The Bundanon Art Museum in Bundanon, New South Wales boasts a striking dark steel-clad building that rises from the landscape. The building, designed by Kerstin Thompson Architects (KTA), is part trestle bridge, part rural shed and was built on land gifted to the nation by renowned Australian painter, Arthur Boyd and his wife, Yvonne. KTA carefully balanced aesthetic requirements with the need to deliver buildings that would be resistant to flooding and bushfires, and Fielders ARAMAX® roofing was chosen for the 165-meter-long by 9-meter-wide structure known as The Bridge.
ARAMAX® was chosen because of its rigidity, long-spanning qualities, and low maintenance benefits. The roof acted as a parasol, shading the breezeway spaces and accommodation rooms below while allowing air flow and views of the landscape along the length of The Bridge. The long spans of ARAMAX® also removed the need for additional structural steel framing, allowing the purity and clarity of the roof as a parasol to be evident along the length of The Bridge, uninterrupted by additional steel members.
ARAMAX® also delivered the required performance when it came to BAL requirements and had low-maintenance qualities, making it an ideal choice for the remote, flood and bushfire-prone environment. At the time of the Black Summer Fires during the 2019-20 bushfire season, fires came within a kilometre of the location, which reinforced the need to incorporate high bushfire resistance in any future builds.
The use of ARAMAX® also had advantages in terms of construction. The sheets were delivered to site preformed and in the required lengths, allowing for fast and efficient installation.
In conclusion, ARAMAX® roofing played a crucial role in the success of the Bundanon Art Museum project, meeting the design vision, performance measures, and construction requirements while providing a low-maintenance solution for a remote and challenging environment.