UNSW Architectural Design Studio

Project 3: King Street Gallery Concept Development

• Create a series of seemingly fragmented and abstract gallery spaces that reflected the styles of art to which the client is inclined;


• Maintain the connection from rear residential areas to King Street by encouraging the existing pedestrian thoroughfare through the site; and


• Reaffirm this thoroughfare in the gallery circulation so it may be used to encourage viewing of art by those passing by, and address clients concerns about disconnectedness.

In summary, the design was to be a fragmented, abstract space that encouraged the everyday passerby to view art. It should be noted that it was only the gallery spaces and sculpture courtyard that were intended to be used this way. The more private domains such as the sit-in apartment were designed so that they sat on the peripherals towards the rear of the site. The main circulation would also be encouraged to divert away from these areas.

Originally the design was to be based on a series of more conventional, oblong shaped spaces, but after several attempts at articulating the program, this approach was deemed lacking in terms of focusing the circulation in the desired manner. More acute and attention focusing, polygonal forms were used on a grid system overlayed on the site.

The use of a grid system smoothed the resolution of the gallery program. Once the program was resolved, appropriate sizing of spaces in order to appropriately focus the circulation was achieved.

The last stages of development involved resizing the scale of the spaces, treatment of openings, the articulation of the roofscape and refining the general experience of the spaces.

posted by Chris @ 4:52 PM