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Hyde Park Barracks Museum

Prize(s) Winners in Heritage Lighting
Company Electrolight
Lead Designers Donn Salisbury & Catriona Venn
Interior Design Company Local Projects
Client Sydney Living Museums
Photo Credits Rohan Venn
Completion Date March 2021
Project Location Sydney, Australia
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Entry Description

As one of the 20 Unesco sites of Australia, the importance of the heritage aspects of both the building and the artefacts within Hyde Park Barracks were paramount. The lighting approach needed to consider not only the visual aims for the project, but also avoid damage to the original heritage architecture and address conservation requirements in lighting the displayed artifacts.

As the exhibition spaces are designed to be an interactive and immersive experience, many of the areas were intentionally restrained so that the darkness provided relief and contrast to the focal aspects of the visceral displays. Digital footage is projected onto screens around the gallery spaces, so doorways and paths of passage are subtly illuminated to assist with wayfinding.

The textured brick and subtle revealed facade offered so much opportunity for lighting. Previously the building had been floodlit from the perimeter, flattening the textures the building has to offer, and creating glare within the courtyard area. Through the use of staged lensing optics, perfectly located with prototyping on site, we were able to illuminate the façade elements to bring out the form of the classic architecture from