The town of Myrtleford in Victoria is proving its community spirit in the most material of ways, with a stunning new indoor sports stadium. Prior to the rebuild, the stadium had only one multi-purpose court and very poor cooling, making it almost unusable during the height of summer. But all that was about to change.

The brief was to create a modern, contemporary, environmentally friendly space with state-of-the-art sporting facilities, including two basketball courts with timber-sprung floors, four squash courts, a canteen, change rooms, a meeting room, new parking and an improved entry foyer.

“We needed to work with the current orientation of the building and borrow the current entry because it was servicing the adjoining stadium,” says architect, Theodore Kerlidis. “This posed some real challenges around heat gain and heat loss. The glazing system is always where we start first to make sure we’re choosing the right system from the outset because that is our weakest point in our building.”

In what Kerlidis calls the “simplest decision of the entire project”, AWS windows and doors were chosen to minimise the heat and cold transfer all year around and provide excellent energy efficiency.

The team also created gorgeous glass view lines at the base of the building. These clever design inclusions give the locals glimpses of the activity inside. It’s all about promoting an even better connection with the community, says Kerlidis.

Photographer: SRH