Description

This waterfront naval training building providing a contemporary response to its heritage context.

The Survival at Sea training facility is part of the heritage listed HMAS Creswell in Jervis Bay, established in 1915 as the location for the Royal Australian Naval College.

Located in an industrial area at the waterfront, the building is adjacent to bushland and original weatherboard warehouses and stores.

The building functions as a multi-purpose classroom for survival at sea training, with kitchen facilities, change room and showers for post on-water exercises and emergency training.

Providing a contemporary response to its heritage context; the building utilises the weatherboards and gable roofs of the original industrial buildings. The building has the romantic appeal of a coastal Australian boatshed that belies its utilitarian functionality. An eastern deck catches the morning sun, and large windows provide views to the water and natural light within the building.

A comfortable internal environment is achieved sustainably with mixed mode ventilation and in-floor louvres to capture sea breezes. The naturally-lit space is bright despite solid bushfire resistant construction on the western façade.

The desire was to create a sense of safety and stability in contrast to the risks inherent in open-sea survival, with a building that represents a sense of ‘home’, allowing trainees to look back at the water, feeling safe and secure.