St George Sailing Club
St George Sailing Club, Sans Souci is a community institution. Established in 1897, it is one of the oldest sailing clubs in Australia. It’s a not-for-profit that promotes sailing in our city and educates the younger generations to sail, to understand tides, currents, wind and how to harness these effectively. It receives no government funding. Instead, it relies on the success of its hospitality to raise finance.
The club provides a significant gathering space for the community of South Sydney. With few social facilities for the diverse community, it fulfils a role otherwise lacking.
The sailing club is open to all – members, locals and the broader community of Sydney. The new club represents a commitment to the community, creating a precedent for future like-projects in the locality.
The building forms of the new club deliberately reference and pay tribute to traditional boatsheds and wharf buildings. These old buildings are a proven type. Their open-framed structures allow for change over time. With a series of repetitive portal frames and simple detailing, the adoption of these forms directly responds to the modest budget. Through their straightforward approach to shelter – roofs pitched for rain run-off, generous gutters, sliding doors to prevent slamming – they simply and directly respond to what can be a hostile environment as the southerlies beat upon the beachfront.
Reference to the traditional building types taps our social memory - the forms of these coastal structures are immediately familiar. Through association, the new buildings at Sans Souci are familiar, uncomplicated, welcoming and engender inclusiveness for the diverse community it hosts.
Approaching from the street and carpark, visitors first encounter the boatsheds – a repetitive run of gables that acts as a screen and gateway between the carpark and clubhouse. The structure of the boatsheds is uncompromising and playful at the same time. Visitors pass through the sailing activity on arrival.
The arrangement of the new buildings reinstates the beach promenade connecting the two beachfronts either side of the club for the first time in more than 50 years. The rigging deck, framed to the north and south by the boatsheds and clubhouse, presents a significant new civic space for the community, providing for outdoor events, public gathering and the rigging of skiffs.
The new club replaces the previous building that fell into disrepair, with concrete cancer undermining its foundations. The new building represents a significant reinvention of the Club and the precinct as a whole. Though significantly smaller than the previous building, within the first 5 months of operation, visitors increased almost 10 times in number – from 2,500 visitors to 24,000 visitors a month.
The project is on Bidjigal land. The site has long been used as a social gathering place, evidenced by indigenous middens. The club supports the continuation of this use into the future for all.
Awards
2023 Award for Public Architecture (Australian Institute of Architects NSW Chapter)
2023 Award for Hospitality Buildings - New (Master Builders Association NSW)
Links
Official website - St George Sailing Club, Sans Souci
Australian Institute of Architects NSW - 2023 NSW Architecture Award Winners, 2023 Public Architecture Awards, Jury Citation
Master Builders Association - Excellence in Construction Awards 2023
Architecture Australia - St George Sailing Club by Jon Jacka Architects (Phillip Arnold, July 2023)
Sydney Morning Herald - New St George Sailing Club a gift to nearby Sans Souci (Stephen Crafti, 29 April 2023), 10 of Sydney’s best new child-friendly dining destinations (Megan Johnston, 5 April 2023), St George Sailing Club opens waterfront restaurant in Sans Souci after 15m revamp (Scott Bolles, 23 August 2022)
Leader - 600 new members in a day as St George Sailing Club reopens (Murray Trembath, 5 September 2022)
Broadsheet - After a massive $15m renovation Sans Souci’s St George Sailing Club reopens - and it’s a beauty (Pilar Mitchell, 6 September 2022)
Jon Jacka Architects
Project Architect, Project Manager, Lead Consultant, Superintendent, Landscape Design, Signage, Interior, Fitout and Furniture Design (Team - Jon Jacka, Eva Ponsati, Li Li Chan, Andrew Andersons AO. Client - Manly 16ft Skiff Sailing Club, Anthony King (Director/Treasurer), Steve Bowen (Director), Matthew Hazell (Secretary Manager). Contractor - Join Constructions, Ian Gribble, Josh Leong, Brett Russell (Project Foreman), Danny Abush (Project Manager), Darren Arthur, Josh Minati)
Photography - Anthony Basheer, Brett Boardman