Set on the former Torin Corporation factory in Penrith, designed by Marcel Breuer and supervised by Harry Seidler in 1976, this studio reimagines the site as a new Sydney architecture museum. The existing 2,100-square-metre industrial building, with soaring 20-metre-high spaces, is to be adaptively reused to accommodate an archive, a library, permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, offices, and conservation workshops.
This studio begins with the objects within an architecture museum and aims to celebrate the archives and collections as a foundational and integral part of an architecture museum. Through a series of weekly “archive parties,” participants immerse themselves in Sydney’s architectural collections, uncovering the city’s rich design heritage.
Archive Party invites participants to take on the role of curator, rediscovering the museum’s custodial responsibility as a carer of objects. It asks what a 21st-century architecture museum should collect, and for whom. Each participant develops a collection theme and proposes ten objects, from models and materials to documents, photographs, or digital files, to be acquired and displayed within their own museum design.
With thanks to the following contributors and critics:
Sean Akahane-Bryen, ADP, Monica Chen, Fuse Architects, Andrew Daly, Supercontext, Matthew Darmour-Paul, ADP, Matt Devine, ADP, Imogen Howe, University of Melbourne, Danica Micallef, Australian Institute of Architects, Delara Rahim, ADP, John Suh, Tzannes, Stephen Varady, Stephen Varady Architecture, Yichan Wei, Spiral Architects Lab, David Welsh, Welsh + Major Architects
