The new Sydney Modern store by Akin Atelier brings a calculated splash of colour to SANAA’s ethereal, minimalist architecture. The retail space, which has now opened to the public, becomes a key shopping hub for Sydney Modern, one of Australia’s key, new cultural destinations. The installation, located in the Entrance Pavilion of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, is an immersive space that blends orange resin surfaces and reflective objects that shape an inviting, luminous design.
The Sydney Modern store by Akin Atelier
‘At first glance, this work makes a bold and simple statement. Its purpose is defined and its identity is definite. But with further investigation and understanding, you see its complexity and that it is in harmony with its natural, architectural, and artistic context,' said Kelvin Ho, principal at Akin Atelier, who worked on the project together with studio associate Alexandra Holman.
The scheme establishes a new horizon within the generous, transparent spaces of the SANAA-designed building. The shop’s perimeter is delineated by fluid contours of striated bio-resin wrap. 'Windows' within it allow sightlines to connect the user with the wider architectural context and the city and views beyond.
'The site gave us a unique opportunity to break past the “exit through the gift shop” conventions and extend the artistic experience of the gallery into the design of the retail space. Our intention was for the work to clearly express a sense of place in a way that not only preserved but also enriched the cultural and architectural experience of the gallery. These were the ideas that drove both the design and materiality of this project,’ said Holman.
Akin Atelier worked with multidisciplinary designer Hayden Cox to fabricate and apply the bio-resin elements. The bespoke quality of the design shines through – quite literally, as light gently bounces off the polished surfaces.
'As the principal retail space of the new gallery building committed to contemporary artists, the Gallery Shop by Akin Atelier is both a [store] and a sculptural installation, designed to express the artistic endeavours of the Sydney Modern building and challenge the commercial experience of an archetypal gallery shop,' the architecture team conclude.
-
The McLaren W1 is the latest in the sports car maker's tech-saturated Ultimate SeriesFirst F1, then P1 and now W1, McLaren Automotive reveals its latest limited-edition supercar to the world, a £2m concoction of hybrid power and active aero that is, unsurprisingly, already sold out
-
Paul Rudolph at The Met: ‘from Christmas lights to megastructures’‘Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph’ opens at the Met in New York, exploring the modernist master's work through a feast of an exhibition
-
‘London: Lost Interiors’ gathers unseen imagery of some of the capital’s most spectacular homesThis new monograph is a fascinating foray into the interior life of London, charting changing tastes, emerging styles and the shifting social history of grand houses in the heart of a fast-changing city
-
Tour Clifton House, an airy Bondi family home, brimming with natural light and foliageClifton House by Anthony Gill Architects is a North Bondi home using an abundance of vegetation to create a slice of privacy within the suburbs
-
Tour this compact Melbourne home, where a small footprint is big on efficiency and experimentationNorthcote House is designed by architects David Leggett and Paul Loh as their own home in Melbourne
-
Bridging Boyd is the rebirth of a modernist Melbourne homeBridging Boyd by Jolson is a modernist Melbourne home reimagined for the 21st century
-
This Sydney house is a family's stylish seaside sanctuaryThis Sydney house is a young family's suburban dream come true thanks to Alexandra Kidd Interior Design and Rich Carr Architects
-
Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024: meet the practicesIn the Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2024, our latest guide to exciting, emerging practices from around the world, 20 young studios show off their projects and passion
-
Peek inside this secluded rural Australian retreat by Alexander Symes, in sync with natureBased in Sydney, Alexander Symes Architect joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024, our annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios
-
At the heart of Sydney Metro’s expanded Central Station lies a spectacular new public spaceThe new extension to the Sydney Metro, designed by Woods Bagot in collaboration with John McAslan + Partners, can now be accessed beneath its monumental roof structure above the city’s historic Central Station
-
Proclamation House is a hempcrete urban sculpture nestled under peppermint treesBuilt from hempcrete and stone, Proclamation House, a sculpturally angular build in Perth, Western Australia, carves out an intriguing niche on a quiet suburban street
