Concept design revealed for $428 million WA Museum

Concept images have been released for the interior of the planned $428 million Western Australian Museum, complete with its famed blue whale skeleton hanging overhead.

The design concept has been released along with the results of a year-long project definition plan to confirm the scope, cost and delivery details for the new attraction. A planned tender phase that will seek architectural and construction teams is expected to be undertakne later this year with a shorlist expected in early 2015.

The new facility will replace the existing complex, with new buildings covering around 23,000 metres2 – nearly four times the size of the current site – and being incorporated into the museum’s refurbished heritage facility at the Perth Cultural Centre.

The recent Western Australian budget allocated $21 million in 2014/15 for the early stages of the project, which is due to be built by 2019 and open by 2020.

The project definition plan highlights the quality of the visitor experience, good circulation and large, enlivened galleries and public spaces as key elements of the design.

A central outdoor space will link the heritage and new buildings, creating an orientation point and providing space where people can rest, meet and take part in events.

Core exhibition galleries will be supplemented by a temporary and touring exhibition gallery, cafe, retail and special function areas.

More public consultation results will feed into the brief for designers and builders.

The WA Museum is Western Australia’s premier cultural organisation, housing the State’s scientific and cultural collection.

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