Wilson Architects win major contract for Caloundra District Library project

A family-run Brisbane firm won a key contract worth almost $930,000 to transform Sunshine Coast Council’s Caloundra administration office.

With hundreds of Sunshine Coast Council staff to relocate to Maroochydore next year work has started on what will become of the Caloundra administration building.

The council awarded an almost $930,000 contract to Brisbane’s Wilson Architects for the architectural design of the refit of the 25-year-old 1 Omrah Avenue building.

1 Omrah Avenue is set to become a district-level library after council endorsed plans earlier this year.

Wilson Architects, directed by Hamilton Wilson and John Thong, also completed the preliminary designs for the project.

The firm said it wanted to create a “future-minded space” for academia and community purposes.

It was part of a broader decision for the council to open a new $59m city hall at Maroochydore City Centre, expected to open next year.

In April divisional councillor Terry Landsberg said transforming the building into a district-level library was a step in the right direction.

This year the council budgeted $1.94m for the refurbishment to turn the building into a district library, as well as other initiatives in the Caloundra Centre Activation project.

“This new district library will be a real page turner for Caloundra, residents in the south and the wider Sunshine Coast community by delivering significant social, community and economic benefits, as well as supporting educational and creative development in our region,” Mr Landsberg said.

The Caloundra library has attracted about 305,000 visitors annually which made it the highest visitation rate across the eight Sunshine Coast libraries.

The new facility was expected to service a population of at least 102,000 from 2031.

Once built the building would also feature community meeting spaces across the three levels.

Some council staff will continue to work at the Caloundra office, including those in the offices for Mr Landsberg and Division 1 councillor Rick Baberowski and Division 3 Peter Cox.

The proposed district library is part of the Caloundra Centre Activation project vision which aligns with the Caloundra Centre Master Plan, presented to the community and endorsed by council in 2017.

Mr Landsberg said the new district library in the heart of Caloundra’s community and creative hub would play a major role in increasing activation of the centre.

“The establishment of a new contemporary district library in the heart of the hub will create an integrated space connecting The Events Centre, a new Caloundra Regional Gallery, and the new town square, through to Bulcock Beach – a place we can all come to enjoy,” he said.