Kiah Community Centre

Location: Kiah, NSW
Project type: Architecture
Budget: $1,46M
Status: Design Phase
Organisation: Bega Valley Shire Council

COMPLETE Urban would like to begin by acknowledging the Yuin, traditional custodians of the land on which the existing Kiah and Wandella community halls are located within. We pay our respects to the current custodians and their Elders past and present. We extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples living in Australia today.

Following the devastating bushfires of 2019-2020, Bega Valley Shire Council wished to respond to the Communities most impacted by providing stylish yet functional Community Buildings that would in part compensate the extreme losses that had to be endured. The project was to adhere to a series of prime objectives:

  • Pay homage to the past but look to the future
  • Be a focal point of Community life
  • Be a flexible and multipurpose space
  • Be environmentally sustainable
  • Be accessible for all members of the community
  • Be resilient to the impacts of any future natural disaster; and
  • Have low on-going operational and maintenance costs.

Further to the above, the concept design presented to Council and the Community on the 22nd February 2022, responded to site specific constraints and opportunities such as site aspect and terrain and local character. The design also incorporated innovative design strategies such as evolving the original function of a hall to a hub which indicates a destination that serves more than one purpose. The Kiah Hub specifically intends to host up to 300 people and pay homage to the to the past through the integration of the stained glass pieces salvaged after the fires.