Clubhouse
CLUBHOUSE
The clubhouse site faces north and can capture magnificent views across the golf course and environs and the valley they occupy. From the location the backdrop is the wooded Christmas Hills that sit on the northern boundary of the property. It is our intention to establish a splendid clubhouse at Yering, that it should speak of the Yarra Valley and reflect the rich heritage of the Club. The conceptual model was formed from a country house design perspective and that the design must keep within;
- the ambiance of the Yarra Valley setting
- informal established character of the Club
- the residential nature of Tullamore, the previous clubhouse at Doncaster.
The Clubhouse will engage with the natural world with harmonious choice of building materials, subdued colour selection and particular design attention to transition spaces between built form interiors and the exterior environment is embraced. Close collaboration between the clubhouse architect and the landscape architect underscores this intention.
The urban design concept for the clubhouse appearance is conceived as a picturesque, low profile, single level country house, sitting harmoniously in the immediate and surrounding landscape. All member facilities and services are located on a single floor at ground level to promote easy access and high member usage.
Whilst the plan shape of the clubhouse and covering roof form are relaxed, rural and informal in design personality and appearance, they have been carefully crafted to create concealed valleys and wells to provide hidden external platforms for plant and equipment. French doors providing immediate access to terraces and windows are subdivided by frequent transforms and mullions to avoid commercial or institutional presentation.
The arrival experience allows the clubhouue to be fully revealed after negotiating a long avenue from the road entrance, that winds through trees, past graceful fairways of the golf course within the sweeping backdrop of the Christmas Hills, Yering Gorge Cottages and nature reserve precincts of the property.
The eastern facade of the clubhouse on the approach side features a Porte Cochere arrival point and entrance, where members and visitors can alight from vehicles in a weather protected zone. Visually the Porte Cochere is part of a larger courtyard space generated by landscape surrounds and surfaced natural gravels. The second entrance is located to the south of the house. Its is a colonnaded walkway being the arrival point for golfers and visitors accessing the recreational facilities. Located adjacent to a cul de sac roadway facilitates bag drop off for golfers prior to leaving their vehicles in the car park.
Clubhouse floor planning has been based on the principal that facilities should be divided into a number of precincts. whilst the precincts are separate, but juxtaposed, to achieve several objectives;
- provide a club atmosphere and convenience of access for members
- avoid disharmony between members and non members in regard to use of facilities disruption, noise and internal flows
- promote members interaction and use of food and beverage facilities by members before and after sporting activities
- ensure operations are highly effective and back of house activities are unseen and unheard
- isolate staff support, equipment and goods storage, service movement and traffic from members areas, by use of basement deliveries and warehousing and discreet lift access connection to the ground floor back of house kitchen and services areas.
A sports shop is the focus of all recreational activities, including golf, gymnasium, tennis, bush walking, mountain biking and fishing.
Food and beverage facilities in support of social activity between members include Members’ Lounge, Members’ Dining Room and Function Room. These principal rooms have been positioned along the northern facade of the clubhouse in the interest of providing panoramic views across the golf course. The Function Room will enable gatherings of the members, partners and families, but can accommodate external weddings, corporate golf events, private functions and conferences of upto 150.
Other ancillary rooms for the enjoyment of members include Child and Adult Games Rooms and Multipurpose Room.
The natural heart of the arrangement of spaces, both indoors and out, is the golf assembly courtyard. This will be the crossroads for all the sporting and social activities and a place to meet. The golf assembly courtyard will offer a transition gateway between the golf course and the clubhouse.
The Sports Shop, previously described, will be dedicated to providing members and guests with all the equipment and services needed for sporting activities conducted by the Club.
The Teaching Academy, a separate building, is intended by the club to be a perfect complement to the championship course and first class practice facilities. The Academy building has been designed to be capable of offering a range of golf development programmes for players of all abilities, covering all facets of the game. It is configured to allow the integrated indoor teaching bays equipped with ball flight simulators and hi-speed cameras as well as under cover bays and open air bays for members.
In summary, the architectural expression and form of the clubhouse is entirely appropriate to the Yarra Valley location and sporting/hospitality experience. Members and guests will find enjoyment in the building personality and character and it will meet expectations related to its special setting and purpose.
Its architecturally one of a kind, memorable, trophy building, unique to The Eastern Golf Club and purpose designed.
