Inauguration of the Sydney Modern Project by the SANAA studio, new spaces at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia

The SANAA studio, led by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, winners of the Pritzker Prize in 2010, has designed the expansion of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the most important cultural project completed in the Australian city since the opening of the Sydney Opera House, designed by Jørn Utzon, almost half a century ago.
The programme of extensions and renovations, entitled Sydney Modern Project, opened on December 3, with the Art Gallery transformed into an art museum campus that creates close connections between art, architecture and landscape without, of course, forgetting sustainability. In fact, the new building designed by SANAA has been awarded a 6-star rating by the Green Building Council of Australia and, therefore, is the first public museum in the country to achieve the highest standard in terms of sustainability. The programme consists of three key aspects: the construction of the new building, the revitalisation of the existing building and some major landscaping works. The new volume, designed by SANAA and known as the "North Building", has made it possible to double the exhibition space available with new types of environments and continuous connections between inside and outside, offering rich and diverse experiences to all visitors. One of the new spaces is the so-called Tank, a former World War II fuel depot, a vibrant and dramatic 2,200 square metre space on the lower levels of the building. The collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art – one of the strengths of the Art Gallery – will be the first exhibition space offered to visitors at the entrance to the new building, highlighting the importance of this collection, closely linked to the history and identity of the place. The original building, now referred to as the "South Building", had been built in the late 19th century and then extended in 1972, 1988 and 2003. The recent renovation, designed by the Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects studio, has restored the building to its original architectural features, while offering more space for art and research, improving the visitor experience, as well as the building's sustainability. The landscaping project, created by the Australian McGregor Coxall multi-disciplinary design studio, in collaboration with landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson from the Gustafson Guthrie Nichol firm, is inspired by indigenous ecological communities and includes the new art garden which will be inaugurated in 2023. Connecting the two museum buildings, the garden will offer visitors the physical experience of a magnificent contemporary landscape overlooking Sydney Harbour.

(Agnese Bifulco)

Images courtesy of The Art Gallery of New South Wales and SANAA

Architect: Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA, Tokyo, Japan
Executive architect: Architectus, Sydney, Australia
Builder: Richard Crookes Constructions
Delivery authority: Infrastructure NSW
Structural engineer: Arup
Landscape architects: McGregor Coxall and Gustafson Guthrie Nichol (GGN)

Art Gallery prior to expansion: 23,000 sqm (original building)
Art Gallery after expansion: 40,000 sqm (new and original building)
Exhibition space prior to expansion: 9,000 sqm (original building)
Exhibition space after expansion: 16,000 sqm (new and original building)

Captions and Credits
The Art Gallery of New South Wales’ new SANAA-designed building, 2022, photo © Iwan Baan (01-13)
The Tank space in the Art Gallery of New South Wales’ new SANAA-designed building, 2022, photo © Art Gallery of New South Wales, Jenni Carter (14-15)

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