The John Kaldor Family Gallery. Art Gallery NSW

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Belinda Miles
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1 The John Kaldor Family Gallery Art Gallery NSW

2 As client for this public project it provides the best in innovative design with an imaginative response to the brief. It is a unique contemporary gallery created within a public building. The John Kaldor Family Gallery is an exciting space - flexible, functional and eloquent. The design solution integrates all the gallery elements including museum lighting, temperature and relative humidity controls to international standards, security systems and flexible digital services to accommodate the latest in contemporary art. Anne Flannagan Former Deputy Director, Art Gallery NSW

Introduction The John Kaldor Family Gallery brings not only a new breadth and personality to the Gallery s collections, but also new and exciting opportunities for exploring and illustrating the

This was the catalyst for the government to provide funds to the Gallery to build a state-of-the-art off-site storage facility to allow space within the Gallery to display the collection.

3 Introduction The John Kaldor Family Gallery brings not only a new breadth and personality to the Gallery s collections, but also new and exciting opportunities for exploring and illustrating the art of our times. In 2008, John Kaldor and his family announced their intention to give the John Kaldor Family Collection to the state of NSW. This was the catalyst for the government to provide funds to the Gallery to build a state-of-the-art off-site storage facility to allow space within the Gallery to display the collection. This extraordinary gift, together with funds generously donated by the Belgiorno-Nettis family, enabled the re-development of the Gallery s old storage area and existing display space to create an additional area of approximately 1200m 2 of new exhibition space.

The new Gallery comprises a suite of contemporary and modern galleries, a dedicated photography gallery and a study room for the Gallery s works on paper collection.

4 The new Gallery comprises a suite of contemporary and modern galleries, a dedicated photography gallery and a study room for the Gallery s works on paper collection. With the inclusion of the John Kaldor Family Collection, the Gallery now holds Australia s most comprehensive representation of contemporary art from the 1960 s to the present day. In 2012 the entire floor was refurbished to allow for the integration of both the John Kaldor Family and the Gallery s existing contemporary collections: this enabled, for the first time in Australia, the telling of a comprehensive art history from the 1960 s to now. The gallery spaces seem deceptively simple: the flooring is large-scaled solid travertine, and the ceilings reveal an existing natural concrete beam structure.

01 From left to right: Nam June Paik, TV cello, 1976; Barry McGee,

Andre, The way north, south and west (uncarved blocks), 1975; Urs

02 Ugo Rondinone, Clockwork for oracles, 2010 03 Donald Judd, Untitled,

river/ planters/ snow, 1971; Sol LeWitt, Pyramid, 2005; Sol

5 01 From left to right: Nam June Paik, TV cello, 1976; Barry McGee, Untitled (man with baseball hat), 2000; Sol LeWitt, Pyramid, 2005; Carl Andre, The way north, south and west (uncarved blocks), 1975; Urs Fischer, Crisis, ; Michael Landy, The consuming paradox, Ugo Rondinone, Clockwork for oracles, Donald Judd, Untitled, From left to right: Robert Rauschenberg, 31100/ new born/ Indian river/ planters/ snow, 1971; Sol LeWitt, Pyramid, 2005; Sol LeWitt,Incomplete open cube 4/5, 5/6, 5/8 and 7/21, 1974; Robert Rauschenberg, Dylaby,

Innovation A key element in the success of the new Gallery and fundamental to the design concept, was the desire to increase the perception of greater ceiling height.

6 Innovation A key element in the success of the new Gallery and fundamental to the design concept, was the desire to increase the perception of greater ceiling height. Elsewhere in the 1968 gallery building, a concrete grid creates a ceiling plane at about 3.6m high. By extending the display walls to the soffit of the flange of the structural T beams, the gallery space was increased by a metre creating a more appropriate setting for contemporary art.

Adaptability The John Kaldor Family Gallery is part conversion and part

facility into a contemporary, public gallery.

excavation of a large sandstone wedge to connect the converted

7 Adaptability The John Kaldor Family Gallery is part conversion and part new gallery - an expression of how good architecture and innovative architecture can work. The architectural solution adapts a preexisting basement art storage facility into a contemporary, public gallery. The design solution gives clarity to the whole floor with the excavation of a large sandstone wedge to connect the converted collection store to the existing galleries. The existing main circulation stair of the 1968 gallery building was extended downwards to provide a new vertical connection.

