The Art Gallery of NSW’s planned $450 million extension, called “Sydney Modern”, has started the long process to fruition, with the Art Gallery’s Director Dr Mark Brand, announcing the architectural firms that have made their final list of candidates.

Overseas architectural firms include Renzo Piano, Herzog & de Meuron, David Chipperfield Architects, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, Kerry Hill Architects, RMA Architects.

Australian firms include Candalepas Associates in Sydney and Sean Godsell Architects and Fender Katsalidis in Melbourne.

The project is aiming to double the size of the gallery, while creating a “cultural plaza” that connects the gallery with the Domain and the Royal Botanic Gardens of NSW.

In an unusual way to move forward into the next part of the selection process, each firm was sent the brief on an iPad that opened to show text, video, photos, site plans, and images of works in the gallery’s collection.

The plan is for the project to extend via a land bridge, north towards the harbour and across the Cahill Expressway via Mrs Macquarie’s Road, using the site of an old naval reservoir .

Dr Brand advised it was up to the architects to develop concepts that could go vertically or more horizontally in the aim to add another 23,000 square metres to the gallery’s exhibition space.

A final five will be selected by a jury of experts in January 2015 in an anonymous selection process where judges won’t see the names on the concepts.

The process was designed to select a firm and not a final concept, so there will be a wait yet before we see the actual design.

There are currently no plans to complete the unfinished facade of the main gallery building, where panels honouring famous artists cover only some of the architectural recesses of the original design.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/worldwide-search-for-architect-to-design-450-million-art-gallery-of-nsw-expansion-20141021-119aw9.html