Works are poised to commence on the new Northern Territory Art Gallery following the award of a construction contract to a local builder.
Designs for the new gallery, by local architects Ashford Architects with Clare Design and Hully Liveris, were released in 2021, featuring a contemporary look informed by the Territory’s unique geology, landscape and climate, and bringing together “art and architecture with a distinct sense of place,” the NT government said.
The gallery redevelopment forms part of the $145-million transformation of the wider Civic and State Square masterplan, with architecture by Troppo and landscape architecture by TCL.
The gallery construction contract will also include the construction of the precinct’s Central Heart – a shaded space for community events and leafy promenade to link the waterfront and the city centre, shaping the spine of the Civic and State Square.
The wider precinct is designed to respond to the Top End climate, with large awnings, shade colonnades, verandahs and shade screens, as well as interactive water features and misters during the dry seasons. Aligned with the NT government’s heat mitigation and city cooling initiatives, current carparks are being replaced with an underground carpark, creating new opportunities for public green space.
The gallery redevelopment forms part of the $145-million transformation of the wider Civic and State Square.
The central square will feature pedestrian-focused walkways and all-weather shelters to reduce heat and glare, with a terraced amphitheatre, raised lawns, and public seating reminiscent of the unfurling of cycad and fern fronds.
The gallery will be made up of four large exhibition spaces, a spacious foyer, a cafe, and workshop rooms. Once open, it will display a collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks, as well as international pieces from Southeast Asia.
The Northern Territory Art Gallery is being delivered in collaboration with the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and will be given an Aboriginal title in due course.
The NT government has not yet released a detailed construction deadline; however, works are due to start this year and are expected to be completed in 2024, followed by six months to build and install the exhibition spaces before the gallery is reopened.
