ARM Architecture, an Australian architecture practice, has presented its design for the country’s first purpose-built museum of Islamic art, planned for Granville in western Sydney.
The Museum of Islamic Art Australia is proposed for 99 Parramatta Road, on land acquired for the project by the Islamic Sciences and Research Academy (ISRA), a non-profit community organisation.
ARM won the commission through a design competition announced in March 2026. The practice presented the proposal publicly at the museum’s inaugural gala dinner, held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on 25 July.
Courtyard connects the museum galleries
ARM has arranged the museum around a landscaped courtyard based on traditional Islamic gardens. Conceived as a communal area, the courtyard will connect the galleries, educational facilities, and other public spaces.
The architects describe the proposal as a vertical gallery. Its exhibition areas will include four principal galleries, a children’s gallery, and a sacred gallery intended for contemplation.
The wider project scope recorded by the NSW Government also includes an arts workshop, a theatrette, a function room, a prayer exhibition hall, a production room, a café, a kitchen, offices, and multifunctional spaces.
The government-funded scope also covers landscaping, furniture, fixtures, and equipment, which the museum plans to use for exhibitions, educational and artistic programmes, tours, school excursions, and community activities.
Islamic architecture informs the design
Geometric ornamentation across the building draws on muqarnas, the layered decorative forms found in Islamic architecture.
ARM has also referred to the patterns and embroidery of the Kiswah, the cloth covering the Kaaba in Makkah, when developing the design. The practice intends these references to become part of the building rather than treating it solely as a container for artworks.
The courtyard provides a shared area between the museum’s galleries, educational facilities, and communal rooms.
ISRA plans to use the museum to present the artistic, scientific, and cultural contributions of Islamic civilisation to people from different backgrounds.
“It is a national institution where Australians of every background will discover the artistic, scientific and cultural achievements of Islamic civilisation,” ISRA founding director Professor Mehmet Ozalp said.
The proposal began in 2023 as the Sydney Islamic Art Museum project. ISRA developed it with support from Charles Sturt University, an Australian public university and its academic partner.
The project remains in planning and design
The NSW Government has allocated A$26.3m to the museum through the Western Sydney Infrastructure Grants Program, previously named WestInvest.
Approximately 82% of the funding required for construction has been secured. Organisers are seeking another A$5.73m from governments, philanthropic organisations, and community supporters.
The organisation is also offering naming rights for the museum’s four principal galleries.
The project is currently in planning and design. A construction start and anticipated completion date are yet to be announced.
Images: Courtesy of ARM Architecture
