CRONE’s contemporary design wins the hearts of regional Australia with official opening of the Orange Regional Museum
Announcement posted by Crone 21 Nov 2016
21 November 2016, SYDNEY: Leading Australian architects CRONE brings cutting edge design to regional Australia with the $8 million Orange Regional Museum, which officially opened to the public on 19 November.
CRONE’s design for the new museum ties together the city’s existing library and art gallery to create a distinctive civic square and public space for the community.
A key feature of the design is the grassed roof, which rises from the existing lawn, to provide a public green space and new vantage point across the city of Orange. Intended as a flexible space it can be used for a variety of functions including outdoor exhibitions or simply an area for visitors to relax. The accessible roof allows for the building’s design to be understood and experienced in different ways as visitors walk around, up or through the building.
CRONE associate Ashley Dennis said, “We are extremely proud to deliver this contemporary designed building for Orange, which forms an integral part of the community’s civic fabric.
“Orange is one of the most culturally progressive regional areas in Australia, and is increasingly becoming known for its art, food and wine scene. When designing the museum, we were confident the contemporary design of the building would be embraced by the local community and be reflective of the culture that Orange represents today.”
CRONE won a competitive tender process for an integrated landscape and built form in 2013, based on a preliminary sketch of the team’s vision of the project. The original brief from Orange City Council specified that the new building should sit within the current civic precinct.
CRONE strategically chose the specific location for the building to create a distinctive civic square between the new and existing buildings. The amphitheatre seating and café fronts the square creating an adaptable area for events and activations.
Orange mayor John Davis OAM said the way the Orange community has already embraced the new museum building is a sign of the quality of its design.
“The grass roof is already a drawcard both for visitors and locals. Every school holidays there are young families and children enjoying the space by rolling down the slope,” John Davis said. “Along with the theatre, the gallery and the library, the new museum building helps create a fantastic new precinct and I’m looking forward to seeing how the way the community uses it will evolve.”
“When travellers come into the new home for the Visitors Centre, they look though people sitting at tables in a café to see the entrance to the gallery and the library. It’s a thoughtful design that’s about how people will use the building.”
Dennis continues, “We’ve worked closely with Orange City Council from concept through to construction and delivery to ensure the building catered to the community’s needs. It’s exciting to see the design vision fulfilled and watch the space come to life through public use.”
CRONE design director Niall Durney adds, “We were drawn to this project for the opportunity to create a forward thinking design for a regional centre that would contribute to the community and create a new destination for the area. As our first regional design project, it also ties into the new direction for the company to diversify beyond commercial buildings.”
The Orange Regional Museum is 1,300sqm and houses an exhibition space, visitor information centre, café and council office space.
The museum will host temporary and permanent exhibitions on a variety of themes including, settlement of the region, mining, the built environment, agriculture, migration, significant events and individuals from the local area. It will interpret the stories, cultures and places of the region, displaying artefacts that trigger memories, engage audiences and inspire new ways of thinking about history and cultures.
The Orange Regional Museum was officially opened on Saturday 19 November with a public event.
Ends
For further information please contact:
DEC PR on behalf of CRONE
Rebecca Parry or Joanne McIntosh
crone@decpr.com.au
02 8014 5033
About CRONE
CRONE is an award-winning architecture and design practice, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The company nurtures a collaborative ethos; uniting independent thinkers to generate better, more creative ideas. The CRONE team, led by Greg Crone, Niall Durney, Sandra Furtado and Kieran Gleeson, works across projects in Australasia and Asia, shaping iconic city skylines through projects such as Sydney’s Centerpoint Tower, World Square and Ernst & Young Tower.
CRONE’s design for the new museum ties together the city’s existing library and art gallery to create a distinctive civic square and public space for the community.
A key feature of the design is the grassed roof, which rises from the existing lawn, to provide a public green space and new vantage point across the city of Orange. Intended as a flexible space it can be used for a variety of functions including outdoor exhibitions or simply an area for visitors to relax. The accessible roof allows for the building’s design to be understood and experienced in different ways as visitors walk around, up or through the building.
CRONE associate Ashley Dennis said, “We are extremely proud to deliver this contemporary designed building for Orange, which forms an integral part of the community’s civic fabric.
“Orange is one of the most culturally progressive regional areas in Australia, and is increasingly becoming known for its art, food and wine scene. When designing the museum, we were confident the contemporary design of the building would be embraced by the local community and be reflective of the culture that Orange represents today.”
CRONE won a competitive tender process for an integrated landscape and built form in 2013, based on a preliminary sketch of the team’s vision of the project. The original brief from Orange City Council specified that the new building should sit within the current civic precinct.
CRONE strategically chose the specific location for the building to create a distinctive civic square between the new and existing buildings. The amphitheatre seating and café fronts the square creating an adaptable area for events and activations.
Orange mayor John Davis OAM said the way the Orange community has already embraced the new museum building is a sign of the quality of its design.
“The grass roof is already a drawcard both for visitors and locals. Every school holidays there are young families and children enjoying the space by rolling down the slope,” John Davis said. “Along with the theatre, the gallery and the library, the new museum building helps create a fantastic new precinct and I’m looking forward to seeing how the way the community uses it will evolve.”
“When travellers come into the new home for the Visitors Centre, they look though people sitting at tables in a café to see the entrance to the gallery and the library. It’s a thoughtful design that’s about how people will use the building.”
Dennis continues, “We’ve worked closely with Orange City Council from concept through to construction and delivery to ensure the building catered to the community’s needs. It’s exciting to see the design vision fulfilled and watch the space come to life through public use.”
CRONE design director Niall Durney adds, “We were drawn to this project for the opportunity to create a forward thinking design for a regional centre that would contribute to the community and create a new destination for the area. As our first regional design project, it also ties into the new direction for the company to diversify beyond commercial buildings.”
The Orange Regional Museum is 1,300sqm and houses an exhibition space, visitor information centre, café and council office space.
The museum will host temporary and permanent exhibitions on a variety of themes including, settlement of the region, mining, the built environment, agriculture, migration, significant events and individuals from the local area. It will interpret the stories, cultures and places of the region, displaying artefacts that trigger memories, engage audiences and inspire new ways of thinking about history and cultures.
The Orange Regional Museum was officially opened on Saturday 19 November with a public event.
Ends
For further information please contact:
DEC PR on behalf of CRONE
Rebecca Parry or Joanne McIntosh
crone@decpr.com.au
02 8014 5033
About CRONE
CRONE is an award-winning architecture and design practice, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The company nurtures a collaborative ethos; uniting independent thinkers to generate better, more creative ideas. The CRONE team, led by Greg Crone, Niall Durney, Sandra Furtado and Kieran Gleeson, works across projects in Australasia and Asia, shaping iconic city skylines through projects such as Sydney’s Centerpoint Tower, World Square and Ernst & Young Tower.