Budding Warrnambool architect Jessica Brownsea has had her final year design for a library and community centre selected for an exhibition at Federation Square.
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Miss Brownsea said her childhood experience looking at Warrnambool houses built by her father Anthony Brownsea had inspired her to study architecture to a Masters level at Deakin University.
“We would always drive past the houses he built,” she said. “That sparked the interest from there.”
Miss Brownsea looked to iconic, local sources for her library design.
“I drew inspiration from the Norfolk Pines that are around,” she said. “The floor plan and spacing in the library came from tracings of the leaves and pine needles, they are a bit gappy in some points.”
After working on inner city designs while at university in Geelong, designing public spaces for regional areas developed as a passion for Miss Brownsea.
“When I got to choose what project I wanted I jumped on the chance to look at regional Victoria and Warrnambool,” she said.
An article in the Standard highlighting the need for a new library started Miss Brownsea on the design process.
The design is open plan and spread over three levels. It incorporates quiet reading nooks, digital spaces, larger areas for community use, plus a cafe and the public toilets that are missing from the current library space.
Making use of ramps and similar curving brickwork to match the current library, Miss Brownsea has worked to incorporate existing elements into a 21st century building.
After five years of architecture study, Miss Brownsea is now completing a building apprenticeship with her father.
“I’ve done quite a bit of work with him,” she said. “Other tradies say that architects need to get out on the tools and have a look so they realise what they are drawing.”
So that’s a big thing for me, that’s dad’s influence I suppose”.
Miss Brownsea’s design can be seen at the Deakin University School of Architecture and Built Environment's Paperspace Exhibition on display in the atrium at Federation Square from November 5th - 9th.
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