Jury citation
Yarrila Place distinguishes itself as an exemplar of regional social and civic infrastructure – one that places community impact before excess, efficiently yet generously weaving together library, museum, council and community functions within a single robust and dynamic form. The playful programmatic Tetris and hardworking structure result in a building that is resilient and delightful, fostering a unique sense of joy and optimism.
Architecture at its best catalyses engagement, learning and inclusion across diverse communities. Yarrila Place embodies this ethos, challenging conventional paradigms to unlock broad opportunities for connection and shared experience. The central, light-filled vertical street provides vital precinct and landscape connections, animating the interior through the expressed performative spaces while establishing a beacon of community life – a fitting response to the name “Yarrila,” a Gumbaynggirr word, chosen by the community, that translates to “place of light.”
The all-electric project enhances civic uses through its main vertical circulation spine. Formal articulation through the green shading device is playful yet functional and animates the facade by shifting tone and reflection over the course of the days, weeks and seasons.
The dynamic forms and green roofs celebrate biodiversity and regeneration, conversing with the area’s culturally significant landscapes and Gumbaynggirr heritage. Stakeholders report the seasonal delight it brings to both community and workplace, and the building’s catalytic influence in community connection and precinct regeneration, underpinned by urban generosity.
Yarrila Place stands as a model for civic renewal, its impact far exceeding the sum of its parts, setting a new benchmark for community engagement and cultural celebration.
Yarrila Place is located in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales on Gumbaynggirr Country and was reviewed by John de Manincor in Architecture Australia January/February 2025.
Project credits
Architect BVN; Project team Matthew Blair, Kevin O’Brien, Liam Croft, Jessica Smith, Pi Saengporm, Laurie Aznavoorian, Phillip Rowden, Amelia Lipa, Tim Crawshaw, Kate Field, Ayelen Moure, Eric Yeoh, Barry Cantor, Jonathan Capparelli; Builder Lipman; Project manager Turner and Townsend; BIM, interior design and head design consultant BVN; Building services, AV and specialist lighting, vertical transport, fire engineer and environmental sustainability engineer LCI Consultants; Structural and civil engineer Taylor Thomson Whitting; Facade engineer Surface Design; Landscape architect Urbis; Statutory town planner Geolink; Quantity surveyor (design development onwards) Altus Group; BCA and NCC (design development onwards) Blackett Maguire and Goldsmith; Primary certifying authority Group DLA; Wayfinding consultant Citizen Group; Access consultant Wall to Wall Design and Consulting; Acoustic engineer Pulse Acoustics; Traffic engineer Ason Group; Kitchen design consultant Sangster Design Group; Public art project management IAM Projects; Wind consultant Windtech; Land surveyor Blair and Lanskey; Branding consultant SASO; Waste management consultant (schematic design) SLR; Waste management consultant (design development onwards) Elephants Foot; Museum design consultant Thylacine Design; Arborist Arborist Network; Flood consultant GHD; Quantity survey (schematic design) Slattery; BCA and NCC (schematic design) Philip Chun; Workplace strategy consultants Calder Associates; Let them feel the light artwork Emma Coulter (artist), IAM Projects (curator), Stainless Aesthetics (fabricator); The Track artists Ruben Browne, Denise Buchanan, Reece Flanders, Lilly Clegg, Josie Rose Atkinson, Lisa Kelly.