Acknowledgement of Country

Adriano Pupilli Architects respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we live and work; the Gayamaygal people and Yuin people. We pay our respects to elders past, present and emerging. This is, was and always will be Aboriginal land.

Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club

Complementing the Coastline

Community, Landscape, Public

Long Reef is a rare jewel on Sydney’s Northern Beaches. It’s a sanctuary for native flora and fauna, as well as people who come to escape the nearby suburban sprawl and reconnect with nature. Our renewal of the Long Reef SLSC vastly improves the amenity for these visitors, while preserving the rugged beauty of this special piece of coastline.
Location
Gayamaygal Country / Long Reef, NSW
Client
Northern Beaches Council
Year
2022
Type
Public
Status
Complete
Builder
Grindley Interiors
Engineer
Partridge
Landscape
Tyrrell Studio
Awards
NSW Institute of Architecture Awards: Winner, Public Architecture, Commendation, Sustainable Architecture | National Architecture Awards - Commendation, Public Architecture | Local Government Professionals Awards: Winner, Asset and Infrastructure Award for Projects Over $1.5M | National Landscape Architecture Awards: Winner, Landscape Architecture Award | Master Builder’s Awards: Winner, Public Buildings $5-10M
Photography
Martin Mischkulnig

The brief and community consultation called for a building that is low-key, hardworking, robust and honest, providing essential amenity for current and future generations of locals, Club members, Council and visitors alike.

Our response is for a quiet architecture that nestles into the surrounding landscape. It’s a building that weathers and lets the landscape in, respecting and preserving the rich and delicate ecosystem that is Long Reef and the greater Griffith Reserve.

The new facility is in fact a series of smaller pavilions set within the landscape, book-ended by an existing dune to the east and a man-made dune to the west. The pavilions are clad in timber rain screens that are allowed to silver and settle into the natural scene.

The pavilions are arranged around a central courtyard, the main social hub. They provide amenity to outside spaces, in turn reducing the building footprint and reliance on enclosed space. Outdoor furniture collects shifting sands and vegetation as well as creating opportunities to linger and initiate serendipitous interactions between different user groups. The main pavilion hosts a function room on the second storey, providing breathtaking views to North Head, and intimate views into the existing coastal landscape and Banksia Grove. The kite shaped roof is designed to gently rise to maintain a low scale.


Through several Working Group meetings facilitated by Northern Beaches Council, and meetings on-site with Club and community groups, design iterations were made to address the concerns of different users of the site.

The result is a building that provides amenity for a safer beach-going experience, a place to interact with your neighbours, learn how to surf, attend a nippers session with the kids, take a yoga class or a first aid course. It’s a base to compete in events, or host a school excursions to discover the site’s unique coastal flora and fauna. It’s a spot to stop in for coffee while walking the dog, grab an ice-cream or catch some waves.

Across the seasons the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club is in a constant state of flux, a flexible building that dramatically increases the amenity of the site while preserving and celebrating the landscape that people come to enjoy.

The pavilions are arranged around a central courtyard, the main social hub.

They provide amenity to outside spaces, in turn reducing the building footprint and reliance on enclosed space.

The kite shaped roof is designed to gently rise to maintain a low scale.

The main pavilion hosts a function room on the second storey, providing breathtaking views to North Head, and intimate views into the existing coastal landscape and Banksia Grove.

"Beautiful yet in many ways hardly noticeable. It all works so well...opening up the training room with hundreds of Nippers... patrols teams preparing with ease - fully equipped and immediately ready for action....members enjoying the gym with the fresh air pouring in from the north and through into the breezeway..."
Rob Pearson, Long Reef SLSC Vice President