Forming a cultural fit within the Western Australian context.
An assembly of heritage-listed buildings and new contemporary development, the WA Museum Boola Bardip celebrates and reflects the local landscape on which it sits. The project draws on the history and culture of Western Australia to foster community engagement, marking a significant revitalisation project for Perth city.
The Hassell + OMA design is centred around two intersecting circulation loops, one vertical and one horizontal. These forms offer intuitive circulation paths, allowing visitors to navigate and explore the museum.
The ‘old and new’ intersect at the heart of the museum, forming an ante space named the ‘City Room’ – an outdoor public event space, hosting the Museum’s community and cultural programs. Pole-mounted Nightspot floodlights by German brand, Meyer, illuminate the space, offering a specialised and high output solution with uniform light dispersion.
WA Museum Boola Bardip - City Room
How did we approach this unique challenge?
The project’s preserved and restored heritage listed buildings include a mid-19th century Old Gaol, the original art gallery completed in 1908, the Jubilee Building completed in 1899 and Hackett Hall – a reading room created for the State Library, completed in 1913. A series of in-ground luminaries from the Uplight and Upline series and Superlight Nano floodlights from Meyer combine with Meyer Superlight LED floodlights with a wide beam angle distribution to ensure uniform illumination of the building soffits.
Illumination of these culturally significant buildings is critical to the project’s success, enhancing the bold juncture of historic and contemporary architecture. Precise yet recessive, the illumination of the WA Museum Boola Bardip accentuates the grain of the building facades, animating the site’s significant cultural history.
WA MUSEUM BOOLA BARDIP
