A major revitalisation of the city of Salisbury is well on its way with the completion of a new Community Hub in the city’s centre. The multi-purpose facility accommodates an administrative service centre as well as information and entertainment spaces for the residents of the growing South Australian city, just north of Adelaide.

The Community Hub includes the Salisbury Council administration offices; library and information facilities; education training and meeting spaces, and exhibition and performance spaces. Now the facility is open, residents are enjoying the range of activities on offer and the flexible spaces for community gatherings, drawing people in to the rejuvenated town centre.

The bold design of the building features four levels in a series of staggered layers with floor-to-ceiling glazing enclosing the spaces. Alspec’s ThermAFrame 150mm Flush Glazed Thermally Broken Framing was selected for much of the façade as it serves the dual purpose of maximising natural light while providing exceptional energy performance. This type of “thermal break” framing introduces a different element to the frame which separates the aluminium to provide a “break”, therefore reducing the ability for heat or cold to transfer between indoors and outdoors.

Given the design loads anticipated for the building, Alspec’s team worked with the fabricator, Aluco, and the architect, Hassell Studio, to produce a custom-made structural mullion for the ThermAFrame. By designing and extruding the mullion specifically for this use, it could be assured the framing would accommodate the calculated building loads and glazing spans.

With the facility designed to encourage people to come together to learn and participate, a number of different environments were needed across the site, requiring a variety of different access resolutions. A range of Alspec’s door framing products were called upon, including the Swan Evo 45mm Commercial Door, Hawkesbury Commercial Multi-Fold Door and the ProGlide High Performance Sliding Door, with each product suitable for different applications and uses.

The versatile Swan Evo 45mm Commercial Door is ideal for high use public spaces, given its secure centre pocket glazing and durable componentry. Meanwhile the Hawkesbury Commercial Multi-Fold door provides the ideal interface to open up large indoor-outdoor areas due to its smooth top-rolling operation and stable centre hinges which prevent bowing on tall doors. The ProGlide High Performance Sliding door has equally durable componentry and a heavy duty aluminium profile which allows it to span large openings as well as deliver an impenetrable barrier to the elements when closed.

Project Name: Salisbury Community Hub
Project Address: Church St, Salisbury SA 5108
Architect: Hassell Studio
Builder: Hansen Yuncken
Fabricator: Aluco
Applied Finish: Dulux Electro Dark Bronze (external); Dulux Pearl White (internal)
Photography: Lillie Thompson

Alspec Products Used:
Hunter Evo 101.6mm Single Flush Glazed Framing
Hawkesbury® Commercial Multi-Fold Door
ProGlide® High Performance Sliding Door
150mm Flush Glazed Thermally Broken Framing