NSW ARCHITECTURE MEDALLION

NSW ARCHITECTURE MEDALLION

AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM PROJECT DISCOVER

COX ARCHITECTURE WITH NEESON MURCUTT + NEILLE

The Australian Museum built in 1846 and subsequently added to by successive Colonial and NSW Government Architects is of state and national significance. It is a very worthy recipient of the 2021 NSW Architecture Medallion – the highest honour awarded by the NSW Chapter annually, selected from the field of named awards.

Combining a sympathetic understanding of the cultural heritage of the original buildings and additions, the 2020 design overlay reveals a new way to experience the nation’s first museum. Sight lines across vast spaces are revealed, making wayfinding easier while heritage sandstone, previously hidden, is unveiled alongside modern inclusions. The design has opened up the Australian Museum, creating a singular civic space and helping achieve the goals of improving the visitor experience and attracting more visitors. It uses light to curate the circulation experience - from the day-lit Crystal Hall to the dark Parkes/Farmer reception, to the top-lit Grand Hall.

The design is highly strategic. It prioritises changes that will sustain the Museum into the long-term. It reveals and celebrates the Museum’s rich historic layering; creates legibility of movement – vertical and horizontal; enables universal public access throughout; and enhances the Museum’s engagement with William Street. The result is a new civic space for Sydney where visitors enjoy the architecture alongside the exhibitions.