Merrifield City is the first component of a larger development that will form the heart of the Merrifield Township. The development is situated within a landscape of grassland and paddocks dotted with River Red Gums. Its location at the corner of Donnybrook Road and Merrifield Boulevard will be prominent. The high, folded roof form brings a civic scale to the to this growing residential neighbourhood.
The building’s main roof structure features high, raking plywood soffits with a unique geometric pattern, intersecting with steel elements and appearing to float over the protruding brick pavilions. The overhang creates a wide sheltered space, referencing the Australian vernacular verandah, which wraps around the Market Hall, shading the entrances.
Recycled brick and patterned precast facades extend into the tenancy walls and retail areas. Inside, the Hall houses retail shops in pavilions below the large, folded roof. Clerestory windows facing South within the roof provide a wash of daylight to the spaces below. The sawtooth design also allows a centrally controlled natural ventilation system to reduce the mechanical services energy load.
An existing River Red Gum tree was preserved and forms a key anchor for the site. This was part of an initiative that NH undertook to build on the significance of existing ecological systems. The water levels of the grasslands to the north are closely connected and the tress on site play an important role.
