Manly Surf Life Saving Club

For the new build design, our idea was for the club building to nestle, shell-like into its current site, the perfect vantage point for the job of beach surveillance. At the south end of the beach, the club house hugs a bend in Manly’s iconic coastal walk, that stretches three kilometres from Shelly Beach to Queenscliff. The architectural language is of shade and shelter. A generous canopy over the public bleachers curves into a quintessentially Australian verandah. The approach is similar to the original Steyne Hotel on the Corso designed by Edmund Blacket in 1860 – a solid base of sandstone, and a wraparound timber verandah above.

The upper level of the building, containing function/ training rooms and gym,was oriented to maximise views – every space gets a view to the beach. The two ends provide framed views up the promenade to the northwest, and straight up Marine Parade to the northeast.

We envisaged the new club house connecting with the promenade more deliberately, becoming a sustainable
landmark, incorporating amenities such as perimeter shading, a café, a planted façade, and a suitably robust, natural material language that could inform future landscape interventions along the promenade.

For the refurbishment option we saw this as an opportunity to offer something for everyone. Importantly, we wanted it to reflect the strong identity of Manly as embodied in the famous beach, promenade, and headlands.

Our idea was to keep as much of the building as possible, with modifications to be clear, concise, and functional. The characteristic appearance of the building is carried through to the new works – with brick external walls, curved corners, and wrap-around balconies. The departure from this is in placing a function room on the roof – we conceive of this as a contemporary architectural form; with its materials and details to be unexpectedly different from the existing building.

To maximise the view and give the club options that enhance its community engagement and revenue capacity, interiors were multifunctional and flexible.  A key decision is to locate the function room as an additional storey. This was the only opportunity to achieve a high-ceiling, column-free space overlooking the beach without undergoing major reworking of the existing building. We worked within the parameters set by the approved DA, to manage the risk associated with proposing additional mass in this constrained setting.