Red Earth Arts Precinct, Karratha // Australia
15 april
Project: Red Earth Arts Precinct, Karratha // Australia
Architect: Peter Hunt Architects // United Kingdom
Fabricator + Installer: DenMac, Wangara // Australia
Façade System: Tray panels on bolts
Year of Construction: 2018
Product: ALUCOBOND® PLUS terra Terracotta + Lava Nera + Silver Metallic + solid White 16
Photos: Peter Hunt
Karratha's caterpillar
Karratha is an isolated place in hot Western Australia, 1,522 kilometresfrom Perth, the nearest major city. Over the years, peopleliving here have struggled to scrape a living from the red, dry earthor the sea. The indigenous Ngarluma people lived here for centuries,and were left largely undisturbed until the middle of the lastcentury, when white men discovered that the barren land was richin raw materials. New immigrants began to extract iron ore, naturalgas and sea salt. This resulted in the founding of Karratha, a smalltown with a population of just under 17,000 in 2021, where peoplelived relatively frugally and often only temporarily.Karratha is, however, ready to make the next leap forward in development;increased investment in new infrastructure is providingmany new homes, shops, offices and educational facilities, playgroundsand open green spaces, a new hospital, a hotel, a neighbourhoodcentre and a cultural and community centre. When designingthis cultural centre, the Red Earth Arts Precinct, the colourof the regional red earth was the inspiration for Peter Hunt’s teamof Australian architects. The reinforced concrete building sits likea giant, scaly caterpillar at a gateway location in town, it raisesits neck towards the hills behind the town and tilts its head in thedirection of the main road. Its internal functions dictate the graduatedheights: positioned at the highest point is the new theatre’sconcrete fly tower above the stage; the municipal librarysits lower at the other end of the building. The roof on the longside overlooking the road is clad in segments of ALUCOBOND®Terracotta and extends deep in front of the windows, providingprotection from the afternoon sun and reflecting the sunlight inthe warm red tones characteristic of the region. On the other side,lower volumes and the entrance portal complete the main wingand help make the transition to a green, covered outdoor theatre.This too is clad in ALUCOBOND® Terracotta panels, which arepartially perforated by motifs and animal figures based on indigenousart. The recessed façades and roof elements also featureALUCOBOND®, at times unobtrusively in Lava Nera, then in solidWhite 16 and sometimes as narrow Silver Metallic bands. Thisgives the roof cladding a striking segmentation and, even fromafar, the building looks like a giant exoskeleton.By the way, the night-time image is the same: bright LED lightsreflect on the narrow strips, dividing the building like lightsabers.This shows that the future in Karratha is just beginning; the startingpoint is investments in art and culture .