Angelo Candalepas and Associates, and a team of 20 architecture, design and engineering firms, have won the national design competition for a new landmark contemporary art and design gallery for the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV).
The winning design for the building has a colossal 40-metre-high spherical hall at its centre, as well as dramatic arched entry ways facing onto a future public park.
“This dynamic and exciting design for NGV Contemporary creates a unifying civic space that all visitors will remember. With its uplifting and generous architecture, this design provides all Victorians will a timeless building for arts and culture that will be loved for generations,” said NGV director Tony Ellwood.
The winning design for NGV Contemporary by Angelo Candalepas and Associates et al.
Image:
Secchi Smith
Angelo Candalepas said, “Melbourne is the cultural capital of this nation and NGV Contemporary marks its next great offering to the world. Art and design matters to all Australians: it speaks to who we are as a community. This project signals Australia as a great contemporary nation with a significant creative force. This building will be a beacon of the culture of our time.
“I hope NGV Contemporary will personally and emotionally resonate with all members of our rich and diverse community and deepen their understanding of the possibilities of human creativity.”
The design of the large hall is based around the Ancient Greek concept of “omphalos,” which means “centre of the earth.” The hall will be surrounded by a spiralling pathway that will allow the visitors to ascend the various levels of the gallery. It will also be topped with a “lantern in the sky.”
The winning design for NGV Contemporary by Angelo Candalepas and Associates et al.
Image: Darcstudios
The proposed gallery will also have a public rooftop terrace, with views of the CBD, neighbouring parklands and even towards the distant Yarra Ranges. A sculpture garden will be accessible from the rooftop. The building will also have a restaurant and members’ lounge as well as education spaces, studios and laboratories for conservation work within its 30,000 square metre footprint.
Externally, the building’s facades feature large arched entries that will open onto a future public park designed by Hassell and So-il. The eastern facade will also include a multi-level verandah with external pathways between the building’s levels.
The building will have 13,000 square metres of large format, highly flexible spaces, which will allow international blockbuster exhibitions to be display simultaneously with gallery’s expanding permanent collection of contemporary art and design.
“This ambitious project offers an extraordinary opportunity to support our country’s local design and architecture sector,” Ellwood said.
The winning design for NGV Contemporary by Angelo Candalepas and Associates et al.
Image: Darcstudios
The NGV held a national design competition for the project in early 2021. Angelo Candalepas and Associates was one of four shortlisted teams who were invited to submit designs.
The Angelo Candalepas and Associates team includes Aspect Studios, Carr Interiors, Andy Fergus Design Strategy, BoardGrove Architects, Richard Stampton Architects, Steensen Varming, Mott MacDonald, TTW, Affinity Fire Engineering, Freeman Ryan Design, AX Interactive, and Art of Fact.
The competition was judged by an international jury that comprised Dutch architect Francine Houben of Mecanoo, Xu Tiantian from DnA Architecture in Beijing, Australian architect Gerard Reinmuth of Terroir, Indigenous artist Maree Clarke as well as NGV director Tony Ellwood, Victorian government architect Jill Garner and architect and NGV trustee Corbett Lyon.
“Australian architecture and design is of great interest around the world – Angelo Candalepas and Associates’ NGV Contemporary will be an intriguing new landmark showcasing how architecture can respond to and enhance the cultural history and life of our city,” said Jill Garner. “This concept embeds a vision to harness and nurture a spirit of creative communication, collaboration and engagement.”
Source: Architecture - architectureau
