Dogwood Crossing Work Room

Dogwood Crossing @ Miles is of important value to the Miles community, since its opening in 2002 its patronage has increased greater than expected. The Western Downs Regional Council contacted Fulton Trotter Architects to design the extension to their Award Winning Building.

The extension includes a new multi-purpose workroom, Art Storage Facilities, additional storage and an extended staff workspace. The new Workroom provides a much needed additional multi-purpose space that can be used by ‘Artists in Residence’ to create Art, or by the local community as a small function space or as a seminar room for training.

Influenced by the existing Modernist Building Form the design of the extension is restrained, observing the prominent sculptural ‘Tree Hall’, slotting in seamlessly behind the existing gallery space. A Brickwork blade wall from the Tree Hall is continued to the edge of the site, emphasising the existing connection between the Sculptural Steel Trees and the Mature Bottle Tree in the rear courtyard. Curved beams in the Workroom pay homage to the existing Steel Bottle Trees in the Tree Hall, whilst decals on the doors create shadow patterns on the floor representing the grasses seen on the journey into and out of Miles. The grass pattern is continued in the timber batten screening. The placement of the extension was carefully selected to provide Western Downs Regional Council with the option to expand the Library in the future when required.