Over 11 years spanning from 2001 to 2012 JPW worked closely with the Art Gallery of New South Wales on a series of projects at this highly significant institution including in 2007 a comprehensive Masterplan which set the foundation for the Sydney Modern expansion of the Gallery.

The new Asian galleries completed in 2004 allow the AGNSW’s permanent collection of Asian Arts to expand and provide a world-class space for travelling exhibitions. The building is expressive of a new era in Australian culture at the turn of the 21st century, notably Australia’s growing links to and position in Asia. Located above the existing Asian gallery, the doubled-skinned glass façade filters daylight, allowing works to be displayed without totally isolating the gallery from the outside environment. At night, this facade glows from within, the simple, geometric language referring to traditional Asian lanterns and giving the Gallery presence and scale within the Sydney skyline.

In 2012 JPW completed upgrade works to the AGNSW Forecourt. The project addressed a range of issues to improve access to the Gallery and the building’s relationship to the street and Royal Botanic Gardens. The bronze clad ramp and the wider forecourt upgrade complement Vernon’s classicism with a contemporary installation that is focussed on enhancing the public realm and improving the Gallery’s relationship to its setting.