South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

In 2011, the City of Port Phillip commissioned Paul Morgan Architects (PMA) to refurbish and extend the Emerald Hill Library and Heritage Centre, with a brief that called for expanded library spaces, disabled access, a children’s area, heritage centre and an outdoor play area. The project, then, presented many interesting challenges, not least the delicate question of how to integrate its new elements into the South Melbourne Town Hall precinct.

Located in a neighbourhood not short of character architecture, the Emerald Hill Library and Heritage Centre stands out as an exceptional building. Recognised by Heritage Victoria as a rare Australian example of the Beaux Arts style, it was built in 1912, originally as a post office, and is surrounded by the remarkably coherent Victorian-era streetscape of South Melbourne’s Town Hall precinct.

Responding to Council’s brief, PMA opted for a contemporary architecture that operates almost by stealth, in some senses quite literally disguising itself as a shadow. The fence that surrounds the new external play area facing the street reads as a series of black striations, which both refract the base of the Beaux Arts building and conflate the addition with the shaded Victorian streetscape it sits within. Internally, though, the refurbishment has made its presence felt, with new way finding, improved circulation and bigger, brighter spaces for visitors. The project has drawn some attention from outside parties: it has been featured in The Age and was shortlisted in the Heritage category at the Australian Institute of Architects Awards, Victorian Chapter.

‘‘…(the library) contributed to the atmosphere, style and liveability of the City”

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‘City of Port Phillip 2014 Design and Development Awards’, Green Magazine, 2014