© 2025 fabrica® Studio
© 2025 fabrica® Studio
© 2025 fabrica® Studio
Civic | Education
Civic and educational buildings play a vital part in bringing together communities. For the design team these projects can hold special challenges ensuring that the coordination across disciplines comes to deliver a unified purpose in the delivery of the final structure.
Point Lonsdale Surf Live Saving Club
The new two‑storey Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club, designed by Jackson Clements Burrows and built by Lyons Construction, replaces the original 1960s structure and repositions the precinct into a community focal point. The striking triangular timber-clad building bridges coastal character and civic use, complete with timber battens, deep verandahs, and a generous lawn with terraced decking for food trucks, public training, and social events.
Community use was central to the outcome. Ground-floor areas include a kiosk, storage, admin spaces, junior lounge, and first-floor function rooms, bar, and kitchen—all oriented for seamless indoor-outdoor flow. Every detail reflects careful coordination, with accessible ramps, service integration, and timber finishes responding to the local environment.
Resulting in a resilient, welcoming coastal hub, the Club now stands as a beacon of community resilience and architectural precision for surf lifesaving and public gathering.
Architect: Jackson Clements Burrows
Point Lonsdale Surf Live Saving Club
The new two‑storey Point Lonsdale Surf Life Saving Club, designed by Jackson Clements Burrows and built by Lyons Construction, replaces the original 1960s structure and repositions the precinct into a community focal point. The striking triangular timber-clad building bridges coastal character and civic use, complete with timber battens, deep verandahs, and a generous lawn with terraced decking for food trucks, public training, and social events.
Community use was central to the outcome. Ground-floor areas include a kiosk, storage, admin spaces, junior lounge, and first-floor function rooms, bar, and kitchen—all oriented for seamless indoor-outdoor flow. Every detail reflects careful coordination, with accessible ramps, service integration, and timber finishes responding to the local environment.
Resulting in a resilient, welcoming coastal hub, the Club now stands as a beacon of community resilience and architectural precision for surf lifesaving and public gathering.
Architect: Jackson Clements Burrows
Oakleigh South Childcare Centre
Oakleigh South Childcare Centre is a landmark example of how mass timber construction can deliver sustainable, fast, and nurturing spaces for early learning. Designed by Insite Architects for Hume Childcare Trust, the building features over 300 m³ of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) in the walls and roof structure—assembled in just 11 days on site.
The use of CLT enabled precision construction with minimal waste and significantly reduced the carbon footprint of the build, sequestering over 220 tonnes of CO₂. Its lightweight nature also allowed for simplified foundations and faster program delivery, essential for urban sites with tight schedules.
Internally, the exposed timber finish creates a calming, biophilic environment that supports young children’s wellbeing and development. The centre accommodates eight classrooms, a parent retreat, administrative spaces, and full kitchen and laundry facilities, all connected with thoughtfully integrated services and acoustic detailing.
Awarded Best Sustainable Project by the Master Builders Association of Victoria, the project proves that smart design and engineered timber can deliver both architectural warmth and environmental leadership—making it a standout model for the future of childcare design in Australia.
Oakleigh South Childcare Centre
Oakleigh South Childcare Centre is a landmark example of how mass timber construction can deliver sustainable, fast, and nurturing spaces for early learning. Designed by Insite Architects for Hume Childcare Trust, the building features over 300 m³ of Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) in the walls and roof structure—assembled in just 11 days on site.
The use of CLT enabled precision construction with minimal waste and significantly reduced the carbon footprint of the build, sequestering over 220 tonnes of CO₂. Its lightweight nature also allowed for simplified foundations and faster program delivery, essential for urban sites with tight schedules.
Internally, the exposed timber finish creates a calming, biophilic environment that supports young children’s wellbeing and development. The centre accommodates eight classrooms, a parent retreat, administrative spaces, and full kitchen and laundry facilities, all connected with thoughtfully integrated services and acoustic detailing.
Awarded Best Sustainable Project by the Master Builders Association of Victoria, the project proves that smart design and engineered timber can deliver both architectural warmth and environmental leadership—making it a standout model for the future of childcare design in Australia.
Ballarat and Bendigo GovHubs
Vistek Engineers were engaged as structural peer reviewers for both the Ballarat and Bendigo GovHub projects—two major government-led developments that showcase the application of engineered timber at institutional scale.
Each GovHub features a hybrid structure combining Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glulam with concrete and steel, delivering both embodied carbon reductions and a warm, human-centric environment for public sector workplaces. The use of mass timber in these projects required complex coordination across disciplines.
By working closely with project teams and contractors, Vistek helped de-risk the timber design and facilitate confidence in its delivery. These projects mark an important milestone in the adoption of timber in regional public buildings and serve as a reference point for sustainable government architecture in Australia.
Ballarat and Bendigo GovHubs
Vistek Engineers were engaged as structural peer reviewers for both the Ballarat and Bendigo GovHub projects—two major government-led developments that showcase the application of engineered timber at institutional scale.
Each GovHub features a hybrid structure combining Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glulam with concrete and steel, delivering both embodied carbon reductions and a warm, human-centric environment for public sector workplaces. The use of mass timber in these projects required complex coordination across disciplines.
By working closely with project teams and contractors, Vistek helped de-risk the timber design and facilitate confidence in its delivery. These projects mark an important milestone in the adoption of timber in regional public buildings and serve as a reference point for sustainable government architecture in Australia.
Newlands Primary School Redevelopment
Vistek was engaged to provide structural engineering for the redevelopment of Newlands Primary School, a carefully considered design that balances educational function with architectural clarity. The project included new learning spaces, outdoor areas, and communal facilities, all set within a compact footprint and a tight site boundary.
The architecture’s simplicity is underpinned by efficient structural framing, integrating timber and steel solutions that respond to budget, buildability, and long-term flexibility. Particular attention was given to detailing around junctions and openings to support the rhythm and expression of the façade, while ensuring robust performance in a high-use environment.
The result is a contemporary school environment that supports pedagogy, sustainability, and community engagement — all while demonstrating how careful engineering collaboration can elevate even modest educational projects.
Architect: Bourke and Bouteloup Architects
Newlands Primary School Redevelopment
Vistek was engaged to provide structural engineering for the redevelopment of Newlands Primary School, a carefully considered design that balances educational function with architectural clarity. The project included new learning spaces, outdoor areas, and communal facilities, all set within a compact footprint and a tight site boundary.
The architecture’s simplicity is underpinned by efficient structural framing, integrating timber and steel solutions that respond to budget, buildability, and long-term flexibility. Particular attention was given to detailing around junctions and openings to support the rhythm and expression of the façade, while ensuring robust performance in a high-use environment.
The result is a contemporary school environment that supports pedagogy, sustainability, and community engagement — all while demonstrating how careful engineering collaboration can elevate even modest educational projects.
Architect: Bourke and Bouteloup Architects
Nunawading Community Hub
The Nunawading Community Hub is a landmark civic project that celebrates openness, sustainability, and community connection — values embodied not only in its design, but in the structural system that brings it to life.
Vistek supported the project through specialist mass timber engineering advice, working alongside VicBeam and the broader design team to ensure the structural clarity and warmth of exposed glulam elements were fully realised. The use of glulam portal frames not only reduces the building’s carbon footprint but also creates a welcoming spatial rhythm across the large-span communal areas.
Detailed coordination between structure, services, and finishes was essential to preserve the expressive honesty of the timber, with concealed connections and carefully resolved junctions supporting both architectural intent and long-term durability and the result showcases how engineered timber can elevate public architecture by combining performance, aesthetics, and sustainability.
Architect: FJMT Architects