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| Courtesy of Suters Architects – images © Archi2O |
Punt Road Oval
Punt Road Oval Redevelopment gives off a playful feeling, as it should
be, situated around the Punt Road Oval, where the Tigers play for the
Richmond Football Club. The playful, vibrant building is a fitting
representation of Melbourne’s football pride.As well as providing a
training facility for the Richmond Football Club, the redevelopment will
provide an administrative headquarters to the club and additional
community spaces. Punt Road Oval is the current training grounds for the
Tigers and was the former venue of, what is now known as, the
Australian Football League. A mere half-mile away (850 m) is the
Melbourne Cricket Ground, where the Tigers play their home games.
Thousands of spectators will come together in this general location to
watch the Tigers play. The redevelopment has a responsibility to the
Tigers, their fans, and the community in providing a building that
speaks to their identity and loyalty.
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| Courtesy of Suters Architects – images © Archi2O |
From the architects: ‘dwp|suters were asked to develop a concept that
balances the requirements of an elite level training facility, enables
the business objectives of the club plus fosters public participation
and engages the local community. Consequently the facility is designed
to be visually permeable to enable fans to absorb the club’s rich
history and to catch a glimpse of their team preparing for their next
encounter.’The architects took a very the-people-have-spoken approach,
receiving input from the community in the preliminary design stage and
generally involving the public in the project. The result is a building
that balances strength, boldness, and fun.
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| Courtesy of Suters Architects – images © Archi2O |
dw|suters worked with sculptor, Clement Meadmore, to produce a form that
has the ‘athletic grace of the human body.’ The building pays homage to
the Jack Dyer Stand, which was incorporated into the new building. The
grandstand’s red brick becomes the ‘muscle’ beneath the façade. Their
treatment of the existing grandstand makes it read as an extension of
the club, rather than a separate building. The two are read as one. It
is a beautiful relationship between what is there and what is new, a
theme seen throughout the project. While the grandstand is the ‘muscle,’
the façade with the club colors becomes the skin.
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| Courtesy of Suters Architects – images © Archi2O |
Dw|suters describe the program: ‘The new Richmond Football club houses
the Korin Gamadji Institute, which is the training centre for indigenous
youth and will be a life skills centre offering vocation training and
VET courses. Given the multiple uses, the redevelopment evolved from an
ethos of co-location which enriches its programmatic function, with
areas dedicated to football use, community use and majority of space
dedicated as flexible areas able to be programmed for use by all parties
at different times.’
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| Courtesy of Suters Architects – images © Archi2O |
The Punt Road Oval Redevelopment is a space that brings people together,
a place for the people. The new development is a reassertion of the
existing culture, simply an improvement of conditions and refinement of
space. With its delicate considerations and bold but fun articulations,
it is truly a reflection of its function.
Punt Road Oval Redevelopment slideshow
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