John Wardle Architects

In Melbourne’s Southbank, passers-by heading south on Sturt Street might wander beneath the discreet canopy of the Melbourne Recital Centre’s monolithic bluestone western wall (ARM Architecture, 2008) and immediately past a narrow-shaded lane, and find their gaze attracted by a low archway framing a buzzing new interior. A glazed screen recessed within this gentle yet grand gateway exposes those inside the building, some mingling in conversation, others moving through and around a curving passage before disappearing from sight. A little further along the street, a sequence of deep, bell-shaped portals perforate the building’s envelope, first one and then, after a pause, three others in closer proximity. Bespoke in size and placement relative to the ground plane, these mysterious apertures invite a variety of audiences, small and tall, alone or as a cluster, to lean into the depth of the wall, focus, and