Australia House by Architecture AND

ArchiPro Project Summary - A collaborative gallery, studio, and atelier in Niigata Prefecture, Japan, designed for the Australian Embassy Tokyo, showcasing Australian artists and fostering community engagement, completed in 2013 after the original structure's collapse.

Title:: Australia House
Architect:: Architecture AND
Category:: Community/; Public and Cultural
Completed:: 2013
Client:: Australian Embassy Tokyo Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale
Photographers:: Brett Boardman Photography

Set in the ‘snow country’ of Niigata Prefecture Japan, Architecture AND has completed a gallery, studio and atelier, creating a setting for production and exhibition of work by Australian artists in collaboration with local community. The building replaces a previous structure which collapsed in a powerful aftershock on March 12, 2011.

Project team: Andrew Burns, Casey Bryant

Collaborating Architects: Studio Imamu, Sotaro Yamamoto

Artist: Brook Andrew

Structural Engineer: Low Fat Structures

Contractor: Onojeima Constructions

Photography: Brett Boardman Photography

Location: Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Year: 2012–2013

Client: Australian Embassy Tokyo, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale

Awards: Jorn Utzon Award for International Architecture 2014

Size: 145 sq.m

Project Gallery

An intersection of art and community

Brook Andrew’s work ‘Mountain Home – dhirrayn ngurang’ is permanently installed within the space, elaborating the architectural composition and weaving story and local community into the building fabric.

The structure presents differently from each approach.

The design synthesises Japanese and Australian architectural traditions, incorporating elements of both the Australian Georgian farmhouse and the Japanese Minka. A steeply pitched roof rises towards the ‘daikoku-bashira’, symbolically functioning as the support of the structure and becoming a charged element within the gallery space. Perception of the building alternates between the familiar presence of a rural dwelling and that of an art object. The interiors form a large ‘perception device’, heightening views of the surrounding landscape and creating opportunities for art installation. The dynamic triangular form creates a long dimension and widening perspective within compact spaces.

Verandah posts resonate with the surrounding forest.

Designed to resist extreme earthquake and snow-loading conditions, the new building stands as a symbol of healing and transformation in this distinctive region of Japan.

Strong winds from Siberia cross the Japan Sea, capturing moisture and creating snowfall in Niigata.

Brook Andrew's artwork 'Mountain Home - dhirrayn ngurang'. The artist created a poem with the local community. The neon kanji characters are backwards, and therefore can only be ready in the mirror. When viewing the mirror, the viewer sees the landscape and reads themselves into the place and the landscape.

Layering of art and landscape.

The building has a hybrid function. In addition to functioning as a gallery and artmaking space, it serves as an emergency shelter for future earthquake events and a community centre for use by the local Urada village.

The proposal received first place in international design competition. Jury chair Tadao Ando commented: ‘It is difficult to form a triangle. However, it could create interesting architecture since it is difficult. I find the approach to the house attractive and different elements well arranged. The idea of dealing with snow is thoughtful, considering that the site is located in a heavy snowfall region. It would be fantastic if only the triangular roof was visible as the rest of the house is covered with three-metre-high snow.’