1+2 Architecture acknowledges the Palawa people as the traditional custodians of lutruwita, the lands on which our company is located and where we conduct our business. We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present. We are committed to honouring Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society.
Arts Tasmania
LOCATION + TRADITIONAL COUNTRY
The Palawa, Hobart, Tasmania
CLIENT
Arts Tasmania
STATUS
Built (2008)
AWARDS
2009 RAIA - Interior Architecture Award
media
Not applicable
PHOTOGRAPHY
The Arts Tasmania project brought together a number of previously dispersed but related state government agencies into a shared workplace within a former retail shopfront on Elizabeth Street in Hobart.
The new space combines staff offices, meeting rooms and facilities with a public art gallery. An important part of the brief was to establish a stronger street presence for Arts Tasmania and the artists whose work it supports and promotes, creating greater opportunities for connection with the wider public.
KEY COLLABORATORS
+ Builder:
+ Electrical Engineering:
Kingston & Associates
+ Hydraulic Engineering:
Aldanmark Consulting Engineers
+ Fire Engineering:
SEMF
+ Building Surveyor:
+Land Surveyor:
+ Quantity Surveyor:
Kevin Collins
Place
The project occupies part of the former Bridges Brothers site, a redevelopment characterised by its layered heritage fabric.
The existing building brought together remnants of the Bridges Brothers' mid-20th-century adaptation and the 19th-century terraces that form much of the Elizabeth Street frontage.
The architectural response sought to interpret and negotiate these layers of history, retaining and restoring the remaining ground-floor shopfront while allowing the different periods of the building's evolution to remain legible.
Process
The new architecture endeavours to blur the boundary between gallery and office spaces. Gallery walls permeate the workplace, bringing colour and light into the interior and creating an ever-changing visual environment for staff and visitors.
As existing structural elements were revealed during the works, a strategy of colour coding was used to distinguish them, acknowledging the building's layered history while contributing to the contemporary interior.
The integration of visual artworks and furniture from the department's collection, alongside works specifically commissioned through the Art in Public Buildings Scheme (APBS), was an important part of the brief. 1+2 Architecture was involved in the selection and briefing of artists, helping establish a relationship between the architectural design and the artworks.
An early opportunity was identified for a light-based installation along the poorly lit rear wall of the space. Submissions were sought through the APBS process, with Jude Abel's proposal selected and installed. The resulting work brings light and visual interest to the interior, creating an interaction between the architectural and artistic elements of the project.
Impact
The transformation has given Arts Tasmania a more visible public presence, creating opportunities for people to engage with the department and the artists it supports.
By bringing the gallery and workplace together, the project has also established an environment where art is part of the everyday experience of the building, rather than confined to a separate exhibition space.
Awards + Jury Citation
RAIA – Interior Architecture 2009
"What a lovely surprise, you enter Arts Tasmania’s principal centre through the very portals previous generations of shoppers have entered – for very different reasons. Then the sloping picture windows reflected children gazing through at desired toys; or sportsmen contemplating fly rods and exotic lures. Now the visitor is enticed by art – entering a light and airy space, the roving eye caught by the gallery of art works and installations.
This is clever use of space, appropriately negotiating the layered heritage fabric of the site, from the light-infused kitchen and lunch area to the light installation which illuminates the otherwise dull end of the building. Work stations are inviting; indicative of creativity. This is a heritage building once shaded and utilitarian which has been subtly transformed into a centre reflective of artistic creativity."
