The Cahill Park and Amenities Café in Cahill Park, New South Wales, is a new recreational destination for the Wolli Creek area. Designed by Architects Hayball, the new facility serves as a gateway to the surrounding park and beyond.
The building design draws its form and materiality from the site conditions that surround it. The cocoon-like form provides both a visual and aural refuge for the café, shielding park users from the nearby Princes Highway while at the same time opening up in the other direction to the Cooks River vista. The expansive vista of the café allows patrons to engage with the popular existing playground, fostering optimal usability and casual surveillance of the park.
Anchored to the site by a single desire line running from the main park entry points right through to the water’s edge, visitors are led through the building, encouraging activation of the public domain. This axis connects to the flowing spine of the building, which was developed to respect the existing tree line.
