ALIA Design Awards 2021
Published on 09 March 2021
Sunbury is one of the fastest growing suburbs in the Hume municipality. The community had outgrown its previous library, built in the 1970s, and required more local access to facilities and services that would support community arts, participation and learning.
The Hume Global Learning Centre–Sunbury (HGLC-Sunbury) was designed to offer a wide range of programs and services to support the needs of the local community and to feature a variety of Council services including:
• Library
• Training facilities
• Conference and meeting rooms
• Gallery
• Visitor Information
• Customer Service (Council information and payments)
The HGLC-Sunbury was opened on 16 December 2019 and is the third facility in Hume City’s suite of Global Learning Centres, the first two being built in Broadmeadows and Craigieburn.
The HGLC-Sunbury cost $21.5million to deliver. Council contributed $18.5 million towards this project for the purchase of land, building design and construction as well as a new car park. The Victorian Government contributed a further $3 million through the Victorian Government’s Growing Suburbs Fund.
It has now been shortlisted for the 2021 Australian Library and Information Association Library Design Awards.
Design
The design supports a physical connection between outdoor and interior spaces, promoting the active and engaging use of each. The multi, sloped and non-symmetrical three levels, shaped into a crescent, are built into the landscape, with the resulting profile of the building echoing that of the rolling farmland hills of the surrounding countryside.
Landscaping and green areas around the facility feature native flora and regenerated local vegetation, encouraging biodiversity and reflecting the wider Sunbury landscape, making this a warm and inviting place for all ages.
Interior decorations also features elements of the surrounding landscape including limestone/granite and wood. Each space is functional and dynamic, in-built interchangeable spaces have the flexibility to adapt to our ever-changing community needs.
The central location of the facility supports its accessibility to the community. Prioritised pedestrian paths and integrated bicycle parking provide viable sustainable transport options.
“We are so proud that Sunbury Library has been shortlisted for the ALIA Australian Library Design Awards. The Hume Global Learning Centre – Sunbury, where the library is located, is one of the largest projects undertaken in Hume City Council’s history. Our growing community needed a space that would meet their changing needs, and we aimed to deliver one that would ‘honour the past, value the present and imagine the future.” - Mayor, Cr Joseph Haweil