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SANAA's Art Gallery of New South Wales expansion will deliver the city's largest cultural commission in 50 years

2022-05-05T12:59:00-04:00

SANAA has released renderings and added a new opening date for their expansion of Sydney’s Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW).

Touted as the city’s largest cultural development since the dramatic opening of its Opera House nearly 50 years ago, the Sydney Modern Project entails the creation of two new buildings connected by a public garden and will make its public debut on December 3rd.

Image: Kazuyo Sejima + Ryue Nishizawa / SANAA © Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2021

The expansion will increase the institution’s gallery spaces by almost double from 96,875 to 172,222 square feet, including a new 23,680-square-foot underground gallery which was repurposed from a decommissioned World War II-era oil tank. Overall, 70% of the new gallery is being constructed above existing structures.

Per SANAA, sustainable design initiatives include over 16,000 square feet of photovoltaic cells covering the Entranc...

Bêka & Lemoine's latest film follows Pritzker Prize winner Ryūe Nishizawa for a day-long journey through the streets of Tokyo

2020-10-08T17:44:00-04:00

Tokyo Ride, the latest film from creators Bêka & Lemoine revisits the genre of the rod movie in a uniquely personal way, taking the viewer aboard Pritzker Prize winner Ryūe Nishizawa's vintage Alfa Romeo for a day-long journey through the streets of Tokyo. Throughout the film, the duo pose questions on how rooted architecture practice is and how much the built and cultural environment feeds and shapes our imagination.

The film was awarded the Artistic Vision Award at DocAviv 2020, an Oscar-qualifying documentary-only festival. "The directors do not pretend to encompass the entire oeuvre of Ryūe Nishizawa, but something in the intimacy of the car ride (the car being the undeniable film's supporting actor), creates exceptional conditions to getting to know his personality and his world," said the jurors in a statement.

The film is due to premier in many major architecture film festivals both in Europe and North America, with screenings at the next CAFx in Copenhagen, AFFR in Rotterda...

SANAA chosen to design NSW Art Gallery expansion

2015-05-27T14:04:00-04:00

Pritzker Prize laureates Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of SANAA were revealed today as the winners of an international competition to design the AUD$450 million expansion of the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Australia. As part of the Sydney Modern Project, the expansion will upgrade the existing building into a global cultural landmark that connects the Gallery, the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Domain, the city, and Sydney Harbor.

SANAA scored the commission out of 12 notable shortlisters like Kengo Kuma, David Chipperfield, Herzog & de Meuron, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien Architects, and Renzo Piano Building Workshop, to name a few.

SANAA incorporated the gallery site's surrounding topography and climate in their design, which features cascading platforms of sandstone and glass. The expansion will double the size of the 23,000 sq.m. gallery and will include new educational facilities, spaces for live performances and films, open exhibition spaces, and reintroduce natural day...