BARC
BLACKTOWN ANIMAL REHOMING CENTRE
The largest animal rehoming centre in Australia has been created with the users, i.e. the animals and humans who care for them, front and centre. BARC is a place of light, space and animal welfare in an industrial estate adjacent to the Western Sydney Parklands in Blacktown LGA.
In an interview Architect Sam Crawford said;
“BARC is designed for the well-being of animals and staff. The state-of-the- art facilities are designed to improve animal health and to increase community acceptance and adoption of impounded animals. This is achieved through our design that connects animals and humans to nature.”
My approach to the colour design encapsulated that design philosophy. Each of the six buildings was given a ‘bird ambassador’ and unique colour scheme to assist with wayfinding and engagement. I felt that the colour design of BARC could express a link between the care of both native and domesticated animals. Sometimes the welfare of one species can be at the detriment of another, and vice versa. It’s important to value all species and understand their interrelatedness. I wanted to highlight the close relationship between BARC and the Western Sydney Parklands.
All the birds flock together in the 100m long ‘Bird Screen’ along Owen St. Is it a massive, abstract, coloured artwork representing the Red-Browed Firetail, Regent Honeyeater, Eastern Yellow Robin, Sacred Kingfisher, Blue-Faced Honeyeater and the Mistletoe bird. All species have been recorded at Nurragingy Reserve, just a short walk from BARC.
Associate Director of SCA and project architect Gabrielle Pelletier, described Lymesmith’s role as ‘key to the design’:
“We engaged artist and colourist Lymesmith to create a bold colour scheme, which resulted in each of the six buildings delineated by the colours of a unique ‘native bird ambassador’. In addition, the ‘Bird Screen’, a 100 metre-long, abstract artwork of brightly multicoloured vertical blades, references local birds flittering through the bush, and identifies and links the six buildings. The colours assist with way- finding, but also inject some fun, uplifting staff and visitor experiences, in a venue typology that traditionally can feel a bit cold and impersonal.”
After 8 years of involvement, seeing this project finished is a total joy. Animal adoption rates have never been better and the facility is an asset to animal welfare across Sydney.
PROJECT CREDITS
Architects: Sam Crawford Architects
Integrated Art + Colour Design: Lymesmith
Graphic Design: Urbanite
Photography: Brett Boardman
Client: Blacktown City Council
