Glasshouse Hastings conference and entertainment centre in Australia

Posted by admin on August 9, 2010 Architecture Design

The Glasshouse, Hastings’ Cultural Centre, comprises a 600-seat theatre, rehearsal/performance studio, conference facilities and a large regional gallery located in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia, a rapidly-growing coastal city, that has been designed by Tonkin Zulaikha Greer Architects. The project brief was to establish the Glasshouse as the pre-eminent performance and exhibition arts facility in the region. The expressive form of the exterior signals the cultural use of the Glasshouse, echoing the movements of the ocean and sky. Wrapped around the sculpted form of the tall auditorium, the naturally
ventilated. The design takes advantage of the Pacific Ocean views and is based on ‘openness’ and accessibility. The gallery shares the foyer space of the theatre, allowing appropriate exhibitions to fill the public spaces and, on low-visitation days, to be operated by minimal staff.

foyers are open and glassy. The route from entry to auditorium is an exciting architectural journey through the levels of the space, overlooking parts of the gallery. The auditorium is a semi-traditional proscenium horseshoe, with a fully equipped lyric stage and fly tower. The orchestra pit is hydraulically raised and lowered to increase the flexibility of the space. All sightlines have been computer modelled, and the sound performance designed to exacting standards.

The foyer and building expression is generated by the contrasting orders of the city grid and the voluminous form of the theatre shell, with it’s level 3 echo, the glass ’skirt’ cantilevering over Clarence Street. Shaped voids and overhangs are created to facilitate street shade, airflow and an exciting architectural journey from street to auditorium. Operable sound-screens enable the space to be used for classical concert music.

The design anticipated significant archaeological relics from the Governor Macquarie convict era, in the form of footings of a series of 1820’s cottages. They were not fully revealed until the existing site buildings were demolished, and once exposed the footings were preserved and revealed to the public in the basement and interpreted on the ground floor of the foyer.

Glasshouse Hastings Cultural Centre

pre-eminent performance and exhibition arts

allowing appropriate exhibitions

echoing the movements of the ocean and sky

foyers are open and glassy

glass ’skirt’ cantilevering over Clarence Street

Glasshouse expressive exterior signal

openness accessibility Glasshouse