LOCATION
Atwell Arts Precinct, Alfred Cove
Whadjuk Noongar Country
STATUS
Completed August 2022
PHOTOGRAPHY
Slavin Architects & Joel Barbitta
CLIENT
City of Melville
STAKEHOLDERS
South of the River Potters Club
Melville Community Arts Association
Nestled within the heritage-listed grounds of Atwell Gallery in Alfred Cove, Karlup – a Noongar word meaning place of fire – is Western Australia’s first purpose-built community ceramics studio.
Commissioned by the City of Melville to support the South of the River Potters Club (SORPC), the studio transforms what was once a cluster of garden sheds into a generous, accessible, and professional environment for making, teaching, and gathering.
The building’s open pavilion form allows activity to spill into the surrounding verandahs, offering flexible spaces that respond to seasonal conditions.
Passive ventilation, thermal comfort strategies, and material selections – including Bluescope Lysaght Customflow cladding and innovative indirect lighting – support both creative practice and the sustainability aspirations of the City.
Karlup sits lightly within its setting, drawing on the material language of nearby agricultural structures while preserving views to bushland and the river. The project reflects our belief in architecture as cultural infrastructure – designed to nurture community, creativity, and continuity of place.
