National Museum of Australia Forecourt Garden TCL

The 2001 National Museum of Australia in Canberra is one of Australia’s most inventive, daring and controversial buildings. The Forecourt Garden finally realizes what was originally intended for this significant arrival space. Guided by the Museum’s original concept of the Boolean string in both form and layout, the design features a pentagonal extrusion that coils, folds and tangles in three dimensions all over the site. It is rare for a museum to have a strong, immersive green space, particularly as an arrival experience. The Forecourt Garden is beautifully detailed and executed and is of a standard that befits Australia’s National Museum.

Landscape architect TCL Architect ARM Planting designer Paul Thompson Ngunnawal, Ngunawal and Ngambri artists Wally Bell, Selina Walker, Adrian Brown, Karen Bell, Matilda House, Uncle Jim, Louise Brown and Arnold Williams Lighting design consultant Firefly PointofView (FPOV) Photographer Anne Stroud