Artist’s impression of the State Library’s new groundfloor galleries. Pic: Hassell. 

By Linda Cheng

The State Library of New South Wales (SLNSW) will be redeveloped with new gallery spaces and a children’s learning centre, following a $15-million private donation from benefactors.

The proposed works are the first stage of a masterplan to renew the library’s Mitchell and Macquarie buildings, developed in collaboration with Hassell in 2016.

The redevelopment includes a series of new gallery spaces, which will be located at the eastern side of the heritage-listed Mitchell building on Macquarie Street in Sydney’s CBD. It will extend the existing gallery spaces to the entire first floor of the Mitchell building, and will repurpose areas that were previously used for storage, offices and temporary displays.

“What we’re effectively doing is returning the eastern wing of the building to the public,” said Matthew Todd, a principal of Hassell. “Pretty much all of the building will be publicly accessible for the first time” when the refurbishment works are completed.

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This story first appeared in ArchitectureAu and appears here with kind permission.