The Ngunnawal and Ngambri people
ACT
CSIRO’s National Collections Building in Canberra is the newest purpose-built collections facility in the world. It unites experts and over 13 million plant, insect and animal research specimens into a single precinct.
The building preserves and expands Australia’s biodiversity research collections while facilitating collaboration, efficiency and scientific innovation. The design embraces natural forms, featuring curved façades that utilise the sun and interiors inspired by the collections themselves.
At the heart of the facility is the Curation Lab, CSIRO’s first integrated laboratory and workplace designed for hands-on research. This purpose-built environment brings researchers closer to the collections while providing specialised areas for analysis, preservation and collaboration.
Innovative features include chemical-free decontamination facilities and a Digitisation Lab, where specimens are ‘born digital’ — immediately integrated into a digital archive — for global research. This landmark facility sets a new international standard for collection management, safeguarding Australia’s biodiversity for future generations while advancing scientific discovery.
The National Collections Building for CSIRO by Hassell exemplifies a refined, contemporary interior environment tailored to the needs of a complex institutional workplace. The design balances technical precision with human-centred warmth, delivering interiors that support both scientific rigour and staff wellbeing.
Organic edges to the rational floorplate, where workspaces are imbued with natural tones, daylight, and framed views to nature, offer visual relief and inspiration. A central atrium, filled with natural light, connects interlevel stairs and informal breakout zones, fostering collaboration and moments of retreat.
Sun shading elements filter dappled light and cast patterns that echo the rich biodiversity of the CSIRO collections, bringing a quiet poetry to the interior. Warm material finishes and visual links to the surrounding landscape—particularly the preserved oak tree and courtyard—strengthen the biophilic design intent.
This carefully orchestrated interior environment offers staff a sense of place, connection, and clarity within a technically complex and secure facility. The National Collections Building sets a new standard for institutional interior architecture by integrating functionality, material quality, and nature-led design into a cohesive and uplifting workplace.
“Designing the National Collections Building was a deeply collaborative process between Hassel and CSIRO’s Biological Collections team. The design directly supports our complex curation and science workflows, maximising the ability for staff to access and use the specimens for research. It also delivers to our stringent biosecurity and health and safety requirements, eliminating the use of chemical pest control. Importantly, the design purposefully promotes interaction across teams by providing inviting collaboration areas”.
Mark Roehrs, Principal & Design Architect
Emma Ludwig, Project Architect
Sophie Kebbell, Interior Designer
Mark Craig, Labs Technical Leader
Jeff Wen, Architect
Keith Hayes, Interior Design Leader
Elena Chia, Graduate of Architecture
Madeleine Reyes, Graduate of Architecture
Chris Chen, Graduate of Architecture
Dominic Pelle, Local Architectural Consultant
Hassell, Landscape Consultant
Hassell, Graphics and Wayfinding
TTW, Civil Consultant
TTW, Facade Engineer
WSP, Mechanical Engineer
WSP, Hydraulic Consultant
WSP, Wet and Dry Fire
WSP, Fire Engineering
WSP, Electrical Consultant
WSP, AV Consultant
WSP, Security Engineer
WSP, ESD Consultant
WSP, Acoustic Consultant
BCA, Certification & DDA Consultant
CETEC, Dangerous Goods Consultant
TTW, Structural Engineer