CO-OP

Elevating the Everyday Car parks are critical civic infrastructure, and they deserve the same architectural rigor as any public building.
Something like this is only possible with the vision of our truly exceptional client Maroondah City Council and their desire to invest in quality outcomes for their communities.
The Ringwood Activity Centre Car Park challenges the standard carpark. By utilizing almost 2000m² of Flexbrick ceramic facade alongside Webnet mesh barriers, we were able to ensure the structure remains highly ventilated, safe, and at home in its post war suburban surroundings while introducing a dynamic architecture defined by light, shadow and movement.
Check it out next time you're passing through Ringwood station on the Belgrave and Lilydale Lines in Melbourne.
Executing a facade of this complexity requires true technical expertise. A massive thank you to our partners at for their incredible precision and craftsmanship, and to the team at for bringing this vision to life.
A great example of our strong belief at CO.OP Studio that utility and beauty can go hand in hand.

Just over 9 months of swimming lessons, gym sessions and community sport at KCARC💧

The true success of social infrastructure is defined by its civic utility, and seeing the Kensington Community Aquatic and Recreation Centre (KCARC) thriving in J.J. Holland Park is proof of its vital role for the City of Melbourne.

Last week, we hosted IAKS and National Sports Convention delegates for an industry tour. Walking local and international peers through the new facility to discuss the programs and advanced systems that drive this carbon-neutral asset , it was a great reminder of how collaborative the peers and operators are in the sports sector and why CO.OP love working in the sports sector.

Civic architecture takes a village. Thank you to our visionary clients at , operators , and delivery partners and our broader consulting team.

An incredible result driven by the CO.OP Studio team: Clinton Wyner, Nick Cini, Mike McGrath, Daniel Pike, Steven Carr, Patrick Casey, and many others.

CO.OP Studio acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people as the Traditional Owners of the land on which KCARC stands.

Just over 9 months of swimming lessons, gym sessions and community sport at KCARC💧

The true success of social infrastructure is defined by its civic utility, and seeing the Kensington Community Aquatic and Recreation Centre (KCARC) thriving in J.J. Holland Park is proof of its vital role for the City of Melbourne.

Last week, we hosted IAKS and National Sports Convention delegates for an industry tour. Walking local and international peers through the new facility to discuss the programs and advanced systems that drive this carbon-neutral asset , it was a great reminder of how collaborative the peers and operators are in the sports sector and why CO.OP love working in the sports sector.

Civic architecture takes a village. Thank you to our visionary clients at the , operators , and delivery partners and our broader consulting team.

An incredible result driven by the CO.OP Studio team: Clinton Wyner, Nick Cini, Mike McGrath, Daniel Pike, Steven Carr, Patrick Casey, and many others.

CO.OP Studio acknowledges the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people as the Traditional Owners of the land on which KCARC stands.

What happens when you rethink the sport and leisure facility — not just in how it performs, but how it serves and engages with its community?

At this year’s National Sports & Physical Activity Convention, CO.OP Studio Principal Mike McGrath and Associate Daniel Pike will be leading tours through two of our projects – both very different but equally community focused projects.

The first stop on the tour is Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool, where delegates will get to see how sustainability has shaped every decision, from how the building fits within its parkland setting, the materials used, and how it welcomes everyone in the community to be active and look after their health and wellbeing.

Second stop is Bundha Sports Centre, Australia’s first multi-level community indoor court facility designed to integrate with an adjoining secondary school and enable a share-use arrangement, serving a key part of the Victorian Government’s visions for the Fitzroy Gasworks redevelopment.

For event details: nationalsportsconvention.com.au/tours

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Carnegie Memorial Swimming
Client: Glen Eira City Council
Builder:

Bundha Sports Centre
Client: for Development Victoria

Our Melbourne and Sydney studios have come together for to reflect and learn more about how we, as architects, may contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia.

For this, our Reconciliation Action Plan provides an important framework, guiding us as we seek to learn more and practice better.

Among the many things learnt has been the importance of true collaboration and early engagement. Identifying consultants who can help us with this process has been intrinsic to embedding First Nations stories into our built environments in a meaningful way.

An example is ‘Shimmer’, a collection of site-specific artworks celebrating the rich First Nations history of the region through delicate murals at the Heffron Centre. Drawing together a team of Indigenous artists from Re-Right Collective, art curator Cultural Capital was engaged by Randwick City Council to develop a cultural artwork for the sports facility and South Sydney Rabbitohs headquarters.
Re-Right Collective artists, Carmen Glynn-Braun and Dennis Golding partnered for this project to tell the stories of the Bidjigal people who lived on the coastlines and fished in the fertile waters for thousands of years.

