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Moonah Arts Centre (MAC), City of Glenorchy, Tasmania: A range of lighting conveys the vibrant atmosphere of this landmark community arts centre which hosts exhibitions, performances and workshop activities by day and by night. Photo by Adam Gibson.
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Moonah Arts Centre (MAC), City of Glenorchy, Tasmania: Lighting emphasises an architectural language where distinct forms and materials distinguish architectural elements and their functions from one another. Photo by Ray Joyce.
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Moonah Arts Centre (MAC), City of Glenorchy, Tasmania: A public “civic” type space open to Albert Road links to Moonah Main Road inviting use by passers by and enhancing the “livable” qualities of the city. Photo by Ray Joyce.
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Moonah Arts Centre (MAC), City of Glenorchy, Tasmania: Universal access, braille signage, visual indicators and hearing loops demonstrate the inclusive values of the socially sustainable architectural design principles. Photo by Ray Joyce.
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Moonah Arts Centre (MAC), City of Glenorchy, Tasmania: Flexible spaces form large interlinking areas or separate specialized zones and glazed bi-fold doors open foyer and workshop to shared external courtyard space. Photo by Ray Joyce.
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Moonah Arts Centre (MAC), City of Glenorchy, Tasmania: The “Exhibit” space has a user friendly hanging panel system and lighting grid allowing easy reconfiguration of exhibition layouts for individual artist display requirements. Photo by Adam Gibson.
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Moonah Arts Centre (MAC), City of Glenorchy, Tasmania: The “Perform” space enables varied use with an acoustically engineered plywood lined interior, moveable curtains, sprung flooring, hanging hooks, sound and lighting systems. Photo by Ray Joyce.
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Moonah Arts Centre (MAC), City of Glenorchy, Tasmania: Views through linking interior and exterior areas show a layering of space and blurred boundaries that allow the outside in and support flexible use for different occasions. Photo by Ray Joyce.
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Moonah Arts Centre (MAC), City of Glenorchy, Tasmania: Glazed bi-fold doors open the plywood – lined arts workshop to an external courtyard with zinc alum cladding and concrete floor surface textural change signaling the transition. Photo by Adam Gibson.
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Moonah Arts Centre (MAC), City of Glenorchy, Tasmania: A commissioned artwork by artist Michael Schlitz, fabricated from laser cut steel, forms a large scale sliding panel to open or divide the external courtyard spaces. Photo by Adam Gibson.
A light box, a sound box, a treasure box and an outdoor space together create a stage for users of the new Moonah Arts Centre (MAC) to exhibit, perform, make and relate. The four principal spaces are expressed by bold forms and distinctive cladding materials which emphasise their different functions. They are flexible and interlinked encouraging user ingenuity in how they use the centre. The stripped back architectural aesthetic means user activity and stories become central to the life and identity of the centre. Environmentally sustainable design (ESD) and socially sustainable design are core design principles.
A public forecourt open to Albert Road links to and enhances the liveable urban space of Moonah Main Road. This “civic” type space, much needed in Moonah, is a social destination where anyone can meet or hang out. A sliding steel gate by artist Michael Schlitz isolates or integrates the MAC workshop courtyard from / with this public area as suits events.
MAC is a landmark building with a unique sense of place in Moonah. It is an accessible and transformational centre for community arts development, individual personal development and for community building. The design invites participation through interaction, observation or contemplation and experiences, memories and stories are the ever changing and richly layered embellishment of the building.