The Glasshouse @ the Gannawarra to become reality

Published on 12 January 2022

A $1.507 million development will soon provide Kerang’s Sir John Gorton Library with a dedicated media lab and fully accessible, contemporary meeting spaces that will provide flexibility and creativity for new and emerging library and community programs.

State Minister for Local Government, Mr Shaun Leane MP announced earlier today that the transformational ‘The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra’ project will proceed thanks to a contribution from the Living Libraries Infrastructure Program 2021 - Major Works program.

To be built on the western side of the library, The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra will feature a media lab designed to support movie making, sound and music recording and other creative digital technology projects, new meeting spaces to support community groups and events, and a glass façade that will enable the opportunity for evening activation using light projection and sound.

The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra will also celebrate the Gannawarra’s indigenous culture with the inclusion of a fire pit which will be used for Welcome to Country and Smoking ceremonies, as well as a commissioned art piece acknowledging and celebrating local indigenous culture and connection to country.

“The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra project will create a space for our regional communities to connect, collaborate, create and celebrate together,” Mayor Charlie Gillingham said.

“The innovative media lab will allow the Gannawarra Library Service to plan and deliver youth programs, whilst additional computers and pods will provide the opportunity for students, home-based businesses, and other professionals working from home to access wifi services to connect, meet and network.

“The new meeting spaces will enable residents and visitors to meet either indoor or outdoors, whilst The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra’s design complements the contemporary design of the Sir John Gorton Library and will integrate the historic water tower, combining the new infrastructure with the old.”

Construction of The Glasshouse @ The Gannawarra is scheduled to begin in 2022 and be completed by mid-2024.

“Council thanks the Victorian State Government for their outstanding support of this project and looks forward to this new space being embraced and utilised by the broader regional community,” Mayor Gillingham said.

…ENDS…

For more information, please contact Council on (03) 5450 9333 or visit www.gsc.vic.gov.au

Date: 12 January 2022

Media contact: T. (03) 5450 9333 M. 0409 616 627