Description:

The first of a proposed series of waste transfer stations to be located throughout the wheat belt region of Western Australia was completed around July 2002. This structure forms a prototype for all future stations and as such was based in a grid that could be augmented or reduced as necessary to suit the requirements of each township and their outlying areas.

It was intended that the structure would be more than a utilitarian rural shed structure and would in fact provide architectural response to the site and functional requirements of a waste transfer station. The materials and finishes include galvanised steel, corrugated zincalume steel cladding and off form concrete were derived from typical rural structures and serves as a reference to the historical context of this building with this rural tradition.

The materials/ finishes were purposely kept to a monochromatic greyscale to serve as foil to the natural environment and in an effort to provide a robust, low maintenance, durable structure that will age gracefully not withstanding the ‘hard life’ the structure is likely to endure. The use of utilitarian materials is juxtaposed by a careful attention to detail and use of structure as the primary architectural expression.