More than just a Youth Centre, this is a facility that provides a variety of services to a community coping with higher than average levels of social and economic issues, particularly amongst their youth.

The building is operated by The Youthie – Tamworth Youth Space; managed by Tamworth Regional Council. The main function is as a central drop-in space young people aged 12 – 18 years of age offering a variety of entertainment options including a lounge, library, pool tables, table tennis, movies, an internet hub and an internet café and a variety of recreational, sports, technology, arts and music based activities. Another integral part of the drop-in is a large auditorium with a stage that can be separated by operable walls for music rehearsal and a recording studio.

There are also two education rooms for training courses, consulting rooms for visiting counseling or medical providers and offices for NGOs. There is a commercial kitchen which will be run by The Youthie, and also provide commercial kitchen/ cafe training for the youth.

Outcomes

• A design that overcame divergent community opinions about the Centre and enlisted their enthusiastic support
• A design that was flexible enough to meet size requirements within budget constraints without losing any of the facilities that Tamworth Regional Council identified as necessary and which addresses principles of crime prevention through environmental design.
• A great relationship with all client representatives by offering them a holistic design that went beyond the initial brief to include landscape design and interior design, as well as a Masterplan for the surrounding Centenary Park.

“Throughout the design process, Nicholas Architects were always willing to assist us to engage with our community and stakeholders about the vision and progress of our new youth centre.  They provided innovative ways to communicate design concepts and how the building would function to people beyond the project management team. “ – Petria Jukes – Cultural Development Officer, Planning & Community Services, Tamworth Regional Council