Architects:Studio.SC

Area:3500m²

Year:2025

Photographs:Thurston Empson

Manufacturers:Bronzeworks,Cricursa,Gosford Quarries Sandstone

Lead Architects:Edward Salib

Category:Cultural Architecture,Renovation,Heritage

Lead Team:Nicholas Bandounas, Doug Southwell, Ornella Bucceri, Emma Leckie

Engineering & Consulting > Mep:Norman Disney & Young

Engineering & Consulting > Structural:Prism Facades

Engineering & Consulting > Other:AECOM

General Contractor:Eifer

City:Campbell

Country:Australia

Text description provided by the architects. The Australian War Memorial New Entrance redefines arrival at one of the nation's most significant cultural institutions, shaping a welcoming, inclusive, and deeply reflective threshold that honours remembrance while guiding contemporary public experience.

Conceived as part of the Memorial's long-term evolution, the New Entrance responds to the need for greater accessibility, clarity, and capacity, while respecting the weight of history embedded within the site. Positioned within Walter Burley Griffin's master plan, the Memorial sits on a powerful radial axis between Capitol Hill and Mount Ainslie. This alignment establishes its national significance, and the New Entrance strengthens this spatial order by reinforcing visual connections, ceremonial movement, and legibility for visitors.

The project is structured around three key architectural elements that organise movement and meaning. The Focal Nexus aligns the arrival sequence with the Hall of Memory, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Pool of Reflection, anchoring the visitor within the Memorial's symbolic core. The Guiding Wall uses radial geometry to intuitively direct circulation, while the Bounding Wall frames the Parade Ground, providing a dignified and protective edge that reinforces the gravity of the place. Together, these elements create a clear and composed threshold that balances openness with reverence.

At the heart of the New Entrance is the Oculus, a spatial and symbolic centrepiece inspired by the Hall of Memory's dome. Bronze-clad ribs and bespoke glazing filter natural light into the space below, creating shifting patterns of illumination and shadow that encourage pause and contemplation. Light, movement, and material work together to align the architectural experience with the Memorial's solemn purpose, offering moments of quiet reflection within a public setting.

Material choices reinforce continuity and endurance. Locally sourced sandstone integrates the new structure with the existing fabric of the Memorial, while off-form concrete provides permanence and resilience. Bronze detailing and timber accents introduce warmth and tactility, softening the experience and supporting a human-scaled encounter. Native plantings extend the relationship between architecture and landscape, reinforcing the Memorial's connection to its setting.

Beyond its symbolic role, the New Entrance accommodates essential visitor services, a flexible gallery space, and a theatre for commemorative events. Circulation has been carefully considered to ensure accessibility and inclusivity, allowing visitors of all abilities to move intuitively and comfortably through the space.

The New Entrance represents a thoughtful evolution of the Australian War Memorial. It is a place of orientation, reflection, and connection, honouring the past while supporting the Memorial's role into the future. Through careful design and restraint, it stands as a place for all, where remembrance, learning, and collective memory are held with clarity and respect.

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