Shimmer is a collection of three individual artworks, sharing the same name to reflect their interconnectedness with nature, as they reflect light and interact with the sun throughout the day. Each artwork tells a unique story of the Gweagal and their knowledge and connection to nature. Golden painted motifs envelop the building facade, seemingly floating through to the interior via intricate decals on the glass windows. Masterfully sculpted bronze artefacts complement a traditional mural on the western entrance wall, adding a third dimension to the storytelling opportunity.

Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool has made a splash this summer, welcoming over 55,000 visitors since reopening in January. As noted by our client, Glen Eira City Council, that’s over 1,600 people per day or one person visiting every 30 seconds.

We’re also delighted to share that the Pool has achieved a 6-Star Green Star design rating and the highest design review score for an aquatic centre in Australia.

A cornerstone of the local community since 1966, Carnegie Memorial Swimming Pool has been reimagined to preserve its historic essence and for all to enjoy and benefit from year-round aquatic recreation and sport.

The expanded facility includes indoor pools, sauna, spa, consulting suites, café, and program rooms, all housed within a re-envisioned red-brick structure – a low, lean mass, buried to feel like a single-level building rather than a “big box”, and designed to blend with its parkland and residential surroundings.

Many of CO.OP Studio’s projects have a strong focus on youth engagement.

One of these projects is the Bentleigh Library and Youth Hub for the of Glen Eira. A key driver of the project was Glen Eira City Council’s objective to integrate its youth services, which were previously accommodated in a separate building.

Together with the Council, CO.OP Studio created a design vision that utilised a combined building form to signify the inclusive community-focussed nature of the facility. The subsequent significant expansion and upgrade of Bentleigh Library elevates the youth services through the increased space, quality interiors and a shared, vibrant courtyard that visually links the Youth Hub’s interior with that of the main library building.

Project Director, John Schout, said “Our team diligently and carefully considered what experience the new Youth Hub might offer, and it was an honour to work with Glen Eira City Council to design a true community asset that supports youth wellbeing.”

Our New Houses for Rosebud Secondary College have won the Learning Environments Australasia 2024 VIC & TAS Chapter Award for New Building/s or Facility/s – Small.

“The buildings CO.OP Studio have designed at Rosebud Secondary College have not only embedded the schools fledgling vertical house philosophy within their pedagogy, they have also transformed a cramped site where it had become evident that the existing facilities could not support the new system. The purpose built accommodation has allowed the vertical house structure to mature within the school. It’s inherent commitment to wellbeing is paying dividends in terms of student engagement and a palpable improvement in connection between the staff and the student body.”
- Jury Citation

It is a tremendous honour to help shape the student wellbeing experience at Rosebud Secondary College. The New Houses are the second LEA award-winning project we have designed and delivered for the College, following the Wellness Centre, winner of the 2023 LEAD Award for An Innovative Education Initiative.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who has contributed to the success of the project.
Melbcon .com.au Cortese Consultants .la

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We are very pleased to be appointed as the Principal Design Consultant for the Stead Park Upgrade in Corio, Wadawurrung Country.

Our team is now undertaking Concept Design for the project which will provide an upgraded pitch, a new pavilion and increased seating capacity to strengthen Stead Park’s reputation as a premier hockey venue and allow for more community and high-performance sport pathways in the Geelong region.

The redevelopment is being delivered as part of the Victorian Government’s Regional Sports Infrastructure Program.

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Development Victoria, Sport and Recreation Victoria, City of Greater Geelong, Hockey Geelong
Architecture & Access , Creo Structures Pty Ltd, Elephants Foot Group, FCA, Introba, Krneta , Octave Acoustics, Site Image Landscape Architects & Public Art Consultants, SPORTENG, Stantec, Studio Semaphore

A second home. That’s how our New Houses for Rosebud Secondary College have been described by the school community.

“Our students treat the New Houses like their second homes, with the spaces cultivating a sense of community and pride of place like nowhere else on the campus. The clever design and calming interiors ensure all are welcome, with the spaces able to accommodate large numbers and diverse groups of students at once. Ultimately, the New Houses support and enhance the wellbeing of our students, which is a core focus of Rosebud Secondary College.”
- Lisa Holt, Principal, Rosebud Secondary College

The main driver for the design of the New Houses came from the College’s desire to support vertical streaming within their teaching and learning system, an arrangement that accommodates all students across four House groups.

Situated within the heart of the campus the New Houses give form to a verdant courtyard and create an environment that is more easily traversed, observed, shared, and residential in character.
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Victorian School Building Authority, Rosebud Secondary College, Melbcon, Videre Group, Krneta, Creo Structures, Cortese Consultants, Site Image