The aim of the project is so balance creative, contemporary, elegant architectural design with the existing heritage character.

The project involves internal refurbishment, landscape upgrade, enhancement of public uses and improvement of accessibility and wayfinding.

For more information see the City of Sydney Website here.

The vision for Victoria Square / Tarndanyangga is: ‘To be an accessible and vibrant public space that is internationally recognised as a symbol of South Australia’s unique culture and lifestyle.’

The Victoria Square / Tarndanyangga Regeneration Masterplan seeks to provide a comprehensive design vision for this critically important space within the City of Adelaide. In achieving this aim, the masterplan therefore sets Victoria Square / Tarndanyangga within its precinct and greater city context and identifies placemaking initiatives to improve access, connectivity, environmental, economic and social benefits beyond the boundaries of the Square.

The project, now under construction, aims, to give the centrepiece of the city an active relevant new life after 80 years. The building will house major performance, event and meeting facilities, the offices of the Council and Lord Mayor and a new and enlarged Museum of Brisbane. An extensive new kitchen will be excavated into the basement to serve state-of-the-art conference and event facilities including the 1500-seat Grand Auditorium with its conserved organ.

A significant aspect is the upgrading of the structure and services to meet contemporary safety and operational standards. The exterior will be enhanced by the reconstructions of decades of additions on the roof, whilst the significant heritage interiors will be conserved and enhanced. Access and circulation will be improved throughout the building, as will the acoustic performance of the major spaces.

The entire project is being designed to achieve 5 Star Greenstar rating with a pilot Public Buildings rating tool developed specially for the project.

The significant heritage buildings and vacant areas of the site have been integrated and developed for five major activities, each supporting the role of the centre.

The Eora Campus provides dormitory accommodation for visiting educational and sporting groups of up to 100 people, with associated sleeping, dining, classroom and recreational areas. This activity uses three of the refurbished buildings of the former Redfern Public School. A high-quality football training field, chiefly for use by the Eora Campus facility is located on the western playground of the former school, facing Cope Street.

The YMCA operated Eora Sports, Arts and Recreation Centre, a purpose-built three level multi-use sporting complex, includes indoor sports halls and activity rooms, a heated 25m pool and associated change and storage areas.

Gadigal House’s flexible space, leased for office accommodation for tenants with a relationship to the primary sporting/educational uses of the site, and to the Indigenous educational group The Exodus Foundation, occupies the fourth building of the former School.

The design was extensively workshopped with a range of stakeholders. A full Heritage Assessment and Impact Study was prepared by TZG as part of the work.

The National Centre of Indigenous was opened in March 2010 by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

To make a showcase of Lismore’s timber industry heritage, the first floor gallery ‘container’ is clad in locally sourced Australian hardwood, reducing embodied energy.

The form and scale of the building complements the historic Conservatorium and Library, whilst the first floor Galley bends to embrace the existing large Tallow wood tree and make a signaling gesture to Keen Street.

A truly sustainable Arts Centre is proposed with innovations such as naturally lit galleries, masonry walls made from the recycled Block ‘C’ brickwork, trees planted to reduce solar heat gain on the building’s northern side, the reduction of embodied building energy with simple lightweight timber construction to the first floor, a naturally ventilated roof plenum for summer cooling, winter solar pre-heating for conditioned air plus gravity fed storm water storage for WCs, washing and landscape irrigation. The smaller roof area resulting from the two-storey footprint minimises solar heat gain, and openings on the hot and cold sides of the building are designed to allow effective cross ventilation to reduce air conditioning loads to the foyer and ancillary spaces. Offices are positioned on the cooler eastern side of the building to reduce reliance on air conditioning.

The Centre occupies the courtyard of a former caretaker’s cottage, which has been enclosed to provide shade and security. A simple palette of natural materials highlights the qualities of the trees, forming a quality background for the changing display. Externally, a new entry pavilion provides a space for orientation and information, and the landscape has been reconfigured to feature two large bonsai.