A $60.5 million art gallery designed by ARM Architecture, the centrepiece of the Gold Coast’s cultural precinct, opened to the public on 8 May.
The vibrantly coloured building on the banks of the Nerang River is the third element in the Home of the Arts (HOTA) precinct, masterplanned by ARM and German landscape architecture firm Topotek 1. It follows an outdoor stage and a pedestrian bridge.
The gallery has more than 2,000 square metres of exhibition space across six levels, giving it the capacity to host international touring exhibitions as well as smaller and temporary exhibitions. It also has a dedicated children’s gallery and a rooftop bar with views across Surfers Paradise.
HOTA gallery overtakes the Art Gallery of Ballarat as Australia’s largest regional gallery.
Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate told the Australian Financial Review the brief to the architects was for a new building that reflects the personality of the city.
HOTA Gallery by ARM Architecture.
Image: Brett Boardman
“It had to be fun – first and foremost – and make people think, ‘what is that?’ And the last thing, be unapologetic. It’s the ‘have-a-go’ spirit of the Gold Coast,” he said.
ARM’s design for the building is based on a voronoi pattern, a design motif used throughout the precinct, which can be seen at the HOTA outdoor stage.
Voronoi is a geometric shape found throughout nature in various patterns including cracked mud, animal skins and bubbles.
The voronoi pattern on the facades of the HOTA Gallery is expressed through multiple block colours. The Gold Coast council describes the gallery as a “cultural beacon” and a “must-see destination for residents and visitors.”
Alongside its exhibition spaces, the building also accommodates 1,000 square metres of storage space for the $32 million City Collection that consists of more than 4,400 artworks. ARM included a Juliet balcony in the building’s design, which allows visitors to see into the storage space.
The inaugural exhibition at HOTA Gallery features 19 new commissions by emerging and established artists and collectives, each with a connection to the Gold Coast.
