- Published:
- Friday 29 January 2021
Australia’s largest ever cultural infrastructure project is getting underway with the launch of a competition to select an Australian architectural team to design the new NGV Contemporary gallery and create thousands of jobs.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson today announced the competition which will offer an unprecedented platform to showcase Australia’s world-leading design and architecture industries.
A cornerstone of the $1.46 billion first phase of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation, the purpose-built contemporary art and design gallery will be the largest of its kind in the country.
The competition is open to teams from across Australia, with at least one team member required to be a registered Victorian business. The winning team must run the principal project design studio in Melbourne.
A high-profile jury of Australian and international architecture and design experts will assess competing designs and nominate the design teams that can deliver a global vision for NGV Contemporary.
The jury will be chaired by architect and NGV Trustee Corbett Lyon, with members including NGV Director Tony Ellwood AM and Victorian Government Architect Jill Garner AM.
Following registration, there will be a two-part expression of interest phase where registrants will outline their capabilities before a list of candidates is then invited to participate in the design phase of the competition.
The successful design team and preferred design will be announced later this summer 21/22 with the first phase of the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation forecast to create more than 5,000 local construction sector jobs.
NGV Contemporary will be located at 77 Southbank Boulevard in Southbank, amid a new 18,000 square metre public garden in the heart of a transformed Melbourne Arts Precinct.
The new gallery will showcase contemporary art, design, fashion and architecture from Victoria, Australia and around the globe, increase access to the NGV extensive collection of contemporary art and design and provide a new home for the NGV Triennial and other ambitious large-scale exhibitions.
Registration for the NGV Contemporary Design Competition is open to Australian architects, architectural companies and architectural partnerships at ngv.vic.gov.au/ngv-contemporary-design-competition.
Quote attributable to Premier Daniel Andrews
“NGV Contemporary will be an Australian-designed global icon. In its design, construction, operations, exhibitions and programs, the gallery will create thousands of local jobs and boost our economic recovery.”
Quote attributable to Minister for Creative Industries Danny Pearson
“This landmark project offers an extraordinary opportunity for Victoria and Australia’s architectural community to shape our creative state for decades to come.”