Last December, the Australian agency March Studio completed the first construction phase of the Outback Museum of Australia (OMOA) in Charleville, Queensland. The exhibition spaces are divided into ten pavilions around a circular patio, and will display works relating to the history, culture and unique environment of the Outback, Australia’s semi-arid lands that stretch across the hinterland. To adapt the project to the site’s climate – characterised by temperatures of up to 40 degrees, little rainfall and cold nights all year round – the architects used appropriate materials and implemented solutions to optimise water resources. For example, the building’s structure is made of compressed local earth, and the circular metal roof collects rainwater in the central courtyard.

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Published on 6 February 2025
Ethel Halimi

Series of axonometries of the OMOA project

 

 

 

 

‘The rainfall events are celebrated as great moments of joy and relief and the dramatic waterfalls into the courtyard allude to the surrounding landscape.’

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Outback Museum of Australia (OMOA), Bidjara Country – Charleville, Queensland

Programme: Construction of a cultural building, community centre
Client: Murweh Shire Council
Project management: March Studio (architects), Spantech (builder), Aldanmark (structure), Floth (services)
Project team: Rodney Eggleston, Anne-Laure Cavigneaux, Matt Stanley, Julian Canterbury, Charlie Lane, Charlie White, Jamie Danino, Jack Seedsman, Zephyr Cravino
Surface: 2000 sqm
Cost: $5.9M (stage 1) + $4.5M (stage 2)
Status: In progress
Photographies: Craig Lucas

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Anne-Claire Cavigneaux was a guest at the third Biennial of Tropical Architecture, held in November 2024 in Le Port, on the island of Réunion, for three days of conferences, debates and exhibitions on the future of architecture in intertropical geographical zones.