Argall

Darebin Intercultural Centre

Winner of the Grand Pix Awards, 2023 Dulux Colour Award, the Darebin community facility is housed in a heritage building, featuring vibrant and flexible gathering spaces, meeting areas, and performance zones. The design incorporates the building’s heritage elements of original tiling and vaulted brick ceilings into the modernization of central tables for communal interaction, curved spaces to create a sense of openness, and movable walls for privacy.
The center is housed within a solid masonry structure dating back to 1929, featuring suspended concrete and timber floors that underwent numerous modifications in the 1970s. With a goal to create more open space, our project involved removing internal walls while ensuring that the structure’s stability and ability to bear upper-level gravity loads remained within acceptable levels.

Architect:

Year:

Construction Budget:

Challenges:

Sibling Architecture
2021
$2.5m
During construction, we discovered various non-traditional alterations made to the structure in the 1970s, including sections of vaulted suspended concrete slabs. We efficiently managed the construction methodology, collaborating closely with the contractor to create significantly open floor plan within the structure. Furthermore, we encountered existing tree roots at the front of the hall, requiring work with an arborist to design and construct the footings for the external structure.

Architect:

Sibling Architecture

Year:

2021

Construction Budget:

$2.5m

Challenges:

During construction, we discovered various non-traditional alterations made to the structure in the 1970s, including sections of vaulted suspended concrete slabs. We efficiently managed the construction methodology, collaborating closely with the contractor to create significantly open floor plan within the structure. Furthermore, we encountered existing tree roots at the front of the hall, requiring work with an arborist to design and construct the footings for the external structure.

ANDREW GALL, Director

Argall was founded in 2017 by Andrew Gall, an engineer with a passion for complex design and breaking the mould. His work experience as a senior structural engineer across a variety of project disciplines made him realise there was a real need for a bespoke people and service-oriented structural engineering consultancy that would inspire sustainability practices and innovation often lacking in big companies.

This is over and above his experience in traditional procurement roles, his work with builders in the design and construct field, managing projects in sport, tertiary education, the arts and zoological fields, as well as community, commercial, residential and multi- residential enterprises. With such a wealth of knowledge and understanding of different design methodologies, he has the expertise to challenge the status quo in his new venture.