Newcastle Region Art Gallery
NSW
Competition 2006
The form of the gallery is characterised by linear blocks of varying lengths, stacked like cuisenair rods alongside a tall, light filled atrium. A ribbon of glass at the base fo the building continues the lively Darby Street promenade with shops and a cafe. The building has two entries, one facing civic park and one facing on Darby Stret, positioned at either end of the atrium – the heart of the building.
The north and south facades are articulated by the block ends, varying in transparency, jostling in position against each other. The ends of the blocks serve as display cases, presenting artworks and the gallery itself to the outside world. There are clear glass cases for display of non-light sensitive artworks as well as translucent ones, which are designed to be programmed by art installations such as back projections, LED, or appliqué.
At night the body of building is unlit so that in recedes, and the display cases hang in the air.
Structure Taylor Thomson Whitting
Ecology Steensen Varming
Visualisation Jacek Irzykowski