The ‘Everglades Gardens’ at Leura in the Blue Mountains is an exemplary inter-war period garden that is managed and maintained by the National Trust of Australia (NSW). Built in the 1930’s, the heritage listed property includes a heritage listed house and squash court. The project was to design a new Visitor Centre and Kitchen and Amenities building. The new buildings are contemporary in material and form, designed to compliment rather than replicate the existing heritage structures.
The Visitor Centre is located at the site entry and provides ticketing to the gardens, information for visitors including site guides, and a shop. The building sits on a concrete ‘carpet’ that begins as an outdoor deck before becoming the floor of the shop then back wall then ceiling. The concrete is stenciled with a flower motif giving a domestic quality to this surface. The exterior of the building is clad in a dark stained timber, alowing the building to recede into the surrounding follage.
The Kitchen and Amenities building houses a commercial kitchen and toilets to support the operation of a cafe within the existing squash court. The building sits just off the existing building with two glazed bridges connecting them. The building is clad in timber with a dark stain finish on two facades, a mirror finish on the facade facing the garden and a green ‘planted’ wall on the facade adjacent to the squash court.
Location Everglades Avenue, Leura NSW
Client National Trust of Australia (NSW)
Cost $ 500,000
Date 2009 – June 2011
arrival on the patterned floor
main facade
shop front in open position
inside view