Collingwood Football Club's new Glasshouse community facility, designed by Croxon Ramsay Architects, aims to provide elite players with top-notch facilities while also serving as a hub for public activities. This initiative seeks to encourage greater community engagement within the Melbourne Sports Centre precinct.
The Glasshouse boasts a variety of functional spaces such as a café, bar, multipurpose hospitality area, auditorium, gym, player rooms, storage facilities, meeting rooms, and a boardroom.
To ensure optimal utilization of these spaces, several areas require separate entrances. For instance, when the theater is closed, the gym can be open to the public. The café continues to serve citizens even after the facility is closed. Additionally, players can access their rooms directly without disturbing café patrons.
Thus, the architects have meticulously planned designated areas that can be 'sealed off' and operate independently of each other.
Inside the community center is a commercial kitchen that caters to private gatherings and can accommodate seating for 500 people or host cocktail parties for up to 1000, meeting the high demand for dining options.
Situated on a elongated triangular site between the Olympic Swimming Pool and the Oval Community, the building's northern end houses a bar and café with an outdoor seating area.
While one can enter the Glasshouse through the café, the main entrance is centrally located in the building, accessible from the pedestrian pathway surrounding the oval field. An imposing staircase indoors directly opposes the main entrance, serving as the point of access for all areas.
The ground floor features an auditorium, gym, changing rooms, and storage facilities. The first floor primarily serves as the hospitality area, while the third floor houses the boardroom and small meeting rooms (also used as coaching rooms).
Given that space efficiency was a key consideration in the design, zinc panels were used both internally and externally to create a sense of continuity. The facade features a mix of sturdy brickwork at the lower levels and glass, metal cladding, black zinc, and natural oxidized aluminum on the upper levels.
These distinct elements are combined in linear and geometric patterns, highlighting unique features such as the curved roof and triangular arches inside the building.
Strip lighting design not only accentuates the arches but also emphasizes the ubiquitous triangular shapes in the design. The Glasshouse incorporates high-tech glass systems to support state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment in each functional area.
Internally designed by Hecker Guthrie, the interior design complements the architectural style while maintaining its own identity. Refined modern furniture and custom-made carpets for the functional spaces create a stark contrast against the backdrop of exposed concrete walls.
Collingwood Football Club's richness is enhanced by the meticulous detailing of the interior and exterior design.
The color palette of black, white, gray, and beige strengthens the club's colors (black and white), with the building's exterior design drawing inspiration from the wings of the Australian Magpie (the club's nickname).