Kingston Building was engaged by the City of Newcastle to deliver a new multipurpose centre and café shell fit out at Blackbutt Nature Reserve.

The multipurpose centre is a two storey building with the upper level used for educational groups, functions and meetings, and the lower level for storage and essential services. The café includes a commercial kitchen, cool room and freezer, and a rooftop garden. The buildings are linked by a common suspended slab roof, stone tile feature staircase, new footpaths and landscaping.

The work included:

• Relocation of two existing BBQ shelters.
• Construction of the multipurpose centre with suspended slabs, concrete block structures, feature external wall cladding, large operable glazed doors overlooking Blackbutt Reserve and high level feature windows.
• Construction of a new café including rooftop garden, cool room and freezer, commercial kitchen and plant room.
• Construction of a suspended slab awning roof and stone tile staircase connecting the new buildings.
• External works, including an upper level deck, accessible entrance to the multipurpose centre, new footpaths, gardens and turfing.

Blackbutt Reserve is a popular community destination, so Kingston worked closely with its operators throughout the project to ensure construction did not disrupt visitors. The building’s design is intended to complement the natural colours of its surroundings.

The café is finished in a natural sandstone render, while the multipurpose centre features prefinished cladding panels. Above the café, a rooftop garden has been installed with a fully waterproofed and drained roof structure, allowing it to be filled with soil. Native plants have been planted and will eventually cascade over the roof’s edge.