Jindabyne Library

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This is a highly innovative approach to building excellent public infrastructure for Australia’s regions. The building is both uniquely of its place and prefabricated. Local governments have typically struggled in delivering projects of excellence in regional areas, given the scarcity of design professionals, contractors and materials plus the expense of transportation. Particularly in the ‘Snowy’ region, contractors are frequently monopolised for works occurring in the snow fields rather than local projects. An alternative means of procurement was necessary to finally deliver the library that the community had anticipated for so long. ‘Design for Manufacture and Assembly’ (DFMA) offered a solution to deliver quality and meet highly constrained programs and budget. The potential for prefabricated buildings to be ‘anonymous’ was carefully considered in the site / community response and rigorous analysis of place. The key was to provide a building which belongs in its context and community. The approach celebrates Australian Alpine architecture of hand crafted stone base (not prefabricated but utilising local trades), pitched roofs, timber interiors, chain rain water outlets. Interiors are wonderfully warm and inviting, washed with daylight and oriented to view. The building is designed ‘in the round’ responding to each public domain interface. Rigour and precision of the build is clear throughout, enhanced by sustainable timber from local forests which has been damaged by fire forming the CLT panels. An extremely tight budget is not evident in the selection of multipurpose furniture, guided by colour palettes celebrating the alpine landscape of snow gums, lichen and aged granite.

This is a small scale library and local government with limited resources for data collection. From interviews undertaken with the local librarians the impact of the library has been transformative. Most importantly, the local community now has a safe space in which they feel they belong. This is particularly important for school children who pass time at the library after school, or a place to wait prior to out-of-school hours activities. The library supports these patterns of use with after school (Yarn for Kids) and school holiday programs that occur in a range of areas in the library. The elderly have become regular early users gaining connections, information and entertainment.

Local working families have regained connections to other families through weekend children’s programs (baby rhyme and story time), relieved to have an all weather place to bring their children knowing that other children will be around. The large children’s area also supports a range of weekday programs and can be transformed to a larger meeting and presentation space for events such as author talks.

A central venue is now offered for social and community support via community groups, community NFP services (legal / employment) and occupational therapy. The library’s technology supports the elderly in digital literacy programs and scam awareness. Casual settings for book clubs also support and connect the older demographic. Tourism Support and Economic Growth The library has become a venue for regional meetings for tourism organisations and Regional NSW encouraging economic and tourism growth. Tourists frequently use the library in peak season for remote work (VC meetings and wifi) while itinerant workers utilise technology and printers for job applications and housing. The library transforms for large events through the flexible furniture arrangement accommodating large crowds for author talks and launches.