The New Museum for WA will be almost four times bigger than the existing WA Museum - Perth, featuring nearly 7,000 square metres of galleries, including a 1,000 square metre space to stage large scale temporary exhibitions. It will also feature learning studios, spaces to see the behind the scenes work of the WA Museum as well as exciting retail and cafe spaces.
The $428.3 million project includes:
- the design and construction of a new building that integrates with the existing heritage buildings
- heritage restoration works to Old Gaol, Jubilee, Beaufort and Hackett buildings
- $1.6 million public art project at the New Museum Perth site
- the design, production and installation of Museum content including collections, exhibitions, multimedia and artworks for gallery and activated circulation spaces
- $17.3 million Harry Butler Research Centre at the Museum’s Collections and Research Centre, Welshpool
We want it to be a civic place for everyone; an interesting mix of heritage and contemporary architecture that helps revitalise the Perth Cultural Centre while celebrating the culture of Western Australia on a world stage.
Perth and WA has a dramatic natural landscape, unique history and diverse population. We have tried to capture all these elements and celebrate them within the design concept.
The scale of the natural landscape is reflected in the large public space at the heart of the design; the city's history is celebrated by the integration of the existing heritage-listed buildings, and its stories which have driven every aspect of the Museum design.
The design is based on the intersection of a horizontal and vertical loop creating large possibilities for curatorial strategies, for both temporary and fixed exhibitions."
Description of project by HASSELL + OMA
International design practices HASSELL + OMA have joined leading global contractor Brookfield Multiplex and the Western Australian government to reveal the design for the highly anticipated New Museum for WA.
The reveal comes as the contract to design and build the New Museum was officially awarded to the Brookfield Multiplex-led team.
The HASSELL + OMA design, to be located in the heart of Perth’s cultural precinct, has been conceived as a collection of physical and virtual ‘stories’, providing a multidimensional framework for visitors to engage with the Western Australian people and places.
HASSELL Principal and Board Director Mark Loughnan, and OMA Managing Partner-Architect David Gianotten stated: “Our vision for the design was to create spaces that promote engagement and collaboration, responding to the needs of the Museum and the community. We want it to create a civic place for everyone, an interesting mix of heritage and contemporary architecture that helps revitalise the Perth Cultural Centre while celebrating the culture of Western Australia on the world stage. The design is based on the intersection of a horizontal and vertical loop creating large possibilities of curatorial strategies for both temporary and fixed exhibitions.”
At the heart of the design is a public space that is the central point of the new museum, in terms of both location and programming. It is a spectacular outdoor room framed by refurbished heritage buildings and intersected by new buildings and virtual platforms, enabling the diverse stories of Western Australia to be told.
A large new temporary gallery space will complement the extensive permanent collection of the museum that includes renowned collections including the much-loved Blue Whale skeleton. The Museum will host a diverse range of cultural, retail and dining experiences, increasing visitor numbers especially after hours.
Early works are expected to start in late 2016 with main construction starting in 2017. The New Museum is due to be completed in 2020.
