National Steel Award for Fitzgibbon Community Centre

The Fitzgibbon Community Centre in the national winner of the Australian Steel Institute (ASI) Steel Clad Structures Steel Design award.

The National Steel Design Awards ceremony was held at Parliament House in Canberra on 10 September 2012. Yee Jien from Richard Kirk Architect attended the ceremony and received the award on behalf of the project team.

While formally abstract and demure the centre makes provocative use of materials, such as weathering steel cladding. Behind the building’s screen of oxidised steel, the structure is clad in stained plywood with ample operable glazing to allow natural ventilation, and large overhangs to provide natural lighting without overheating. This use of naturally weathering materials and passive climate controls allow the Fitzgibbon Community Centre to evolve and respond over time to its suburban landscape.