9 Operation The John Kaldor Family Galley extension was designed to take advantage of the very latest technology. The gallery s power consumption is less than a quarter of the power consumed in an average gallery space of this calibre using incandescent sources. Even when the lighting is dimmed by mechanical means, the lighting power consumption of the metal halide lighting system is considerably less than that of a dimmed incandescent system. Other positive aspects include mechanical dimmability with no colour temperature shift and several times longer lamp life. Not only is the new lamp technology successfully used in the space, the track lighting fixtures are carefully customized with specially made lenses and optical attachments to adjust the light output, whilst keeping the light distribution unchanged. The selection of the luminaires and lamps was undertaken through a range of on-site and off-site tests where a number of the best sources available at the time were assessed. The assessment also involved visual evaluation of results on white and coloured surfaces. The result with the new high colour rendering metal halide technology was outstanding. The gallery lighting won the 2012 ies Lighting Award.

Industry Perception The lighting has won awards, the design has won architectural awards - it is an exceptional adaptation within a public building.

their work in these new spaces, to the curators who developed the brief for the new gallery spaces and from the community generally The galleries provided

10 Industry Perception The lighting has won awards, the design has won architectural awards - it is an exceptional adaptation within a public building. The project has received critical acclaim from the benefactor who was actively involved in the design process, to contemporary artists who have displayed their work in these new spaces, to the curators who developed the brief for the new gallery spaces and from the community generally The galleries provided public spaces that artists want to work in. There are a number of site specific commissions within the spaces including wall drawings by Richard Long and Sol LeWitt.

2 4 1 3 01 Sol LeWitt, Wall drawing #1091:

Untitled, 1975 Front: Carl Andre, Crucis,

Robert Rauschenberg, Nugget, 1976 Robert

11 Sol LeWitt, Wall drawing #1091: arcs, circles and bands (room), Gallery entrance 03 Nam June Paik, TV Buddha, Back: Donald Judd, Untitled, 1975 Front: Carl Andre, Crucis, From back to right clockwise: Robert Rauschenberg, Nugget, 1976 Robert Rauschenberg, Air ration winter glut, 1987 Robert Rauschenberg, Yellow visor glut, 1989 Sol LeWitt,Incomplete open cube 4/5 and Incomplete open cube 7/21,

12 N Plan and Early Perspective A A A A Kaldor Gallery Kaldor Gallery Modern Gallery Modern Gallery PLAN PLAN THE JOHN KALDOR FAMILY GALLERYPTW N

13 Sections and Early Perspective

15 Project Recognition It adds a huge dimension and it gives a really strong panorama of the art of the last three or four decades. There s no doubt that this will give real emphasis to the image [of the AGNSW] as a museum of the art of our time, not just of history. Edmund Capon AGNSW director The public spaces of the Art Gallery of New South Wales have been significantly expanded by the skilful conversion of former basement storage into a suite of inspiring and flexible gallery spaces seamlessly integrated into existing public circulation routes. The National Architecture Awards Jury AWARDS 2012 AIA Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture 2012 AIA John Verge Award for Interior Architecture 2011 ies Lighting Awards - Award of Excellence (Steensen Varming)

16 CLIENT Art Gallery NSW LOCATION Art Gallery Road Sydney, NSW Australia ARCHITECT PTW Architects PROJECT MANAGER De Bruin Projects MECHANICAL Steensen Varming ELECTRICAL Steensen Varming HYDRAULIC Warren Smith and Partners STRUCTURAL Taylor Thomson Whitting Pty Ltd QUANTITY SURVEYOR Chris Bylett and Associates ACOUSTIC Acoustic Studio Pty Ltd FIRE ENGINEER Arup Fire LIFTS NDY BCA Trevor R Howse PHOTOGRAPHY Sharrin Rees Brian Steele ptw.com.au

National Gallery of Australia. New Entrance and Indigenous Australian Galleries

National Gallery of Australia. New Entrance and Indigenous Australian Galleries National Gallery of Australia New Entrance and Indigenous Australian Galleries This is the most significant development to the National Gallery of Australia since it opened in 1982. This is the first increase