Dangrove is a specialist facility housing Judith Neilson’s globally significant collection of contemporary Chinese art in Sydney’s Alexandria. It also functions as a public exhibition, display, screening, and performance space. Tzannes’ design has been studied by leading art institutions worldwide, providing a model for future collection management projects.
Dangrove sets a new benchmark for innovative, enduring, and sustainable art storage and curation. Spaces have been designed for versatility – the 90-metre-long Great Hall, at the heart of the artistic and performance functions, also serves as a studio and workspace for art conservation, maintenance, and curatorial work. The design creates a highly functional facility that provides excellent working conditions for all staff, while enabling the storage, unpacking and temporary display of large and technically complex contemporary artworks.
From the outset, the client was committed to the concept of a 100-year building life for the project. The architecture has built-in flexibility to enable Dangrove to evolve beyond its original purpose, addressing currently unforeseen future conditions and requirements.
Environmental sustainability was a core requirement, incorporating passive environmental design and innovative sustainable technologies into the design. The wedge-shaped, north-facing roof optimises the performance of the 598 PV panel array, significantly reducing energy consumption from the grid. It delivers a climatically stable indoor environment consistent with international museum-standard climate control requirements. All rainwater is collected, filtered and stored to service the mechanical equipment, clean, and irrigate the courtyard garden.
The design addresses the building’s location in a flood-prone zone. A key component of the design is the perimeter double-walled fire escape with an inbuilt drainage system, providing an extra level of physical security while also acting as a double barrier against fire and water risks.
Dangrove’s architecture is enduring, considered, and appropriate. It represents an intense degree of collaboration with the client, specialist expert consultants and the builder. Above all, Dangrove is a testimony to the global contribution of a highly engaged visionary client, whose vision and commitment to design excellence made this project possible.
