Marine Environment in the Desert is a Metallic Mirage

Location:	Exmouth, Western Australia
Country:	Australia
Client:	Learmonth International Airport
Architect:	Elisabetta Guj, Jones Coulter Young
Products Used:	COLORBOND® Metallic steel Roofing Walling
Awards:	Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) 2000 Public/Institutional Building Award; 2000 COLORBOND® Steel Award; 2000 RAIA George Temple Poole Award; Certificate of Excellence from the Master Builders Association.

The Learmonth International Airport in the desert of West Australia uses striking colour to pay tribute to the nearby Ningaloo reef, which many passengers are en route to visit. Located in Exmouth, it is a major tourism and transport infrastructure project for the region and provides a gateway to the Cape Range National Park for thousands of Australian and international visitors every year.

Jones Coulter Young project architect Elisabetta Guj said the airport drew its inspiration from the shapes and colours of the myriad of marine creatures which inhabit the Ningaloo reef.

"It was our hope that the memories of this colourful building in the red landscape - combined with those of the reef and the Cape Range - would leave an indelible imprint on the minds of all visitors," she said.

Roof and wall cladding made from COLORBOND® Metallic steel creates the setting for the building's colourful features.

The newly introduced COLORBOND® Metallic steel's distinctive luminescent finish harnesses the naturally changing environment of the building for both subtle and dramatic effects.

The mica particles of the metallic finish create a unique perception of depth and take on different nuances depending upon weather conditions, time of day, the lighting conditions and viewing angle.

BlueScope Steel developed the new range of COLORBOND® Metallic steel specifically for applications that demand optimum aesthetics, with colours including Citi®, Axis®, Cortex®, Conservatory®, Skybridge® and Facade®.

Building in Exmouth attracts an additional cost loading in the order of 65 percent on Perth prices.

"We designed the building to maximise the ease of construction in this remote area in order to minimise the loading component of construction costs," Ms Guj said.

"Other than the painted precast concrete panels, the rest of the building is steel construction.

"The curved form of the steel roof extends to the ground on both the air and land sides of the building, reminiscent of a traditional aircraft hanger," Ms Guj said.

The Learmonth airport has received accolades around Australia including the Royal Australian Institute of Architects (RAIA) 2000 Public/Institutional Building Award, 2000 COLORBOND® Steel Award, 2000 RAIA George Temple Poole Award and a Certificate of Excellence from the Master Builders Association.