Kitchens are the heart of a community; they are a place for people to gather, where a sense of belonging is cultivated. In this project, the first stage of a centre-wide master plan developed by GGA in 2022, the refurbishment of an existing commercial kitchen and bathroom facilities at the Vietnamese Community Centre were envisaged as an opportunity to engage with members of the wider community.

In the kitchen, the clients desired to improve process flow at the same time as expanding the range of food able to be offered. Close coordination with kitchen and services consultants enabled GGA to realise a layout that was modern, efficient and compliant with contemporary standards. Through careful planning, a new servery window was also able to be included to allow the kitchen to serve a separate dedicated dining area, designed by GGA to be delivered in a future project stage.

In contrast to the utilitarian kitchen, the publically-accessible amenities block was designed to excite visitors to the centre with the transformative potential of the wider master plan. Elegant shades of colour, subtle textures and measured hints of glamour are brought together in an interior design that is timeless yet reflective of the centre’s Vietnamese-Australian identity.