White Rabbit Gallery
The White Rabbit Gallery commission involved the conversion of a large, freestanding brick warehouse and its rooftop to accommodate four floors of gallery space, a tea-house, digital media theatre, reception, car parking and an artist-in-residence studio. A complex brief, and one we responded to with a quiet simplicity of vision: the raw, textured brick shell of the industrial warehouse is complimented by crisp, modern alterations to create an invigorating gallery experience and a robust backdrop for the striking artwork collection.
A three storey hall permits the display of site-specific sculptural works and brings the dramatic play of natural light into the deepest parts of the building. Fluorescent light tubes are incorporated in place of conventional louvres within sculptural window casements which replace the aluminium warehouse windows, becoming modern white installation elements that diffuse sunlight through the skin of the building.
The White Rabbit Gallery houses one of the world’s largest and most significant collections of contemporary Chinese art, with a permanent collection of many of the major players in the contemporary Chinese art as well as multimedia manifestations of the rising avant-garde. This, along with a ground-breaking building reuse program has made it one of Sydney’s most loved galleries, and a force in the transformation of the Chippendale area. Completed 2009.
SMART DESIGN STUDIO ARCHITECTURE FROM THE INSIDE OUT
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