Northside Boulders

In 2015, Northside Boulders engaged Green Sheep Collective to design a new bouldering facility in Brunswick.

Brunswick is an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Australia.

Northside Boulders needed a new facility because their nearby Collingwood gym was over-trading.

Green Sheep Collective worked in collaboration with the owners, community, local climbers, and climbing wall builders on the project.

They wanted to deliver a new typology of bouldering gym.

Result?

A world class climbing facility.

And a place for both climbers and the local community to call home.

During their initial thinking, Green Sheep Collective pondered how the new facilities could benefit climbers and the non-climbing community too.

They decided that their primary architectural consideration was to create a welcoming and open stance.

So the gym was opened to the street.

Comfortable furniture, flexible courtyards, urban gardens, retail areas, street art, projection screens, and coffee service was incorporated.

This mix encouraged climbers and non-climbers to hang out, mingle, and get to know one another.

They increased dwell time on site.

And provided opportunities to foster community dialogue.

To deliver a welcoming and inviting open hand, Green Sheep Collective located the lounge areas, retail, and cafe near the street where they could be seen from large street-side glazing panels.

Direct sight lines into the space from to the street invited passers-by to come in and spark up conversation.

Some come in and give bouldering a try.

Others hang out and grab a coffee.

Beyond the active frontage, mobile furniture and large roller doors open to an external courtyard, allowing the gym to expand and contract, adapting quickly to gatherings or social events of various sizes.

Local artists were commissioned to create large scale street-art on the walls and ceilings.

Their work conveyed the energy and vibrancy of the gym to the public.

Green Sheep Collective specified off-the-shelf materials, mainly timber, be used to construct the gym.

That enabled Northside Boulders’ owners to construct the design themselves, without the need for specialised trades.

The climbing wall, constructed entirely of timber, is considered a benchmark for low carbon, sustainable climbing wall construction.

Since opening in 2015, the gym has been used for numerous climbing events, product demonstrations, competitions, youth events, fundraising campaigns, and festivals.

The spill-out external courtyard spaces in the front and rear have been used for gardening with onsite composting, marquees, barbecues and ‘food drive’ initiatives.

Large mezzanine and ancillary rooms offer private spaces and are used for a wide range of non-climbing services.

Sole practitioners rent these spaces to deliver massage, sports therapy, physiotherapy, and yoga.

These opportunities are available to the public too.

Green Sheep Collective’s design model has been hailed a success.

The centre has hosted climbing and community events including introductory climbing seminars for children with autism.

Creating a typology which emphasizes community relationships has gathered momentum.

The public has begun using the spaces to raise awareness of social issues.

Social groups advocating for women and the LGBTQ community have organised women’s only clinics, LGBTQ social events, and peer support groups.

Opening up the building to the community through simple but effective architectural interventions has been successful.

Infusing adjacency, visibility, and occupancy into the design has created a place for climbers, social groups, and the community to connect and be proud of.

Project Details

Completion date – 2015

Project Team

Architecture

Green Sheep Collective

Environmentally conscious, ethical, and community minded, Green Sheep Collective is an architecture firm that brings sustainable design expertise, flexibility, and fun to the design and construction of their clients’ projects.

www.greensheepcollective.com.au

Photography

Daniel Fuge

Daniel is an architectural and lifestyle photographer based in Melbourne, Australia.

www.danielfuge.com