Light was a central driver for the Melbourne Holocaust Museum (MHM). Light is linked to illumination, illumination to knowledge, and given that education is central to the purpose of MHM it seemed appropriate to deploy light as a motif and in creating welcoming, functional spaces especially for the education, research and event spaces.
Rather than appear as a bunker, a common trope in recent Holocaust Museums, the MHM is visually and physically connected to the community and the street through its façade and interior. The façade utilises glass bricks to meet this desire for transparency while balancing the security demands for a resilient building envelope.
It also reinforces MHM’s role as cultural repository by integrating the original heritage building and treating it as an important artefact of the museum.
