Gordon Street Recreation Reserve

In 2021 Ararat Rural City Council approached Davidson Architecture with a brief to reconfigure an existing cricket ground in Gordon Street Ararat. The requirement was to provide updated sports fields and support building(s) to accommodate the growing sporting demands, including:

• Cricket

• AFLW

• Soccer

• Little Athletics

  
  

We were asked to create a configuration where a very tightly costed building could conveniently service all these activities. After reviewing several options, it was decided to use an elongated pavilion outline to split the site in half, with the AFL/Cricket to the south, the soccer to the north and the Little Athletics to the North East. The building was then designed to accommodate these activities with proximity of the required spaces to the respective external areas.

The Social Room is located in the centre of the building and provided the opportunity to have both a north and south outlook. This provides a great spacious and airy environment in a relatively low space.

This space now has the flexibility and amenity to double as a convention and meeting space for Ararat Rural city Council when it is not being used for sport.  The central location of the social room also provides ease of access for spectators attending the various sports at the site, and all areas are fully accessible to provide universality of access. 

The change rooms have been situated to provide access to the relevant sports, and all change areas are female friendly. 

Cost savings were required during the design/tender process, and we worked closely with Onley Builders and ARCC to achieve these, through converting the roof design from steel framed to H3 Timber Trusses, provided by Walker Truss of Hamilton. 

Despite all the difficulties of COVID and budget, the project has been an outstanding success and has created a new focus for Ararat which is used on a daily basis.