Rainbow Beach Community Hall: a white weatherboard building with red blade walls and timber posts under a broad verandah roof
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Rainbow Beach, Queensland

Rainbow Beach Community Hall and Library

Community hall, library and council offices
For Gympie Regional Council
Completed 2012

A hall for a seaside town, shaped by the residents who campaigned for it. The weatherboard vernacular of the beachfront sets the character: light materials, light colours and timber inside and out, with a little more polish and a little more theatre.

Timber structure
Laminated timber portal frames from Hyne carry the roof, clear-finished so the structure is part of the room. Plywood acoustic ceiling panels and a timber dance floor complete a true country hall.
Open to the town
The hall opens on both sides to deep verandahs, so community events can spill outdoors. Library, council offices, kitchen and green rooms sit alongside under the same roof.
For everyone, in any weather
Fully accessible throughout. The hall also serves as the town's disaster relief centre, a place for the community to gather when it is needed most.

“The approach was always to be defined by its surroundings, and influenced by those that first envisioned it. The facility owes its very existence to the resolve of the local community.”

Brenton Rasheed
The main hall under laminated timber portals and a plywood ceiling, looking toward the stage
The main hall
The hall across its lawn, with the verandah and the red entry wall
From the park
Ground floor plan of the community hall and library set within its site, with surrounding walkways, shelter and street frontages
Ground floor plan and site
South and north elevations of the community hall, with colour schedule
South and north elevations
West and east elevations of the community hall, with colour schedule
West and east elevations
The hall with its doors opening to the verandahs on both sides The entry path between the red wall and the timber posts
The deep verandah between the white weatherboard wall and the timber posts, looking out to the street
Deep verandahs
The hall from the car park, with accessible parking bays close to the entry
Accessible parking at the door
The hall across new native gardens, with the red blade wall at the entry
Native gardens
A laminated timber post meets the steel verandah frame under the louvres
Timber meets steel
The tall foyer with its red wall and clerestory window
The foyer
Pale louvres screening the verandah between timber posts
Verandah louvres
Project team
Architectural team
Brenton Rasheed Architects (Brenton Rasheed, Enzio Diviak), with Walter Dobkins, Architect
Engineer
HR Design Group
Builder
Sutton Building Solutions
Client
Gympie Regional Council