Bundanon Art Museum & Bridge

Gifted to the Australian people in 1993 by Arthur and Yvonne Boyd, Bundanon sits on Wodi Wodi and Yuin land along the Shoalhaven River, near Nowra.

Its purpose is to foster appreciation and understanding of art and the environment. These recent works expand Bundanon’s role as a centre for creative arts, education, research, and public engagement—making accessible a $46.5M art collection previously hidden from view.

Conceived as a suite of buildings and landscapes, the project integrates layers of site history—Indigenous, pastoral, the Boyds, and the Education Trust—into a unified ensemble. The new works comprise of site infrastructure and two buildings: the subterranean Art Museum and The Bridge, a Creative Learning Centre with accommodation, suspended above a gully. Located beside the historic Boyd cluster, this core program forms an accessible and centralised cultural precinct, united by a new Arrival Hall and Forecourt.

Driven by resilience and ecological repair, the design targets net zero energy and withstands bushfire and flood—natural forces that have long shaped this landscape. The fire-resistant Art Museum is embedded underground, offering thermal stability and climate protection. By contrast, The Bridge is flood-resilient, elevated above the gully to support, not resist, water flow. It houses 32 bedrooms, creative learning spaces, dining, and a public café.

The architectural response embraces climate variation. The thermal calm of the Museum is contrasted by the immersive, elevated experience of The Bridge—reflecting Boyd’s plein air practice.

Bundanon’s transformation is both subtle and bold. It preserves the spirit of the original site while enabling compelling new visitor experiences. The masterplan marks a shift from viewing significant landscapes as picturesque settings to understanding them as dynamic, ecological systems.

AWARDS:
2024 RIBA International Awards for Excellence Winner 2023 Architizer A + Awards, Built_ Sustainable Cultural/Institutional Building 2023 Architizer A +Awards, Concepts_ Architecture + Community 2023 Architizer A + Awards, Cultural Museum Finalist 2023 National Biophilic Design Awards, Community andUrban Scale Projects, Category Winner 2022 AIA National Awards, Sir Zelman Cowen Award for Public Architecture, Named Award 2022 AIA NationalAwards, Sustainable Architecture Category 2022 AIA New South Wales Chapter Awards, The Sulman Medal for Public Architecture, Named Award 2022 AIANew South Wales Chapter Awards, Sustainable Architecture Category 2022 World Architecture Festival (WAF), Completed Buildings: Culture, HighlyCommended