Our concept for the new Visitors Centre at the Collingwood Football Club Victoria Sports Hub celebrates the passion of Collingwood’s supporters and the club’s philosophy of ‘Made by Many’.
Our design integrates three main functions: exhibition, retail and visitor’s lounge. These insertions, combined with careful alterations to the existing spaces will unify these programs to create an immersive and engaging experience for visitors.
We acknowledge the club’s deep ties to its broad community and showcase this diversity. We’ve incorporated s culturally sensitive design approach and explored opportunities for Indigenous engagement through the materials selection, integration of artwork and naming and signage within the spaces.
The existing programs were reoriented to create a more inviting entry experience, moving the retail and exhibition elements to the front, activating the façade.
We’ve encouraged the club to ensure visual permeability into the space from its surrounds and engage with the wider Melbourne Park precinct. We’ve also considered the significance of the adjoining Olympic Swimming Pool with reference to the materials and form of the interior and façade details.
Our alterations will also invite a closer connection to nature, allowing more natural light into the interior spaces. We’re working with a materials palette that is warm and welcoming, with etched timber panels and battens cladding the new exhibition and retail elements. The updated facility will support the club’s education programs and expand its appeal to tourists and the public.
