Arts Tasmania is located in the heart of Hobart and was designed by 1+2 architecture in 2008. This building won 2009, Royal Australian Institute of Architects – Interior Architecture award.
The heritage project required the conversion of a derelict industrial warehouse into a new corporate office suite. Heritage building fabric has been conserved and restored in consultation with the Tasmanian Heritage Council, while new building elements have been placed with care and clarity to create a harmony between old and new. The project is situated within the ‘Bridges Brothers’ site redevelopment.
In occupying this space, the new elements attempt to interpret and negotiate the layered heritage fabric of the site, including what remained of the Bridges Brothers mid-20th Century adaptation and the 19th Century terraces which form the bulk of the Elizabeth Street frontage. The new space combines staff offices, meeting rooms, staff facilities and an art gallery within an adapted ex-retail shop front.