The ANU School of Music's ageing home is to undergo a $1 million transformation which will deliver a new function space that can double as a venue for pop-up performances and exhibitions.
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ANU School of Music head Peter Tregear said the Llewellyn Hall complex was almost 40 years old and had not undergone any substantial work in that time.
"Foyers of arts buildings are increasingly acknowledged as being incredibly significant spaces," Professor Tregear said.
"We now recognise cultural facilities and educational facilities need to be open, encouraging, welcoming spaces and obviously that begins with how we look at the ground floor."
Professor Tregear said the foyer was not a "particularly attractive space".
"It's not big enough and it's particularly a problem in winter, you see crowds queuing right out in the cold," he said.
"It's a narrow, confined space, there's no proper cloak room. The ticketing desk is small and cramped.
" We have an opportunity now to make the whole foyer a much more public, open, free-flowing space.
As part of the refurbishments, the building's old library space will be transformed into a new multipurpose reception and functions space with a new box office and cloak room and there will be improved foyer access.
Professor Tregear said with Biginelli Espresso and the addition of the Wig & Pen, the newly refurbished foyer would serve as a multi-function space.
"It can be used from anything from a public reception to exhibitions to pop-up performances, a pop-up jazz club," he said.
"It becomes a further enhancement to the facilities that are already in the building and a terrific literal and figurative meeting place between the community and the needs of the school as an educational facility.
"It's about encouraging the public to be in the space and then as it were, stumble across cultural activities."
It is anticipated the renovations will be finished in time for the school's 50th anniversary in September. The new space will be called the Athenaeum.
"It's an ancient Greek word for old library, but also an Athenaeum is a meeting place, it's that whole sense of a place where people come together to discuss arts and culture, to experience stuff like that and that's what we want," Professor Tregear said.
Funding for the refurbishments was approved by the university's facilities and services division.
Llewellyn Hall hosted more than 190 events last year, attracting nearly 98,000 visitors.
