Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia
At the foothill of Rocky Hill War Memorial Tower, the Rocky Hill Memorial Museum by Crone Architects for Goulburn Mulwaree Council looks to continue the legacy of the architectural icon as a physical and material interpretation of the site’s unique character.
Rocky Hill Memorial Museum has recently been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Awards Honorable Mention by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The iconic Rocky Hill War Memorial Tower opened in 1925 as a lasting tribute to the men and women of Goulburn who served during World War 1.
Designed by renowned local Architects, E.C. Manfred and sons, the tower and hill is a well-known representation of Goulburn and a significant landmark to the local community.
The Rocky Hill landscape was seen as reminiscent of the rugged terrain of ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) cove and decided upon as a suitable location for the Memorial Tower.
The volume of the building conforms to the hill in a contemporary, yet sympathetic way.
The footprint of the new museum also replicates the scale and simple, cruciform structure of the original memorial tower base.
The building features a new exhibition space designed to accommodate the expanding collection of locally acquired Australian war artefacts.
The contemporary structure, completed in 2020, complements and strengthens the identity of the adjacent refurbished caretaker’s cottage (Manfred and Sons, 1935) which also serves as Museum space and has its own local significance.
The design incorporates bronze mirrored cladding elements to reflect the unique surrounding landscape whilst signifying the precinct as a place of reflection, while the textured concrete structure is a modern interpretation of the memorial tower and its substrate.
The new building location minimizes any further damage to an iconic landscape, working on the sections of the Country disturbed by existing infrastructure and historic site excavation for raw materials during the construction of the memorial tower.
Upgrades have been designed to enhance the civic reading of the site without compromising the ability to connect with the dedicated museum volunteers and their baked goods in an unceremonious environment.
Blurring the lines between front-of-house and back-of-house spaces and incorporating low-tech curtain divisions between spaces, volunteers can move freely between two wings of the museum experience or undertake archiving and conversation within the museum environment.
The precinct is able to offer a range of user experiences, retaining the charm of the caretaker’s cottage exhibitions and contrasting this with a more solemn, contemporary, secure, and thermally controlled space for more valuable items.
The simple material palette and interior form take cues from and interpret an Australian Memorial vernacular to provide a minimalist backdrop, bringing prominence to the collection of artefacts and information.
Subtle undulations of the bronze facade panels are reminiscent of the ANZAC rising sun motif.
The mirrored finish to these panels brings a golden shimmer to the building at sunset and sunrise.
This undulation carries through to the interior spaces, where exhibition walls provide rhythm and relief between the dominant exposed concrete blade walls.
Bob Kirk, Mayor of Goulburn Mulwaree, is particularly enthusiastic about the modern design elements, “The concept plans do a fantastic job in fitting in with the unique landscape of Rocky Hill, whilst also blending in modern elements and finishes.”
“Around 25,000 people visit our Rocky Hill War Memorial Museum each year and the concept for expansion would allow us to accommodate further touring groups, as well as attract touring exhibitions–in turn further lifting visitation numbers and the economic benefits for the region.”
Project: Restructuring the Inner City of Melbourne: Rocky Hill Memorial Museum
Architects: Crone Architects
General Contractor: Van Mal Group Construction
Client: Goulburn Mulwaree Council
Photographers: Stephen Sharkey, Sally Hsu, and Jon Case