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design
mag
However, as night descends the volumes begin to
glitter and glow; the fly tower takes on a sublime
light; the foyers, multi-levelled and veiled in delicate
gold screens, reveal themselves to the street; a floor
of glowing glass reaches out below a suspended
canopy.
A generous staircase leads to the Heath Ledger
Theatre, a curved timber drum that peels away from
a panelled concrete shell.Within is a world of warm
timber and gold hues. Balcony seating wraps the
curved walls, heightening the sense of intimacy and
interaction.
Studio Underground is located below the Heath
Ledger Theatre, isolated acoustically and structurally.
Descending from the entry level, one enters a
subterranean world of striated plywood and dark
bricks – Bowral Bricks Bowral Blue.This softly-glazed
brick shimmers and refracts light.“Brick is an
appropriate material for Perth,” comments project
architect, Simon Cundy.The same bricks also line the
substantial light-well and feature in walkways, bars
and some internal open spaces.
Studio Underground’s interior celebrates the robust,
industrial language of grids and trusses that are a
requirement of a flexible performance space.A large
opening connects it to the primary rehearsal room,
extending performance possibilities.
A series of passive systems reduces the building’s
energy consumption.The space between the two
theatres is utilised as a thermal labyrinth,
preconditioning outdoor air before it is processed by
the air conditioning system.A sophisticated system
of vents allows the foyers to be naturally ventilated.
Daylight penetrates deep into the building through
the use of skylights and transparent facades,
reducing dependence on artificial lighting.
“I think we’re a little bit humbled by all this and very
grateful to all the people of Western Australia,” said
Heath Ledger’s mother, Sally Bell.“It’s just an amazing
tribute.”
The State Theatre Centre of Western Australia won the
prestigious Emil Sodersten Award for Interior
Architecture at the 2011 National Architecture
Awards. It also won the 2011 President’s Design
Award, Singapore’s most prestigious design
accolade, and a 2011 Australian Engineering
Excellence Award.
previous page.
The dramatic gilded
curtain of the Bronze Box underlaid
by a clay-paved foyer creates a
dramatic counterpoint to the more
austere exterior of the State Theatre
Centre of Western Australia.
this page.
Clay pavers form a
ground plane on the lower ground
and ground floors, spilling out into
the Courtyard. Bowral Bricks Bowral
Blue bricks feature in the walkways,
bars and some internal open
spaces as well as the lightwell.