Japanese firm designs major Australian art gallery expansion

Pritzker Prize winning firm SANAA has designed an extension of the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

The expansion intended to deliver an "iconic building" will see more of the gallery’s AUS$1.3bn (US$1bn) collection on display.

Its aim is to make the destination more attractive to international art exhibitions.

Construction will start in 2019 with the expansion due for completion in 2021, in time for the 150th anniversary of the gallery’s founding in 1871.

The Sydney Modern Project will create expanded spaces for art, live performance and film along with spaces to learn and study.

A new outdoor cultural plaza will be accessible 24/7 to anyone walking through the site. It will link the expanded Gallery with the Royal Botanic Gardens, featuring works from local and international artists.

Funding of AUS$244m (US$187m) has been awarded by the New South Wales government and a philanthropic project will be launched later this year to raise the remaining AUS$30m (US$23m) needed.

The design concept will continue to be refined until the planned submission of a State Significant Development Application, expected to take place later this year.

The gallery’s director Dr Michael Brand, said: "Our expanded gallery will deliver an iconic building that combines art, architecture and landscape in an extraordinary way and in one of the most breathtaking locations in the world."

Images courtesy of the Art Gallery of New South Wales