The Sydney Modern Project will almost double the exhibition space at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and its sustainability credentials are creating a stir in the art world.
The Art Gallery of NSW is creating a vibrant new cultural meeting place with dynamic galleries and seamless connections between indoor and outdoor spaces.
The Sydney Modern Project will almost double the gallery’s current exhibition space, increasing visitation to an estimated two million people a year.
The expanded Gallery’s highlights will include a new prominent destination for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, a large gallery for major exhibitions, and a spectacular underground contemporary art space repurposed from a decommissioned WWII oil tank.
Spaces for family, learning and educational programming to double student and teacher visits to 200,000 annually. A public art garden will link the new and existing gallery buildings.
The project is also the first public art museum to achieve a 6 Star Green Star design rating from the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA).
Sustainability initiatives include rainwater harvesting, extensive solar panels and a seawater heat exchange system for air-conditioning. The project incorporates large areas of public outdoor green space, with nearly two-thirds of the site accessible 24/7.
According to the GBCA’s chief executive Romilly Madew, the Sydney Modern Project illustrates the increasing application of Green Star in social and community infrastructure.
“This vibrant space will set a new standard for what cultural precincts can and should be – engaging, innovative and sustainable,” Madew says.
Art Gallery of NSW director Dr Michael Brand says the six-star achievement exceeds the Gallery’s five-star goal and “helps set a new standard for what art museums can achieve globally”.
The Gallery’s new building is designed by world-renowned Japanese and Pritzker Prize-winning architecture firm, SANAA, with a portfolio that includes the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Japan, New Museum in New York, Rolex Learning Centre in Switzerland and Louvre-Lens Museum in France.
The design responds to the unique site, with a series of interlocked pavilions that cascade towards Sydney Harbour and Woolloomooloo, complementing and preserving the heritage significance of the existing Gallery building.
Construction of the Gallery’s new building is expected to commence in early 2019 for completion in 2021.