammed-earth walls intended to resemble a "landform rather than an autonomous object".
It comprises two interconnected volumes, the Coastal Building and the Hinterland Building, which each extend outwards in a hugging gesture, facing the coast and the hinterland respectively.
The Hinterland Building houses a cafe and retail facilities, while the Coastal Building serves as the main public education and viewing area, crowned with a rooftop ocean lookout.
The centre was developed in collaboration with the non-profit organisation Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation. The organisation helped decide the building's scale and position to respect both its site within Keerray Woorroong Country and its Traditional Owners, the Eastern Maar peoples.
Landscaped paths gently ascend to the rooftop lookout, with rest areas along the way, where visitors can pause and enjoy the views at various elevations.
"This sequence is central to a broader ambition for the precinct: to move beyond simply processing large numbers of visitors and create a slower and more connected experience of Country," Grimshaw explained.
"The Twelve Apostles is a truly unique landscape in Australia and arguably anywhere in the world, where the power of the natural environment, the experience of Country and the enduring culture of Eastern Maar come together," added Grimshaw managing partner Andrew Perez.
"More than simply providing a new destination from which to experience the Twelve Apostles, the project invites visitors to pause, linger and explore, creating a meaningful connection to this extraordinary landscape and the culture and history that have shaped it.”
To enhance the natural look of the building, Grimshaw used a natural material palette including rammed earth and plywood, adding warmth and tactility throughout.
As part of the project, the team also created the Welcome Garden – an outdoor events space and welcome area celebrating Eastern Maar cultural heritage – and introduced coastal scrub, grassland and woodland around the site.
A landscaped car park and access roads were added to separate buses and private vehicles, while pedestrian routes draw visitors from the parking areas into the Welcome Garden and the visitor experience centre, before dispersal to the Twelve Apostles and surrounding coastal attractions.
"The Twelve Apostles Visitor Precinct presented an opportunity to create a more considered relationship between visitors, Country and this extraordinary coastal landscape," concluded Aspect Studios director Matthew Mackay.
Elsewhere, Grimshaw recently unveiled a trio of Auckland stations informed by Māori narratives, and released plans for a reimagined entry plaza for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
The photography is by Peter Bennetts.
Project credits:
Architect: Grimshaw
Design lead: Harriet Oswald
Lead designer: Eduard Ross
Partner in charge: Andrew Perez
Landscape architect, traditional owner engagement lead, signage and wayfinding: Aspect Studios
Lead designers: Matthew Mackay, Nirvana Kadric
Co-design partners and heritage consultants: Eastern Maar Aboriginal Land Corporation
Builder: Kane Constructions
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