Eureka Stockade Interpretive Centre
The Eureka Centre commemorates one of the defining moments in Australia's history – the Eureka Stockade – in 1854 the scene of bloody battle between 500 troops and 400 rebellious goldminers protesting police brutality and excessive taxes. The attack by the troops claimed 35 miners and five soldiers, and became central in Australian myths and identity politics, ultimately playing a part in the transition from British colonial rule to self-government.
While the original location of the Stockade remains uncertain, the plan is reminiscent of the mound, using masonry walls encircling an internal contemplation space, with a commemorative lawn on the roof. The sunken contemplation space is a metaphor for both the mines and the protection of the stockade.
The Southern Cross flag soars at an angle over the roof and is aligned on an axis with Ballarat's main street. Its mast pierces the roof as though pinning the museum to the earth, and the flag is dramatically oversized as a commentary on the significance of what was a comparatively small physical event which had major political repercussions throughout the British colonies. Other contrasts further reflect struggle: indigenous and exotic plantings engage in the local landscape, while fragile sunscreens contrast with mass precast panels that symbolise rock cuttings.
These treatments perform effective environmental roles – automated louvres induce natural ventilation at high and low levels, masonry walls and earth berm surrounds deliver thermal insulation, and the slatted façade and overhangs screen northern sun to enable evaporative cooling to dispense with the need for air-conditioning.
This building is designed to evoke reaction and emotion, and is the reverse of the architectural challenge our office frequently faces – making a small building appear large, instead of reducing large buildings to human scale. However, it remains true to our belief in architecture being integral with the landscape, enriched by analogy and metaphor.