After designing half the roadway and
the carparking area for the United Vietnamese Buddhist
Congregation, Kneebone & Beretta was called upon
to assist in developing a stupa on the site of the
Phuoc Hue Buddhist Monastery in Wetherill Park. Fairfield
Council had approved such a development 3 years earlier
but that consent had expired and Council had become
less than enthusiastic to consent to such a structure
which they could not classify and found to be foreign
to their planning rules.
After some hearings before an independent
development board the building was approved. Kneebone
& Beretta chose to design each floor as a column
free reinforced concrete slab with a single stairway
in the corner. The slabs were designed to accommodate
cabinets which will contain the ashes of deceased
monks and members of the Buddhist Committee.
The seven storey building in Vietnamese
style is overlooking a large part of Wetherill Park
and Buddhist relics located on the top floor will
beam their aura of goodwill over western Sydney.
The building was officially opened by the then Minister
of Immigration, The Hon. Philip Ruddock MP and Kneebone
& Beretta were presented with a gift of appreciation
for their contribution.