Life Saving Club, Victoria, South Melbourne Beach Building, Victoria Architecture Development, Images
South Melbourne Life Saving Club in Victoria
2 Mar 2021
South Melbourne Life Saving Club
Architects: Jackson Clements Burrows Architects (JCB)
Location: South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The new South Melbourne Life Saving Club responds to the linear nature of the foreshore that stretches from St Kilda to Port Melbourne. Both Beaconsfield Parade and the beach promenade are primarily concerned with pedestrian, cycling and vehicular movement, which prompted the built form to capture and celebrate this dynamic flow and the horizon line beyond. Accentuating the linear, horizontal qualities of the site resulted in a low-profile roofline that minimise disruption to local residents? views and makes it a sensitive addition to the neighbourhood.
The siting of the previous building restricted the public foreshore path, which resulted in conflicts between bikes and pedestrians. This was addressed by perching the building on the edge of the bluestone sea wall, which reinstated the full width forecourt to allow separate pedestrian and cycle paths, as well as additional seating and landscaping opportunities. This new configuration provides a liberated thoroughfare, where pedestrians and cyclists can both move together easily and safely.

As a public building, we wanted it to feel open and accessible to the community. A highly transparent multi-purpose space is surrounded by an expa...