Place is never neutral. This place stitches a town together.

Why Us?

Lots of Architects could have satisfied Council’s modest brief (replace the existing public toilets and add some meeting space) but we were selected because we understood:

‘boxy big-city’ architecture wouldn’t sit right in this street
a new building wasn’t the point - it was all about how it helped extend the life of the neighbouring Town Hall (a ripper music venue) and kindergarten.

AND we knew what to do about it..

HOW DID WE HELP?

With a tight site, budget and big ambitions for the broader township we set about analysing the:

excellent brief from Council and community (including mood boards)
township
steetscape
site

At our first meeting with Council and the highly engaged community reference group, we presented what we had learnt and how we thought the design should respond:

A community verandah, stitched into the streetscape, anchored at one end but open to the Town Hall.
A building whose edges define a laneway, a courtyard, a piazza; that create places to sit, watch and celebrate.

They thought we were spot on. Furious agreement, sighs of relief (it CAN work! it won’t destroy the town!), and excitement for what was to come.

Over the next few years we:

kept an open line to the community through our champion reference group, testing toilet configurations (gender neutral vs single sex), materials and colours
handed over Meeniyan’s new town heart to its engaged and excited community

“The Meeniyan Community Hub redefines the potential of small-town architecture, transforming a modest community brief into a work of enduring civic generosity.”

(ArchiTeam Medal Citation, November 2025)

PROBLEMS

What problems did we solve and how?

On our first site visit we noticed:
1. The dearly-loved neighbouring Town Hall hosts incredible performances and whilst its acoustics are first rate, its toilets aren’t.
2. The neighbouring kindergarten has a fantastic playground but nowhere for quiet conversations.
3. The cenotaph - still an important memorial in regional towns - is trapped on a traphic island in front of our site. Crossing the road involves avoiding B-Double trucks as they hurtle through town.
We realised the new little building itself was going to be less important than its edges: what it shaped, connected to and defined.
It had to:
- feel connected to the town hall, making it easy to get to the dunnies at intermission (it is a BYO venue!)
- frame the shortcut to the kinder, high school beyond and homes ‘up the hill’ as well as offering small spaces for quiet conversations
- create a sheltered piazza and courtyard, connected to the cenotaph and suitable for all community events and rituals.
Like most regional towns, Meeniyan has a lot of old buildings - built long before flat roofs were a thing. That means a street of jostling verandahs, spaces to shelter and wait out that Gippsland rain (which is heavy, and happens A LOT), as well as an undulating line of ridges and valleys.
We took the simplest of those common roof lines (at the same pitch as the town hall), wrapped it around a dearly-need courtyard and slung a long low verandah around the full edge of the building.
We chose materials that sit quietly in the street: zincalume roof sheeting ties in with neighbouring buildings. Colours of biscuit and burnt orange visually connect new and old across almost a century.
Whilst the Historical Society and other active community groups are primarily concerned with preserving Meeniyan’s qualities - there is an energetic pulse of forward-looking folk in Meeniyan and surrounds. These people (both newcomers and born-and-bred alike) are helping put Meeniyan on the map for great food, gigs, boutique accommodation and festivals.
We could see how the respectful dialogue between these two groups (who understand the past has made Meeniyan the cherished place that it is, the future demands different ways of doing things) could be reflected in the building - quiet outside, bold inside.
That boldness is expressed through colour (hot oranges and red) but also innovative materials: carbon-sequestering hemp masonry walls mixed with local clays from site.

BEHIND THE SCENES

A glimpse of how we made it happen:

AUDIENCE

So it's a place for the people. But which people?

Belonging and connection are the keystones of any community (especially in regional centres), and Meeniyan is home to a mix of long-time locals and newcomers who were all looking to see their values and identity reflected in the town. With the adjacent kindergarten and Town Hall hosting a range of events from formal civic to cultural, the Community Hub had to be a place that would welcome all ages.

The South Gippsland Shire Council  has confirmed that:

“The Meeniyan Community Hub provides a welcoming place where connections are strengthened and ideas flourish. While the Meeniyan community already shared a strong sense of belonging, the Hub deepens and supports this connection through a thoughtfully designed gathering space. The Hub integrates innovative use of hempcrete in a design that reflects present-day community expectations and complements the surrounding active precinct.”

"Meeniyan now has a modern, accessible set of public toilets and a beautiful multi-purpose community space. A place that will no doubt be well used and well loved by locals and visitors alike."

John Schnelling, Mayor
South Gippsland Shire Council
"Public Realm Lab have demonstrated how thoughtful planning and deep contextual awareness can elevate everyday infrastructure into meaningful public architecture."

Architeam Awards
Medal
Jury Citation

SUMMARY

A community verandah stitched into its place.

ANY SURPRISES?

We expected Meeniyan’s locals to care about their old buildings but were surprised by their affection for a laserlight carport-like roof spanning the Town Hall and old public toilets.

We learnt this ordinary-looking spot was a key social space for the town. Because it spanned two property titles the roof was non-compliant and the sloping ground (complete with spoon drain trip-hazards) was not ideal for trestle tables loaded with jam and scones. We made sure the new elevated piazza could host the same special activities as well as offering prime views across Meeniyan. We even included some climbing roses to remember those planted by volunteers many moons ago.

IS IT SUSTAINABLE?

Meeniyan Community Hub is the 4th public hemp masonry building in Australia (we delivered the other 3!). The building incorporates insitu hemp as well as prefabricated hemp blocks to improve construction speed and materials handling. The hemp walls are carbon-sequestering, highly insulated, acoustically dampening and beautiful.

The community hub is also gas free, fully electric and powered by a 20kW PV array. On-site rainwater harvesting supports irrigation of the all native landscaping. We also improved water permeability across the site.

The project has been recognised with an ArchiTeam Community & Public Award and the overall ArchiTeam Medal for 2025.