Organically revealing itself from the ground, the Crone Partners' winning design for the Orange Regional Museum aims to respectfully integrate a new building and program to the existing cultural precinct. Additionally, the architects intend to create a new identity whilst strengthening current civic conditions within the site. More images and architects’ description after the break.
The building features an integrated roofscape rising out of the ground, allowing the space to be read in multiple ways. As a fully accessible lawn, the museum hill thus becomes a public green space, formal event space, as well as its primary role by telling the story of Orange as a museum. In this way it helps reinforce the qualities of the civic center by linking multiple disparate programs in its formal resolution.
A push into the envelope to the rear of the building creates an amphitheatre and large civic steps leading to the garden roof. The orientation of the push provides a sheltered space within the civic square in an often hostile environment.
The 1000m2 museum occupies the corner of the site, completing the civic center comprised of the current award winning gallery, library and civic theatre. Its main museum space is split into a semi -permanent exhibition space and a temporary space for travelling exhibitions. Its transparent internal facades help link the museum, entry lobby and café, which spill out on to the outdoor piazza.
Crone won the competitive tender for the building early in 2013, following an innovative and unique approach to the site and brief.
Architects: Crone Partners
Location: Orange, NSW, Australia
Structural Engineer: TTW
Museum + Exhibition Design: FRD
Landscape: Urbis
Design Team: Niall Durney, Ashley Dennis, Thomas Chan
Client: Orange City Council
Floor Area: 1100 m2
Project Year: 2013 - 2015
