Holcim Geostone
Biyal-a Armstrong Creek Library and Community Hub was created to serve one of Victoria’s fastest-growing communities with a building that is welcoming, flexible and deeply connected to place.
For the City of Greater Geelong and Buchan, the goal was clear. This needed to be a civic landmark that supports community life while expressing strong architectural and sustainability values.
Named Biyal-a, a Wadawurrung expression referencing the local Armstrong Creek landscape and watercourse as a place of many red gums, the library reflects a strong connection to Country and community. That sense of place was strengthened through collaboration with the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.
Holcim engaged early in the process, collaborating with Buchan and the consultant team, including the project’s ESD consultant and engineer, for over six months to develop tailored specifications for ECOPact® and Geostone®, aligning architectural intent, performance requirements and sustainability targets within the tender documentation.
This early input reduced risk and gave the project team confidence that the specified solutions would deliver both performance and design quality on site.
Geostone® contributed to the project’s visual refinement through decorative finishes that introduced texture, contrast and a stronger connection to the broader palette of raw and natural materials. “Dark Matter” was used for the charcoal-coloured screed, while “Atlas” was used on the ground floor, with additional use across several balconies on Levels 1 and 2.
Completed in May 2024 and opened to the public on 1 August 2024, the project has received a 2025 AIDA Commendation for Sustainability Advancement from the Design Institute of Australia. It was also a finalist for the international 2024-25 Green Solutions Awards (New Construction Grand Prize) and shortlisted for a 2025 ArchitectureAu Award for Social Impact.
Biyal-a Armstrong Creek Library and Community Hub demonstrates how early collaboration between architect, consultants and supplier can deliver stronger outcomes across performance, sustainability and design.
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