In another successful project delivery outcome, we are proud to have partnered with Kingston City Council on this exciting community project. Aligned to Kingston City Council’s ongoing investment in women’s sporting facilities, k20 Architecture was engaged to design and deliver a new state of the art netball pavilion at Dales Park Reserve in Oakleigh South.

This project aims to support women’s health and will enable thousands of local netballers of all ages and abilities to participate in social and competitive graded netball. Our design response strengthens the sense of community within Oakleigh South by providing an exciting multi-purpose space that caters to the various users who visit Dales Park Reserve for sport, play, or passive recreation.

The ground level consists of two change rooms, public amenities, two umpire change rooms, a first aid room, administration office and a canteen. On the upper level there is a tournament office, gym, meeting room, kitchen and amenities, as well as a social space and balcony to provide spectators with a view spanning all courts, specifically designed to support the growing number of players, umpires, coaches and spectators that visit the site each week.

As a site dedicated to women’s sport and recreational activities, the pavilion takes inspiration from the various movements found in the play of netball, forming our design story ‘Flex’. Dales Park Netball Pavilion emulates the static and dynamic movements through sharp angular flexing rooflines and building form, it is a reflection of a player’s movements when stretching to defend or attack the ball. The design includes careful consideration to functional layout, maximising the environmentally sustainable inputs within the design incorporating flexibility of space, maximised natural light, air sealing, robust/low maintenance materials, services within the building provide for ongoing safe maintenance. The design also includes a solar array and battery system to reduce reliance on the grid and fossil fuels.

All sides of the building capture the needs of its users and purposefully deliver a different function: entry, spectatorship, circulation and eating and playing. The pavilion was specifically designed to have no back of house using crime prevention design principals to reduce the risk of crime and vandalism across the site. This was a key factor in the visual resolution of the building, and the paved courtyard in this area provides an additional space to accommodate social events and functions as well as circulation across the site.

A curved feature window to the upper level creates a connection between the two outwardly flexing roofs, similar to a shoulder or elbow joint, allowing for movement and a focal point within the form of the architecture. Internally the program provides flexibility, as operable walls separate the social space, gym, and umpire room with the opportunity to be opened up into a larger space for functions and prize giving.

Dales Park Pavilion exceeds Netball Victoria’s standards for a regional facility, providing the Kingston Community with a high quality and functional space for sport, while also catering for leisure activities through the inclusion of a playground, an off-leash dog area and a walkway that leads through to the surrounding Dale’s Park Reserve. Dales Park Pavilion gives back to the community and promotes women’s health through the growth of the sport with the provision of state-of-the-art facilities.