The Lalor Tennis Club has a proud 56 year history which makes it one of the oldest clubs in the district. It was first established in 1957 in Sydney Crescent, Lalor. The club’s membership spans 25 nationalities and the club motto is to embrace each culture as a part of a spirit of inclusion and social programs.
Up until 2014 the original two courts and clubhouse were the only facilities available to the club. The clubhouse was very old, and consisted of a 100sqm brick building.
On completion of the updated tennis courts in late 2014, k20 Architecture were selected as the Project Architects to complete the new Lalor Community Pavilion.
Past Project Manager for the City of Whittlesea Jonathan Chan was involved throughout the duration of the project and said that Council’s brief for the project had a very strong focus on tying the design with the surrounding landscape.
“The design incorporates a large number of glass windows and doors which leaves the user feeling that they are not in an enclosed space, but close to the outside environment,” Jonathan Chan said.
“There is also a large amount of timber incorporated within the design to signify trees and the environment.
“There were some initial concerns from our facilities management team regarding the maintenance of so much timber however the majority of timber was designed so as not to be exposed and so it is protected from the majority of rain and exterior elements.”
Jonathan said that environmentally sustainable principles were a core value of the new facility.
“k20 included a number of sustainable elements like water harvesting and low energy usage for all lighting and products incorporated within the project and Council were happy that these features were included.” Jonathan said.
The new pavilion includes a front entry, social gathering area, kitchen, storage space, toilets and first aid and meeting rooms and is over double the size of the old facility, spanning 250sqm. Where the old facility was only capable of holding small meetings, the new pavilion caters to a range of community groups from sporting groups, childcare groups to aged care.
“There were a number of challenges that k20 Architecture had to overcome for this project,” Jonathan said.
“The timelines for schematic design and detailed design were very tight and we were working within a constrained site that is not your typical rectangular shape.
“k20 Architecture delivered on the project timelines and the new design looks great and you are able to see all of the courts in action from the social spaces.”
“Given that the project was a modular building, we knew that k20 had the experience to deliver on this project.”
Jonathan said that the community have had a very positive reaction in regards to the new facility, saying that many people have commented that they feel a really strong and positive reaction when they walk into the space.
He said those who remember the old pavilion appreciate the significance and recognise the possibilities that this new facility will create for the club, and the broader community.