Project Overview

The Anzac Memorial Centenary Project completes Bruce Dellit’s original scheme for the Anzac Memorial in Hyde Park. Additionally, new underground exhibition and education spaces allow the Memorial to showcase its collection and deliver its education programs.

Project Commissioner

Commonwealth Government

Project Creator

Arup / Johnson Pilton Walker / Built / NSW Government Architects Office

Project Brief

The underground addition is organised around the new Hall of Service: this new public civic space is environmentally and visually connected to the existing Memorial and its park setting though an open oculus, a direct reference to the Memorial’s Well of Contemplation.

New artworks conceived by Fiona Hall, including art featuring soil from 1701 localities in New South Wales listed as places of enlistment for World War I, have been carefully integrated within the Hall of Service and offer an opportunity to engage and reflect upon New South Wales past and current service.

Project Innovation/Need

The new addition is a contemporary take on Dellit’s original Memorial. Lighting is balanced thoughtfully between the outside and underground areas, giving the impression that all sections of the space, old and new, are linked. Stone and brass materials mimic those used decades earlier and are complemented by the warm lighting.

The lighting design solution focuses on the architectural lines of the building and creates axial links to important civic, commemorative and cultural spaces across the city. Lights, concealed within architectural forms, remain respectful to the intent of the space and invite visitors inside.

Outside lighting emphasises the cascade’s flowing water, guides people through the cascade and illuminates artwork along the entry walls. While inside, leading lines in concrete fins draw visitors to the oculus, gallery and existing Hall of Memory.

The oculus above the ‘Hall of Service’ visually connects the underground with the existing Memorial, creating an arresting feature. It sits directly above an embedded installation on the ground and exposes the Hall to the elements – sunshine, fresh air and rain. At night the oculus lights are left on low so that people passing by can still feel part of the experience.

Carefully planned and discrete audio-visual infrastructure allows flexible use of the space from educational presentations, to video conferencing and public address. By better catering for tour groups and school groups, as well as ceremonies and functions, the Anzac Memorial will be a place visited by a new generation.