Ngunnawal Country
ACT
The Australian War Memorial’s New Entrance seamlessly integrates contemporary design with its historic significance, enhancing accessibility, visitor experience, and symbolic meaning.
At its heart, the Oculus, inspired by the Hall of Memory’s dome, celebrating light and reflection. Guiding walls, aligned with Griffin’s masterplan, lead visitors into the Memorial, while the bounding wall anchors the Parade Ground with symmetry and dignity. The entrance strengthens the site’s radial planning, reinforcing its connection to the broader Canberra landscape.
The interplay of natural light and textured materials—including locally sourced sandstone, off-form concrete, and bronze detailing—creates a harmonious blend of history and modernity. This immersive experience is both welcoming and solemn.
Designed for adaptability, the entrance provides intuitive wayfinding, guest services, a flexible gallery, and a theatre for commemorative events. More than a entrance, it is a place for all, preserving memory, honouring service, and ensuring the Memorial remains relevant for future generations.
The Australian War Memorial New Entry and Parade Ground by Studio.SC is an outstanding example of symbolic public architecture that cleverly balances the axial legacy of Griffin planning, the heritage and cultural significance of the War Memorial precinct, and an architecture steeped in narrative. The project reveals itself to be a threshold project, charged with preparing visitors for the War Memorial event.
The work seamlessly combines a contextual planning response with its emotive architectural and spatial experiences. The contextual planning responds to its broader place within the parliamentary triangle by employing a number of motifs such as the oculus and splayed bounding walls which strengthen the axial connection between the original building to Anzac Parade and Parliament House. The motifs then take on a secondary role in cementing the strength of the projects symbolic spatial experience. In particular, the oculus which reveals itself to be a highly articulated structure consisting of several beautifully detailed layers of glass and steel. Its form appears to float within the gallery space, as a hold point, evoking a sense of quietness and reflection.
Overall detailing and materiality blend effortlessly between the new addition and the original building without diminishing the presence of either.
In the Australian War Memorial New Entrance, light is not merely illumination—it is emotion, memory, and meaning. It gently guides the visitor through spaces of reflection and reverence, invoking the sacred and the ceremonial. Light becomes nature’s presence within architecture, offering moments of orientation, arrival, and quiet hope.
The new Oculus, poised and timeless, draws the sky into the heart of the new entrance building. Seamlessly integrated, it echoes the Dome of the Hall of Memory—linking past and present in a gesture both bold and restrained.
Beneath the surface, in the cavernous, tomb-like interiors, light moves across raw, elemental materials—revealing textures, shadows, and silence. As the day unfolds, the shifting light becomes a silent narrator, casting a contemplative lens on space and time.
Here, light speaks of contrast—the eternal rhythm of sun and sky set against the fleeting arc of human life and sacrifice. A quiet, luminous tribute etched in architecture.
The Main Entrance enhances the visitor experience by improving arrival orientation, wayfinding and accessibility. It integrates practical functions such as security, cloaking, and public amenities, alongside facilities like a theatre, retail space, and flexible exhibition areas. Architecturally, the underground design minimises visual impact on the Memorial’s silhouette while connecting visitors to the heritage listed Main Building visually and physically. The design fosters a reflective visitor journey and supports activities, from exhibitions to functions, both during and outside visiting hours, reinforcing the Memorial’s significance as the heart of remembrance for all Australians who have served in the defence of our nation.
Edward Salib, Director
Nicholas Bandounas, Director
Doug Southwell, Director
Ornella Bucceri, Project Leader
Emma Leckie, Project 2iC
George Hetreles, BIM Manager
Andrew Nicholas, BIM Manager / Documenter
Ian Borg, Documenter
Darren Horsfield, Documenter
Sandra Srun, Design Graduate
Acoustic Studio, Acoustic Consultant
Design Stage, AV / Theatre Consultant
Philip Chun & Associates Pty Ltd, BCA & DDA
Taylor Thomson Whitting Pty Ltd, Civil Consultant
AECOM, Comms & Security
Hydroplan, Irrigation
Norman Disney & Young Pty Ltd, Electrical, ESD, Fire, Hydraulic, Mechanical Consultant
Gilfillan Soundwork, Electroacoustic
Prisim, Facade
Lucid Consulting Engineers, Fire Engineering
Broadcast Museum Design, Gallery Design
GML Heritage, Heritage Consultant
Jasper Swann Pty Limited, Heritage Masonry
Cini Little, Kitchen Design
Taylor Thomson Whitting Pty Ltd, Structural Engineer
Veris, Surveyor
Taylor Thomson Whitting Pty Ltd, Traffic
Büro North Design Pty Ltd, Wayfinding Consultant
The Australian Institute of Architects acknowledges First Nations peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands, waters, and skies of the continent now called Australia.
We express our gratitude to their Elders and Knowledge Holders whose wisdom, actions and knowledge have kept culture alive.
We recognise First Nations peoples as the first architects and builders. We appreciate their continuing work on Country from pre-invasion times to contemporary First Nations architects, and respect their rights to continue to care for Country.
