A newly redeveloped museum and art gallery has become the first in Australia to achieve six-star design and performance ratings.

Greater Shepparton City Council’s SAM Building has been awarded 6 Star Green Star – Design & As Built certification (v1.2) by the Green Building Council of Australia.

The building is the first museum/art gallery in Australia to achieve such a rating.

Originally established in 1936 Shepparton Arts Gallery (now known as Shepparton Art Museum) was moved from its previous location in the same building as the Greater Shepparton City Council and the performing arts centre to its new location on the south-eastern corner of Victoria Park Lake.

Photo: Denton Corker Marshall

Set over five storeys, the 5,300 sqm building features the museum, a visitor centre, the Kaiela Art Gallery and Studio, a café, event space and a rooftop viewing deck.

A key feature of the building involves its cube-like form (33m x 33m), which is designed to maximise its park setting.

Four L-shaped plates – each of a different metallic finish, make up the building’s façade.

Flow: Stories of River, Earth and … eum Photo: Christian Capurro

Meanwhile, the building’s square compact plan extruding over five levels also enables a smaller building footprint and a reduction in façade area.

The compact form along with sustainable features of the surrounding landscape are also designed to mitigate the impact of the adjacent floodway and contribute to the regeneration of the local ecology.

Image courtesy of Kaiela Arts

From an airtightness viewpoint the building uses Passive House principle to deliver an energy efficient, thermally comfortable space with a healthy indoor environment.

As noted below, key sustainability features include those relating to indoor environment quality, energy use, water use, land use and ecology, transportation, material sourcing/selections and monitoring (see below).

SAM cafe

The building was designed by Denton Corker Marshall with environment consultancy services being provided by Integral Group.

The ground floor opened to the public in March last year whilst the remaining four levels opened in November.

SAM furnitute fabric design by Kaiela Arts artists in collaboration with Spacecraft Studio Photo: Kane Jarrod

Greater Shepparton Mayor, Councillor Kim O’Keefe expressed pride in the building’s latest award.

“SAM will set the standard for healthy, resilient, positive buildings and places across the globe – and it is right here in Shepparton,” she said.

Photo Denton Corker Marshall

Key Environmental Features

Sustainability features which are associated with the new centre are set out below

 

Indoor air quality

Operationally, air quality and humidity control were critical to allow artworks on loan and host international exhibitions. To support the museum to achieve its ambitious sustainability aspirations, two of SAM’s four exhibition spaces are designed to international standards and the consequent energy requirements balanced through the zoning of spaces climatically throughout the museum.

A reduction of indoor air pollutants from materials was achieved through careful selection of low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) materials, and ventilation systems designed for ease of maintenance and minimisation of pollutants.

Lighting levels are designed to eliminate glare and maximise access to daylight and localised lighting controls. Enclosed spaces are designed to minimise crosstalk between spaces, acoustic separation and reverberation reduction are applied to create comfortable acoustic conditions.

 

Greater Shepparton Visitor Centre

Energy use

Climatic zoning of spaces within the museum. A rooftop array of 162 photovoltaic panels for energy generation as well as all energy sourced from renewable energy sources. A compact building form contributes to lower energy demand.

Photo: Denton Corker Marshall

 

Water use

Toilet flushing in the museum and adjacent public toilets is supplied from a 10K litre underground rainwater storage tank. Landscape and parkland irrigation does not use potable water, water for irrigation is recycled from Victoria Park Lake.

SAM Terrace Bar

 

Land use and ecology

Previously the site of a petrol station with no ecological value, the site was carefully remediated to restore the significant wetlands. Limiting the museum floor area to cover the degraded area of the site allowed more land to be preserved or returned to its natural state. The addition of natural plantings and landscaping significantly reduces the heat island effect throughout the site, while a Bio Retention Garden Bed and Swale assists with stormwater diversion around the building towards the lake, and flood mitigation. These features minimise peak stormwater flows and reduce pollutants entering the public sewer system.

The SAM Orchard Hill is being utilised in many ways

 

Transportation

Low emissions vehicle transport infrastructure includes four electric car charging stations and the design of a pedestrian centred walkable neighbourhood.

Image courtesy of Kaielea Arts

 

Material

Materials are sourced from sustainable and local sources throughout the project. At least 95% of the steel used in the building was sourced from a responsible steel maker, ensuring the use of sustainable technologies and adherence to certification designed to ensure the environmental credentials of their products.

SAM window facing Victoria Park Lake Photo: Kane Jarrod

Monitoring

A formalised environmental management system is used to meter and monitor environmental performance targets.