Sustainable processes implemented for excavation site of Northern Territory Art Gallery

The excavation stage for the Northern Territory Art Gallery site is now complete with sustainable processes having been implemented throughout and showcasing the benefits of an environmentally considered design.

The Art Gallery will now move onto the sub-structure phase including the basement, with works to start this month.

Local Territory company Sitzler is heading the $88 million project employing 192 workers to date, with hundreds more jobs to be created over its lifetime.

Sitzler is leading the entire $145 million project to deliver the Civic and State Square precinct. This includes the Art Gallery, Central Heart, public art and water features.

Excavation removed 1800 tonnes of rock, which will be recycled to create the retaining walls for the Northern Territory Art Gallery driveway and in elements of Liberty Square. Additionally, trees which had to be removed for construction will be recycled to create landscape features for the precinct.

Sustainability initiatives incorporated into the design of the Northern Territory Art Gallery include:

• compliance with National Construction Code 2019 Section J building fabric requirements

• inclusion of a 199kVA photovoltaic (PV) system

• demonstrated trajectory to net zero emissions by 2050; the building can be described as ‘net zero ready’

• the inclusion of lower carbon concrete products throughout the building structure, reducing the embodied carbon of the project, (the carbon emissions associated with the construction process).

The construction of the Northern Territory Art Gallery will be complete in 2025.

Other projects within the Civic and State Square development are progressing well with the design tender to redevelop Liberty Square to be awarded in the coming weeks.

NT Minister for Infrastructure, Planning & Logistics, Eva Lawler notes “The Northern Territory Art Gallery will be a state-of-the-art piece of infrastructure featuring large galleries with high ceilings, a grand foyer, dedicated community spaces and so much more.

“We know it will be a popular attraction for locals and visitors, which will have flow on benefits to our hotels, restaurants, bars and cafes. It is so great to see this previously underutilised area of our CBD transforming the iconic precinct it was always meant to be.

“This environmentally friendly project has already supported almost 200 jobs, with many more to be created over its lifetime, helping us achieve our goal of a $40 billion economy.

Image. Render for Darwin State Square Art Gallery