Little Sahara
Nestled into the side of a sand dune the Little Sahara Visitor Centre provides an iconic hub for visitors to this unique site. Previously managed from Vivonne Bay our client, a small tourism operator, saw an opportunity for onsite visitor facilities and a chance to better control access to the dunes and its surrounding environs. It was a rewarding process to work with him and the local builder to achieve such a strong result with a limited budget on a remote site.
Long and linear in form, the building is orientated to the east and has a large roofed terrace area to provide shade during the busiest hot summer months. A colorbond roof curves back into the dune, softening the scale of the building and reflecting the natural forms of the surrounding dunes. A restrained pallet of materials, dark painted fibre cement, concrete and steel, helps to emphasise the two bookend curved walls of Kangaroo Island limestone which blend the transition from building to dune. Planter boxes run along the ridge of each wall, spilling native succulents and grasses onto the dunes over the stone walls.
Year Completed
2015
Photography
Matt Nettheim
Visit Little Sahara
Kangaroo Island Outdoor Action