Articles
Popular waterpark ablution block for City of Kwinana
Kwinana Adventure Park is one of Western Australia’s most celebrated public spaces - 11,000 square metres of play space designed to be genuinely inclusive of age, culture and physical ability. Modus Australia worked with the City of Kwinana and landscape architects Josh Byrne & Associates to adapt the Whitehaven Multi Ablution Block for the site, tailoring the design with timber feature columns and custom laser cut panels so the building settles into the park’s nature theme rather than standing apart from it.
Inside, the facility carries a Changing Places fitout, accessible and ambulant cubicles for every user, and a concealed service area housing the pumping and filtration plant that keeps the kids’ water park running. The park went on to take Park of the Year at the 2017 Parks & Leisure Australia National Awards of Excellence.
Prefab toilet building with timber columns and custom laser cut feature panels successfully integrate into Kwinana Adventure Park’s nature landscape design.
Kwinana Adventure Park design successfully blends together a kid’s water park play area with a flying fox, nature play area, trampoline sheltered BBQ areas and a restroom facility. The popular destination park has quickly become the place to celebrate occasions with family and friends of all ages. Grassed areas are shaded by over 500 existing trees and winding pathways promote the discovery of various interactive activity zones.Ablution block provides essential fully inclusive access to a restroom facility for the entire community.
Parks and Leisure Australia highlights how Kwinana Adventure play space was designed to be fully inclusive of age, culture and physical ability. The City of Kwinana ensured that the public ablution block provided services that were also fully inclusive of age, culture and physical ability.
The City of Kwinana council worked together with Josh Burns and Associates and Modus Australia to adapt a modular ablution block floor plan to include Changing Places fitout. Although the floor space is smaller than Changing Places guidelines the cubicle includes an automated adult change table, shower with bench, AS1428 compliant toilet pan with grab rails and knee operated basin. The secure cubicle is accessible with a MLAK key and provides essential access to a clean facility for carers and people with disability and high support needs.
Customised ablution block tailored design aesthetics, sustainable features and functional factors for Kwinana Adventure Park.
Modus Australia worked to adapt the Whitehaven Multi Ablution Block to balance budget, external aesthetics and functional factors in consultation with Josh Byrne & Associates. Aesthetic elements such as the custom laser cut panels and timber columns aid to provide the nature theme that helps to integrate the Ablution Block successfully to the environment. Functional elements outside of standard cubicles or a changing place cubicle is the water park pumping station that is located in the restrooms service area. The service area provides access to the hidden toilet cisterns and water pumps to control the sanitation standard that is delivered to the kid's water playground.
Sustainable features designed into the building
Sustainability was designed into the building rather than added to it:
- Roof-mounted solar panels generating power on site
- Rainwater harvesting - roof runoff captured in a slimline tank alongside the building
An award-winning playspace
Kwinana Adventure Park has become one of the most decorated public spaces in the country. At the 2017 Parks & Leisure Australia National Awards of Excellence, the City of Kwinana took home:
- Park of the Year
- Playspace of the Year, over $0.5 million category
The park also swept the WA state awards the same year, winning Park of the Year, Playspace over $0.5m and Best Community Program. Judges recognised a space designed to be genuinely inclusive of age, culture and physical ability - the same standard the ablution block was built to meet.
