Final Plans and Sections

Model

Preliminary Plans and Sections

The sketches solidified into a series of plans and sections that contain three art galleries, a magazine shop, cafeteria, studio apartment, and service rooms such as office, workshop, toilet, and stockroom.

The artists that I decided to display the work of are artists whose work I think would "inhabit" the space provided.

In this scheme, one enters the art gallery from the King Street entrance into a magazine shop, where the entrance to the art gallery is located at the rear. At the front of the shop is a large 3 storey display case, that not only blocks out the sounds of King St, but allows for a large scale sculpture or installation to draw people into the gallery.

Gallery 1 for typographical art, magazine layouts, and graphic design would contain movable glass panels that visitors could move in and around. The space would be darkened with skylights leading into the void, and light from these would be reflected and refracted through the space.

One moves up the stairs into Gallery 2 or 3. Gallery 2 contains work by Doris Salcedo. As one enters the room, they are channeled through a series of smaller rooms, before they turn the corner and their view is lead by the outward extending walls, to a larger gallery space. This space would largely contain installations or objects.

Gallery 3 contains work by Ata "Toast" Bozaci, which includes more graphic, urban art. The corner in the room may contain a sculpture.

One may then move down the the lift. The glass face of the lift allows for a view of a massive 3 storey sculpture by Chen Wenling that would be seen in the space. Exiting at the ground floor brings you to a cafe and function area, where visitors may rest, and chat before exiting the art gallery.

The curator is a man whose work involves graphic design, but has an interest in a wide variety of contemporary art. A Willem Sandberg-esque character who creates all this own brochures, fliers, and advertisments. His apartment is located at the top of the art gallery, where the most light is available. His living area opens up into a courtyard directly over the foyer where Chen Wenling's sculpture is placed, allowing him to be at 'head height' of the sculpture, smell the cafe and listen to the sounds of people talking, and look out through the glass to the park and the street.

Initial Sketches

My initial idea for the art gallery was that of a gallery dedicated to graphic design, magazine layouts, and typographical art. This was derived from my own interest in graphic design, as well as research on curator and designer Willem Sandberg. However as the form of the gallery came about, other types of artworks seemed to grow in the spaces, and the artworks in the gallery branched out into sculpture and installation.

The form of the gallery came about through a desire to have a strong diagonal, and from this diagonal, a strong circulation point. I felt that some form of diagonal, or skewed shapes and lines, were required to add a dynamic to the building that might other wise simply be a long, rectangular box. I felt that such a form would be emphasized given the 30 m site restrictions, the limited solar access, and the narrow width of the site.

I also thought that the unusual shapes of the rooms that would be derived from the the diagonal would be a fun and interesting challenge to work around.

Site Analysis

Site Elevations

Sydney Art Gallery Precedents