Mt Franklin Visitor’s Shelter

A Design Construct project

In 2005, UniSA's Design Construct program was invited by the Namadgi National Park, in the Australian Capital Territory, to design and construct a Day Visitor and Search and Rescue Facility at Mt Franklin. This project presented a new range of design challenges, particularly in designing for a remote alpine site exposed to extreme climatic variations including snow, gale force winds and bushfires.

This project employed a hybrid construction system, combining the thermal insulation properties of timber with the structural strength of steel to achieve high levels of insulation and lightweight structural framing. The project was completed in 2007. In 2008, the Mt Franklin Visitor’s Shelter was awarded the Small Project Award and the Colorbond Steel Award by the Australian Institute of Architects.