The new $428 million Museum for Western Australia is one of the most significant museum redevelopments in the world, as is evident from the new design recently revealed.
Developed in the heart of the Perth Cultural Centre, the new museum will share the stories of Western Australia’s people and place, acting as a gateway to explore all of Western Australia. It will reflect the extraordinary history, distinctiveness, creativity and diversity of the State and region.
Brookfield Multiplex, and its design team comprising HASSELL and OMA, has been appointed as the Managing Contractor that will design and construct the New Museum for Western Australia.
The dramatic new design links contemporary architecture with the historic and heritage-listed buildings, creating a visual landmark for the State.
Brookfield Multiplex architects Mark Loughnan, from HASSELL and David Gianotten from OMA explain the design inspiration:
“Our vision for the design is to create spaces that promote engagement and collaboration, responding to the needs of the WA Museum and the community.
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.”
The New Museum for WA will be almost four times bigger than the existing WA Museum – Perth, featuring nearly 7,000 square meters 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
Project Timeline
- Project Definition Planning phase completed in 2014.
- Selection of Managing Contractor mid-2016.
- Early works commence in late 2016.
- Construction begins in early 2017.
- Building complete in 2019.
- Exhibition installation throughout 2019 – 2020.
- The New Museum complete and doors open in 2020.
Images courtesy of Western Australian Museum