Client: Department of Veterans Affairs
Location: Villers-Bretonneux, France
Completed: 2018
Collaborators: Cox Architects, Pidgeon Ward, The Pod, Marshall Day, Environmental Creations
Photography: John Gollings
Sir John Monash Centre
Following an international design competition Convergence was awarded the interpretative design commission for the $100 million Sir John Monash Centre (SJMC), which will be a lasting legacy of the Centenary of Anzac.
The SJMC was envisaged as a completely new type of interpretative centre, relying on a leading edge multimedia experience to tell the story of Australia’s involvement on the Western Front during WW1. Convergence responded to this part of the brief by developing multiple multimedia presentations supported by a site specific app combined with low energy Bluetooth beacons. This specially designed and developed technology locates visitors within the Centre and personalises the experience by prompting media to react to a visitor’s presence and preselected choices of language and tour presentation.
The broader interpretative design tasks included definition of the visitor journey, design of the built form, historical research, curation and conceptualisation and direction of the multimedia experiences.
Above all, Convergence conceived the SJMC as an experiential centre, one in which a sense of people and place is paramount. The visitor experience and interpretation throughout is based on a physical and emotional journey leading to an understanding of the nature of the site on which the Centre is built and a personal engagement with the experiences of the men and women who served on the Western Front.
Convergence’s interpretative design for the Sir John Monash Centre is both physical and technological and uses immersive and emotive elements to deliver a compelling visitor experience, underpinned by meticulous research by our team of historians and curators.
The Sir John Monash Centre presents history in a new and exciting way, offering an immersive experience that’s based on multimedia. With 440 screens projecting archival footage and historical recreations—one gallery alone has 186 screens—visitors are guided through the Centre by the Sir John Monash Centre app. The app is a virtual tour guide that allows visitors to experience the site at their own pace and in their choice of English, French or German. The story of Australians on the Western Front is told by soldiers through their personal experiences.