Captain Cook Lighthouse
Architecture, Refurbishment & Interior Design
CLIENT
Tweed Shire Council
LOCATION
Tweed Heads NSW
Bundjalung
PROJECT
$4M
COMPLETED
2024
At the head of the mouth of the Tweed River, a remarkable piece of Mid Century Modernist heritage, erected by the Councils of the Tweed Shire and Gold Coast in 1971, marks the spectacular coastal border of New South Wales and Queensland. The two Councils continued this spirit of collaboration to revitalise this amazing structure and the Volunteer Marine Rescue services housed within its base.
PEOPLE
Katerina Dracopoulos
(Project Contact)
Andrew Wallace
James Lewis
Lily Nguyen
Ryan Loveday
Builder
Lloyd Group
Photographers
Duncan Gibbs
Whether approaching axially from Boundary Street, or winding up along Tweed Terrace where the lighthouse appears and disappears from view, the lighthouse can be seen from afar. Over generations, it has proved to be a landmark for locals and visitors alike. However, upon arrival, the monument itself sits unceremoniously in a sea of bitumen, an obelisk in a carpark, with a confusing and cluttered collection of uses squeezed in underneath it.
This design approach maintained the visual gravitas of the original monument, while at the same time contemporising the buildings utility.
Fulton Trotter Architects
The contemporary intervention embraces the original modernist design of two simple elements – four vertical pillars and a horizontal podium. The VMR, café and gallery are housed at a lowered lower podium level inserted under the original podium utilising the same tectonic language, into which one descends from the main street level. The lower podium is not immediately apparent, but is revealed as one draws nearer to the building. Once at the lower podium the space opens up to panoramic views of the coastline and Pacific Ocean along an open terrace. This design approach maintained the visual gravitas of the original monument, while at the same time contemporising the buildings utility.
Photographer: © Duncan Photos, Tweed Shire Photos and Fulton Trotter Architects
