The new Singleton Arts and Cultural Centre encourages fresh and exciting creative opportunities for locals and tourists alike in the Hunter Valley region. Each year, visitors flock to this area of New South Wales to appreciate the food, wine, and other locally made items. The new building aims to promote creative activities by providing space for functions and local art shows and offering the rural community access to international exhibitions.
Perhaps most importantly, the space maintains flexibility throughout, catering to various demographics and changes in exhibitions. The innovative design is ‘future-proofed’ to allow for easy expansion. Windows of differing shapes perforate the concrete envelope, providing a spectrum of perspectives. The punctured wall fosters interactions between the internal gallery and external sculpture court, extending the art-viewing experience. The main gallery is flexible and open, allowing for easier transformation of the space for various exhibitions and community functions, with space for both permanent and new exhibitions.
Exposed steel beams cross the space, revealing the services above in a gesture that adheres to the project’s material honesty. Industrial in nature, the material palette is further expressed through the tilt-up concrete walling, which keeps the structure economical while establishing a heavy base in contrast to the lighter steel roofing and structure. The inclusion of photovoltaic cells and a high-efficiency specialised mechanical system with humidification control supports the sustainability of the design while reducing costs associated with energy consumption.
The project shares its site with the existing Visitor’s Information Centre (VIC), and as a result, the new building manages a dichotomy between forging its own visual identity and recognising its neighbouring structure. The gallery has been angled to open the outside courtyard that connects the gallery to the VIC. Occupants can enter through this courtyard or the VIC, and the floor level of the gallery has been raised to match the height of the existing building since the site is located on a floodplain.
Down the corridor, two artists’ studios are equipped with wet areas that connect to the main building. The studios are distinct in form, planning, and colour. Vivid red steel cladding and steep roof forms solidify the new building as a future icon in the Hunter Valley. With these bold sloping roof forms, the gallery emerges from the parkland site as one travels along the busy New England Highway, a thoroughfare for tourists.
Throughout the design and building process, BKA Architecture effectively managed a range of sub-consultants and stakeholders. The JV3 Energy modelling assessment undertaken in the early design stages informed a flexible and cost-effective design with increased energy performance. Sub-Consultants collaborated with BKA and one another to meet deadlines at different stages of the design process, producing a high-quality outcome that adds value to both the local and wider community.
BKA Architecture received a Commendation in the Public Architecture Category at the 2024 Newcastle Architecture Awards presented by the Australian Institute of Architecture.
