Sydney Modern
“More art for more people.”
The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) is expanding with a new building, and a public art garden in between. At $344 million dollars, the project is the largest public-private partnership of its kind in the arts in Australia.
Sydney Modern is designed by SANAA, an architectural firm based in Tokyo, founded in 1995 by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa. It will be a series of rectangular pavilions that move down the hill towards Woolloomooloo Bay. The pavilions will have a stone facade and the roof terraces have been considered to ensure they complement the building’s parkland and natural topography while at the same time allowing opportunities for outdoor art displays.
In total, the extension will be 7,000 square metres of gallery space and include two galleries over 1,000 square metres with 5.5 metre high ceilings. There will also be a range of smaller galleries, a studio for creating multimedia works and rooftop art terrace. It will double the exhibition space and include a unique contemporary art space repurposed from a decommissioned WWII oil tank.
The AGNSW is committed to sustainability and has worked closely with SANAA to ensure that the design maximises open space. It will be Australia’s first 6-star Green Star design-rated museum. It sets a new standard for art museums globally. It has chosen to include solar panels and rainwater capture and harvesting.
Construction is currently underway and is scheduled to be complete next year.
