Responsible futuRe aRchitectuRe

Registration number : 714

pRoject Data

team: jonathon Donnelly + jennifer McMasterproject: ma|ua (Museum of architecture | jørn utzon archive)site location: The Goods line, sydney, australia

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1 Utzon archive, render2 Building exterior, model3 Building site and context ,model4 Pillar one interior, render 5 Bridge gallery between pillars one and two, render

museum of architecture | jørn utzon archive

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The ma|Ua forms a permanent home for Jørn Utzon’s archive in Sydney. it makes this archive public, tactile and richly experiential.

The building aims to ignite curiosity, encourage discovery and inspire people to learn about, and experience, both architecture and Utzon’s legacy.

The architecture of the ma|ua intends to bring visitors into close contact with Utzon's work, allowing them to experience it in a direct and tactile way. The display system intends to inspire wonder, transforming the archival contents into curios. drawers can be pulled out, boxes opened and drawings unravelled. experientially, this evokes the joyful acts of searching, discovering and learning.

as they walk the museum's path, visitors wander through and between the pillars. The experience of walking is given rhythm, with moments of pause encouraged.

natural light is manipulated to create atmospheres of subtle change and delight. internal and external views are clipped and framed, creating intrigue. The facade, meanwhile, clouds the outside world, making it a painterly backdrop.

across the building, the materials encourage rich sensory engagement. echoing Jørn Utzon, they communicate their essential constitution, and are expressed with clarity.

moving through the museum, the spaces crescendo, and the encounters with the archive become more immersive and intense. mimicking the sequencing of the Sydney opera House, the galleries rise before making a final descent. This transition is marked by the third pillar, which contains a full height, three-storey wall of archival content.

Responsible futuRe aRchitectuRe

Registration number : 714

pRoject Data

team: jonathon Donnelly + jennifer McMasterproject: ma|ua (Museum of architecture | jørn utzon archive)site location: The Goods line, sydney, australia

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groUnd Plane drawing : legend

1. main entrance from the goods line2. Secondary entrance from the goods line 3. entry foyer4. reception / cloak5. lift core / fire stair6. Stair up to galleries7. Stair down to basement 8. informal reading room9. lecture area10. gallery11. Kiosk

Context and Surrounds

12. northern forecourt cafe / dining 13. The goods line14. ‘The transformer’ event space15. Harwood Building16. access to Harris St and the Powerhouse museum17. Stair access from Hay Street and central18. ramp access from mary ann Street

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diagramS

1 Traditional diagram: MA|UA in oppositiona traditional museum diagram positions the main museum functions above ground, while relegating the archive to the basement. This horizontal split sets the two functions as oppositional and separate to one another. while this traditional diagram protects the archival content, it also removes it from public view. The archive is left to be seen only by curators and conservationists.

2 Alternative diagram: Archive as core to MA|UA The Utzon archive is a body of work rich in ideas and intent. Utzon worked across a variety of media, with an emphasis on modelling and prototyping. His archive is tactile and engaging, and is filled with fragments of ideas that deserve to be revealed and explored. as such, the Utzon archive is positioned at the core of both museum and archive. Thus new dialogues can emerge: between new and old, archive and display, research and practice.

3 Separating the archival core to create opportunityrather than becoming a singular archive, the Utzon archive is separated into three distinctive pillars. These are protective shells that house the archival contents, allowing it to simultaneously act as a display and a functioning archive.

4 Creating a lively ground planein order to relate the ma|Ua to the goods line, a lively ground plane is proposed. The programmatic strategy is loose and flexible. it is intended that a curator can install any number of functions on the ground plane, allowing the space to maintain an informal character. on the ground floor, the spaces within each pillar become ideal for more intimate public functions, such as lectures.

5 Structuring a meandering circulation loopon the upper levels, a meandering route allows visitors to move through the museum. The character of this route intends to foster curiosity. moving in and out of the pillars, the spatial character and material expression changes, offering different gallery qualities. a variety of switchbacks, diversions and detours along this route provide variety, surprise and delight.

6 Covering in an ‘architectural mist’The entire building is then covered in a translucent veil which protects and conceals the ma|Ua. covering and clouding the contents and activities both protects the archive and makes the building intriguing and curious.

Responsible futuRe aRchitectuRe

Registration number : 714

pRoject Data

team: jonathon Donnelly + jennifer McMasterproject: ma|ua (Museum of architecture | jørn utzon archive)site location: The Goods line, sydney, australia

exPloded axonometric

1 Site moduleSince the Utzon archive lies at the core of the design, it is used as the starting module for the building setout. initial counterpoint relationships of solid/void, dark/light and compression/release are also established, with five distinctive zones of encounter created on site.

2 Brick archival pillarsThree solid, protective pillars hold the Utzon archive. The pillars are punctured with openings that are sized to correspond to the small, medium and large categories of Utzon archival content.

3 Meandering circulation routea meandering path connects the galleries, allowing visitors to intuitively move through the museum and archive. a main path is punctuated by small rooms and detours that offer alternate viewing experiences. tactile cues throughout the museum in the form of balustrades and handrails help guide movement.

4 Archival storage systema black steel storage system is inserted between the brick pillars. This is the permanent home of the Utzon collection, storing archival content and functioning as a display infrastructure. The module of the storage system is based on the size of Utzon's work, utilising a grid that holds the small, medium and large content.

5 Steel portal framesSteel portal frames, arrayed on a 3600mm grid, form the facade's supporting structure. The void galleries are also hung from these structural elements, allowing these spaces to take on a bridge-like quality.

6 Translucent veilThe facade is made of okalux, an insulated glass panelling system that diffuses daylight. The panels form a veil, which drapes over the archival pillars, offering protection and concealment. it also clouds the building from the goods line, making the workings of the museum more soft and intriguing.

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7 gallery circulation within the second pillar8 descent from the third pillar

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