South Australian Museum Competition

WAX Design, in collaboration with Mulloway Studio, was selected by the South Australian Museum to reimagine the museum’s forecourt. As part of a competition, WAX and Mulloway proposed the forecourt as an isthmus between the museum and the  cultural precinct of North Terrace. The unique design response created a cultural, social, and physical land bridge between the museum and the city of Adelaide.

At the same time, the conceptual design aimed to enhance the connection between the people of South Australia and the cultures, objects, stories and knowledge housed in the museum. As a significant urban space in the city, the museum forecourt needed to connect the deep histories of First Nation’s cultures and the historical and geographic context of the state, accommodate the presence of festivals and events and promote the future of the museum.

Acting as a scaffold on which the juxtapositions of culture, geography, time and entertainment can be investigated, reconciled, and celebrated, the forecourt design is a seamless weaving of public space, exhibit, gallery and landscape.