Location: Narellan NSW Building Owner: Camden Council Architect: Group GSA Builder: Richard Crookes Constructions Austral Bricks products: • Murray Grey dry-pressed bricks • Bowral Blue dry-pressed bricks • Single cant shaped bricks (Murray Grey and Bowral Blue) • Extruded Universal Commons   NOVEMBER 2006

Narellan’s new Library and Community Space was seen by the outer western Sydney council as setting the style for a revitalised town centre.

“(The council was) attracted to the design because it was different and it had an excitement in its use of colour and in its form,” says Group GSA’s design director Stephen Pearse.

The L-shaped building features a library, youth centre, meeting rooms, community offices and staff areas. All elevations are prominently displayed, with those to the north and west relating closely to the street.

“You can create good, crisp forms out of brickwork,” Stephen Pearse contends. “It’s also durable, it’s not expensive, and it’s a cost-effective construction system.”

Brickwork also features internally. “We have essentially carved space out of a strong brick form to create the main entry and lobby.”

The complex has generated a lot of resident interest (and increased patronage). “People like being in it,” says Stephen Pearse, “ and I think they appreciate the quality that Richard Crookes put into the construction. It is very well put together. The Narellan Library and Community Space sets a precedent for future quality development in the region.”