Perth has often been maligned for its uninspired architecture.
Opportunities to create iconic structures have often been squandered – the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre being front of mind, with the lord mayor himself calling it “a blot on the landscape”.
But the Shire of Serpentine Jarrahdale is bucking the trend and dreaming big, with the ambition of creating an unforgettable visitor centre in Jarrahdale.
Councillors recently pored over the concept designs for the Jarrahdale Trails Centre to be built, in time, beside the RV stop-over site on Lots 814/815 on Millars Rd.
The first goal of the design was to create a “building that is an attraction in its own right”.
“There is an ambition to become a Trails Town of which, inter alia, a high-quality tourism and visitor experience would be essential,” officers said in their report.
The design has been modelled on the shapes of Jarrah leaves. And there are ideas of using a range of contrastingly-textured and coloured materials in its construction: think cor-ten, jarrah, copper patina, and terracotta.
The building will grow in stages, with Stage 1 encompassing a standalone visitor welcome centre, end-of-trail facilities like bathrooms and outdoor dining tables, and multi-purpose spaces which can be leased for exhibitions and conferences.
Stage 2 will see a self-contained commercial space constructed, which will be fully integrated with the Stage 1 design. Although, it is estimated that there would be a five-year gap between the two stages of development.
Concept planners mused on the inclusion of a distillery or microbrewery as an example of an ideal business in this space.
A terraced amphitheatre to “support community connection, informal presentations, movie nights” would also form part of the landscaping works.
And part of the RV area would be used to create a ‘public plaza’ capable of hosting markets.
It is an ambitious vision for the future of Jarrahdale, and one that would require a great deal of funding to bring to life.
Councillors voted unanimously to use the concept plan to advocate for funding during the run-up to the state and federal elections.
