The Shark Bay Interpretive Centre introduce visitors from all over the world to the history, culture and world heritage values of the Shark Bay area. Designed by Woodhead in collaboration with internal exhibition designers, Freeman Ryan Design, the interpretive centre is a collection of simple concrete boxes wrapped in a veneer of polished concrete, titanium zinc, copper and glass set on a podium some 800mm above street level.
The concrete boxes articulate expediency with the front most box tilted and twisted to register the force and direction of the local prevailing wind. The thick polished concrete wall at the building entry applies a commentary of enduring monumental architecture contrasted against materials which celebrate the inevitability of change – the titanium zinc cladding, copper fascia and pewter building sign.
The building form acknowledges and celebrates the elemental forces of the locality; wind, waves and salt. The building is an alien presence in the townscape, yet the solid structure creates permanency in a largely transient community.
With the completion of the interpretive centre and exhibition gallery, the small fishing community of Denham has redefined itself as the tourist centre for the Shark Bay World Heritage Area. The building design explores a physical, historical and social context to develop a new identity for the town.
