Four finalist teams have been shortlisted to design a new cultural hub along Perth’s Cottesloe Beach in Australia. Developed by the Minderoo Group, 11 Australian architecture firms were invited to submit ideas to reimagine the Cottesloe foreshore and the Indiana Tea House site. The designs aim to open and activate the waterfront and provide a destination for locals and visitors that brings people together.
Minderoo first sought submissions from the community for the redesign of the site in April, and the project included the possible renovation and refit of the existing 1982 designed by architect Laurie Scanlon. All the finalists proposed replacing existing building: the four shortlist teams include Neeson Murcutt and Neille with Simon Pendal Architect and Sue Barnsley Design, Durbach Block Jaggers Architects with Ohlo Studio and Aspect Studios, Kerry Hill Architects, and Spaceagency and Place Laboratory. The new Beach Pavilion would include a cultural hub, amphitheater, boardwalk, cafe and beachside pool.
Geoffrey London, jury chair and professor of architecture at the University of Western Australia, said that, "The main goal the architects were set was to reimagine the space for optimum community benefit, ensuring the site is well utilized and activated. As part of this, it appears that each firm has determined the current Indiana building does not offer the best use of space or easily facilitate the brief, which includes the community’s ideas.”
The jury will include Geoffrey London and Peter Mould, a former NSW government architect, Andrew Forrest, the Chairman of Minderoo Group, Shelley Penn, the University Architect at Monash University, and Nicola Forrest, Director of the Minderoo Foundation. Minderoo Group is seeking community feedback on the designs, which can be view on the company’s website.
