Compass 2022 Video - Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre

Distinctive through its ability to blend in, the roofing made from COLORBOND® steel in the colour Basalt® crowns the nature-inspired Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre designed by Cumulus Studio.

Winner of the 2021 Australian Institute of Architects COLORBOND® Award for Steel Architecture (Tasmania Chapter), Cradle Mountain Visitor Centre is visually defined by its roofing made from COLORBOND® steel. 

Cumulus Studio says “The choice to use COLORBOND® steel worked well with our concept design as the colours aligned to our desire to reflect the distinctive Cradle Mountain geology, as well as it being a robust cladding suitable for the harsh winter. 

“For the main building, we chose roofing in the colour Basalt® as it provided a natural tone that was fitting for the large building in the alpine setting and allowed the building to settle nicely within its environment.”

Walker said the comparatively low maintenance of COLORBOND® steel was another factor in its specification for the roofing. “‘Because the building is in such a remote location, we needed roofing that was not only durable, but low maintenance over its lifetime,” he says. “There's not a lot of maintenance required for the roofing made from COLORBOND® steel and that was a very high-requirement factor..”

When asked what was one of his favourite things about the project, Walker says “‘The COLORBOND® steel Basalt® colour has a very natural feel and softness to it. It is in the darker-grey spectrum, but it’s not ultra-dark. It picks up on the shadows of the rock formations and even some of the blacks of the trees, so it was a really good colour fit for us. The Basalt® colour is also quite similar to Cradle Mountain’s dolerite stone, so that was a real plus.

“Even the Basalt® name is befitting of the site because it refers to a volcanic rock. It’s very appropriate. The COLORBOND® steel colour really does shift and change appearance throughout varying weather and light conditions. It’s a very interesting and surprising colour, visually.”

To learn more about the project, please watch the video from Compass 2022 presented by COLORBOND® steel.

See more videos from Compass 2022

• Penguin Parade Visitors  Centre
• Delivering Responsible Design - Tone Wheeler
• Sustainability and Climate Action at BlueScope
• Bilya Koort Boodja Centre for Noongar Culture and Environmental Knowledge - Community Conscious Design
• Energy Efficiency and Roofing
• Social and Affordable Design - Melissa Bright (Studio Bright)