Grimshaw completes rammed-earth visitor centre at Twelve Apostles

Grimshaw and landscape architect Aspect Studios have completed a 3,300-square-metre visitor centre for the Twelve Apostles, one of Australia's most-visited natural landmarks, in Port Campbell National Park, Victoria.

The building sits at the top of the site. Its rammed-earth walls are intended to resemble a "landform rather than an autonomous object", according to Grimshaw.

What does the centre contain?

The complex comprises two interconnected volumes that each extend outwards in a hugging gesture: the Coastal Building and the Hinterland Building.

• The Hinterland Building houses a cafe and retail facilities.
• The Coastal Building serves as the main public education and viewing area, crowned with a rooftop ocean lookout.
• Landscaped paths ascend gently to the lookout, with rest areas offering views at various elevations.

Grimshaw described the sequence as "central to a broader ambition for the precinct: to move beyond simply processing large numbers of visitors and create a slower and more connected experience of Country".

How were Traditional Owners involved?

The centre was developed in collaboration with the non-profit Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation, which helped decide the building's scale and position to respect its site within Keerray Woorroong Country and its Traditional Owners, the Eastern Maar peoples.

The team also created the Welcome Garden, an outdoor events and welcome space celebrating Eastern Maar cultural heritage, and planted coastal scrub, grassland and woodland around the site.

"The Twelve Apostles is a truly unique landscape in Australia and arguably anywhere in the world, where the power of the natural environment, the experience of Country and the enduring culture of Eastern Maar come together," said Grimshaw managing partner Andrew Perez.

"More than simply providing a new destination from which to experience the Twelve Apostles, the project invites visitors to pause, linger and explore, creating a meaningful connection to this extraordinary landscape and the culture and history that have shaped it," Perez added.

Which materials and landscape moves define the design?

Grimshaw used a natural palette of rammed earth and plywood to give the interiors warmth and tactility. A landscaped car park and new access roads separate buses from private vehicles, while pedestrian routes draw visitors from parking into the Welcome Garden and the centre before dispersal to the Twelve Apostles and surrounding coastal attractions.

"The Twelve Apostles Visitor Precinct presented an opportunity to create a more considered relationship between visitors, Country and this extraordinary coastal landscape," said Aspect Studios director Matthew Mackay.

Project credits list Harriet Oswald as design lead, Eduard Ross as lead designer and Andrew Perez as partner in charge; Matthew Mackay and Nirvana Kadric led the Aspect Studios design team, and Kane Constructions built the project. Eastern Maar Aboriginal Land Corporation acted as co-design partner and heritage consultant. Peter Bennetts photographed the completed building.

The completion extends a busy run for Grimshaw, which recently unveiled a trio of Auckland stations informed by Māori narratives and released plans for a reimagined entry plaza at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.