Glass separates old and new the Herdberg Cultural Building

The Hedberg is a cultural building in the center of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia, envisioned as a performing and creative arts center of significant cultural importance that promotes Tasmanian culture within global and contemporary contexts. In 2013, LIMINAL Studio partnered with WOHA to design this culturally significant project. Through a unique collaboration between the University of Tasmania, the Australian and Tasmanian governments, and the Theatre Royal, the Hedberg was completed in 2020. The design strategy balances the dramatic nature of the building's purpose with the sensitivity of its setting, exploring connections between site, people, and new technologies through physical and virtual portals. Located on the same site as Australia's oldest continuously operating theatre, the Theatre Royal, the project includes a thriving music and performance center, world-class performance venues, a new conservatorium of music, creative work labs, and integration with the two-level Hedberg parking garage. It also achieves, for the first time, accessible circulation to all levels of the Theatre Royal and uses cutting-edge technology to facilitate local and global exchange. The project adds a modern layer that reinterprets the past and ensures historic heritage buildings on the site are retained through adaptive reuse. This heritage strategy weaves the new layer into the building fabric, deepening understanding of the site and continuing to contribute to its evolution through preservation, reuse, interpretation, and inspiration. Material choices and architectural form address environmental conditions while evoking the activities within. One example is the use of glass to connect and separate old and new buildings, integrating the front of the old Hedberg parking garage. Another is the exterior skin, which evokes a sparkling theater curtain opening to reveal the warmth within. The site-building narrative continues at smaller scales, with elements inspired by Eduardo Chillida's interlocking sculptures and the minimalism and dance forms of musical scores. The lobby carpet design and exterior cladding reminiscent of Tasmanian abalone shells interpret the site's colonial heritage while paying homage to the Palawa indigenous people. The project promotes Tasmania's cultural sector through new interdisciplinary creative education and research, a thriving music and performance center, and cutting-edge technology for local-global exchange. As an incubator for local creative practice, the Hedberg satisfies the Theatre Royal's aspirations and highlights the university's role in civic and cultural enrichment. A series of generous foyers and pre-function spaces connect old and new buildings within a shared cultural complex of performance venues, rehearsal rooms, and recording spaces. Shared and upgraded facilities achieve sustainability and longevity alongside the Theatre Royal, demonstrating best practice in adaptive reuse.