TNG Youth and Community Centre

The building includes a climbing wall, training kitchen and cafe, multi-use games area, recording studio, health-clinic, dance and performances spaces, teaching rooms and IT suite. These activities are arranged around several undefined spaces including a central foyer space and a triple-height wintergarden on the east side of the building that is crossed with high-level balconies that act as breakout spaces.

Exposed structural timber forms and elegant coffered ceiling and wall finish, selected for its natural warmth and ability to resist post-tender D&B value-engineering is used internally. Clean lines and dramatic open spaces aid security through natural surveillance, and result in a bright and vibrant inclusive internal atmosphere.

External cladding is unified by a gently undulating profile that casts vertical shadows across curtain-like elevations. Reflective foil-faced insulation beneath polycarbonate creates a sunlight-responsive shimmering skin, beneath which is hung delicately faceted porcelain-like ultra-high performance concrete panels: an attractive, tactile and robust base to the building.