The Sustainable Shine Dome: Toward a Sustainability Plan for the National Heritage Listed Australian Academy of Science Building

This paper presents an account of a two-year investigation 2019-2021 into the challenges and opportunities for introducing cultural, economic, and environmental sustainability measures into the protection and promotion of the National Heritage listed Australian Academy of Science building, Canberra. The study sought to develop elements of a sustainability plan for renewal and replacement of building fabric and environmental systems to ensure progressive energy and emissions reductions as a pathway to a net-zero carbon future. Alongside stratagems quantifiable, the study also sought to mimic the ambitions of the Academy for the building to continue to express ‘the national urge to innovate’. To that end the project pursued world leading strategies and innovative approaches from a range of individuals and disciplines including material scientists, futurists, building engineers, heritage consultants, architects, and scientists. The Shine Dome, as the building is currently known, was designed by Roy Grounds in 1954 and the building and interiors completed in 1959. Listed interiors include formed plywood seating reflecting the circular auditorium chamber. In 2019 the Shine Dome was 60 years old and while maintaining basic operating conditions, Academy resources were being challenged to implement strategic capital investment. Expansion of the existing Heritage Management Plan to include a sustainability plan was also deemed critical to guide management of the Shine Dome and to foreground a response to the climate crisis. The project team, consisting of University of Canberra, Australian Academy of Science, GHD, and GML Heritage was awarded an Australian National Heritage grant to undertake the study. This paper contributes to the conference theme of sustainable development and is aligned with the session Authenticity in the face of climate change, telling the story of a modern movement listed building seeking to respond to climate change. The paper also touches on the duality of conceptual and material authenticity.