MARINE RESCUE TOWER

The Ballina Marine Rescue Centre replaces the existing dilapidated tower which stood at the north break-wall at the mouth of the Richmond River, monitoring conditions and facilitating integrated emergency responses. Its limited budget, exposed position and role as navigational landmark dictated a strong, brutalist monolith, requiring as little maintenance as possible. Glazed bricks form a highly durable skin resistant to salt spray and graffiti, while their hit-and-miss laying pattern forms part of a natural ventilation system for each floor’s circulation areas. The structure contains a viewing platform, an acoustically separate integrated rescue operations space, storage, amenities and vertical circulation over three stacked floor plates.

2017 AIA NSW Country Division Award – Public Building

2016 / Bundjalung Country / Ballina, NSW

Photography: Christopher Frederick Jones