Yarrila Place

Yarrila Place embraces the vibrant community, unique coastal lifestyle and breathtaking landscapes of Coffs Harbour. Designed by world-renowned architecture BVN, the project provides a dynamic multi-purpose space for the city. Embracing the city’s ethos for togetherness, diversity and cooperation, the cultural and civic centre was created in collaboration with the Yandaarra Aboriginal Advisory Committee to deliver a special kind of meeting place – one that was inspired by the people of Coffs Harbour. 

Leading the project, architect Matthew Blair reflected on his experiences growing up in Coffs Harbour. His personal connection to the North Coast city was interwoven throughout Yarrila Place, shaped around his understanding and relationship with the local environment and community, delivering an arts and culture hub that champions the surrounding vistas of mountain ranges, the harbour and a historic fig tree. 

The façade of Yarrila Place is built with a captivating undulating form, covered in green, which realises the union between the Pacific Ocean and the Great Dividing Range that its site entails. Its verdant upper levels are grounded by Austral Bricks San Selmo brick in Smoked Grey Cashmere, used throughout the interior walls and flooring. The product’s tactility and neutral hues enrich the project with timeless style and enduring design characteristics. 

Inspired by the nearby fig tree, the project’s monumental form manipulates its curved façade to accommodate for its giant canopies. The geometric repetition across the façade captivates visitors as they move past the threshold, immersing individuals in a distinctive structure that explores every cultural thread of Coffs Harbour in brightly coloured design elements and multitudes of spaces to gather, converse and connect. 

“The façade of Yarrila Place is built with a captivating undulating form, covered in green, which realises the union between the Pacific Ocean and the Great Dividing Range that its site entails.”

Inside, the centre features a three-level library with educational resources for children, young adults and students, as well as access to local historical texts and artefacts. Spanning the ground floor is the Yarrila Arts and Museum (YAM), which gives Coffs Harbour the opportunity to host nationally curated art exhibitions seen in Australia’s capital cities. Additionally, the city’s customer service points and council chambers find a home within the walls of Yarrila Place, blending city functions with the activities of its residents to encourage a cohesive, cooperative community. 

Derived from a local Gumbaynggirr word meaning ‘illuminate, brighten, light up or illustrate,’ Yarrila demonstrates its linguistic association to light, featuring an open-air atrium that connects earth to the sky. Running from the building’s rooftop terrace through to the ground floor the atrium is enhanced by the colourful ‘Let them feel the light’ site-specific art installation by Emma Coulter over the cascading interior brick walls. The rooftop gardens can be accessed through an ascending track that emulates the curvature of the iconic fig tree through the interiors. 

Illuminating Coffs Harbour’s lively local community, Yarrila Place embodies the city’s spirit, its unique design responding to the surrounding landscape and its vibrant population.