Bendigo Soldiers’ Memorial Institute

Bendigo Soldiers' Memorial Institute

Memorial and museum

In a parkland setting in Bendigo, a splendid building with its own roof-level band rotunda stands as a permanent war memorial, honouring those who served. It was designed by local architect George Dawson Garvin and completed in 1921, and immediately put to good use by the RSL. Since then the Bendigo Soldiers' Memorial Institute has evolved into a museum as well.

In a project jointly funded by the federal and state governments, the City of Greater Bendigo, Bendigo District RSL and the local community, Lovell Chen helped the Institute ensure the viability of its significant building through restoration, reconstruction and adaptation works.

Illustration © Geoff Barton

Our brief

The project combined conservation of the 1921 fabric — including the underpinning of the building to cap the old mineshaft beneath — and the addition of a companion pavilion that enables the Institute to become a borrowing and lending institution at a national level, with AA-standard gallery space that has achieved Passivhaus certification. Our client's vision required the building to fulfill three overlapping ambitions - memorial, musuem and education - keeping memories alive in an accessible and potent way for the community and visitors alike.

Details

Client

City of Greater Bendigo

Date

2013 - 2018

Status

Completed

Original Architect

George Dawson Garvin

Location

Bendigo

Traditional Owners

Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung people

Image © Trevor Mein

Before Construction

During Construction

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"The proposed extension to the heritage building is conceived as a quiet, respectful counterpart—positioned to the rear and side to acknowledge both the building’s form and its parkland canopy, where it is experienced in the round. Rejecting concealment as inappropriate in this context, the new wing seeks a visible, harmonious presence that complements rather than competes. Certified to Passivhaus standard, it delivers energy efficiency and precise climate control. Most importantly, the design prioritises pathos: it invites an emotive spatial experience that honours memory, evokes reflection, and deepens the cultural resonance of the site."

KAI CHEN, DIRECTOR AND FOUNDING PRINCIPAL

PassivHaus Diagram

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PassivHaus

Operational affordability was a factor in the choice of materials and raw finishes, and in the use of Passivhaus for the pavilion addition. Its design informed by a PHPP model includes an energy recovery ventilation system and the use of structural steel is kept to a minimum to eliminate thermal bridges. The airtight envelope excludes the loading bay, kitchen and amenities areas and the open circulation between the original building and new.

Our Response

Bringing the scheme together as a cohesive ensemble was a key consideration, hand-in-hand with an effective programmatic resolution of the brief. Garvin’s neo-classical building formally addresses the street. By inserting a new piece of architecture designed to be seen in the round, tucked between the original building and Bendigo Creek, the wider views from the park are acknowledged. The two structures are tied together visually by their shared podium level, scale and warm colour — the addition doesn’t overwhelm its single-storey companion, helped by the use of just one material for its exterior (Corten), which blurs the scale and allows the pavilion to be read as single-storey too.

Inside, the pavilion is actually two levels. Its form is a contemporary interpretation of an arcaded loggia. A highly-insulated airtight inner building houses the environmentally-controlled gallery and collections store above. This inner box is surrounded by a ventilated, naturally-lit timber-lined circulation space, in turn enclosed in glass and the weathering steel cladding, here in the form of a perforated screen.

Image © Trevor Mein

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Main Hall

Returned to its original proportions and conserved.

Image © Trevor Mein

Billiard Room

The original top-lit billiard room has been taken back to its original footprint

Image © Trevor Mein

BEFORE CONSERVATION

During Conservation Works

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Conservation

The major conservation works programme for the original rendered masonry hall focused on the removal of non-original fabric and the return of spaces to their 1921 plan forms. The west wall has been reinstated to its original alignment and the patchy exterior finish restored to a sandstone colour using pigmented render — all had turned grey, including the open loggia. The decorative fibrous plaster ceilings of the two main exhibition spaces have been conserved and the whole building re-roofed.

The high level of achievement this project represents is due to the collaborative teamwork of consultants, contractor, client, architects and designers. Working to rigorous standards, with a good understanding of the challenges of operating in a regional area, the team has delighted the people of Bendigo and helped the Institute gain national recognition for its collection and displays.