With a new Noongar name and a floorplate three times its original size, the Boola Bardip museum in Western Australia has reopened after a visionary $400 million redevelopment.
Why we love this project:
- The new Boola Bardip Museum means “many stories” in Noongar and acknowledges the contribution of the Indigenous community in Western Australia.
- Located in the Perth Cultural Centre precinct, the Museum connects five heritage buildings for the first time in the Museum’s history
- Wireless load controlling system, Roborigger, was pioneered on site eliminating the need for workers to be close to the load during lifting and lowering.
Designed by architects Hassell + OMA, and constructed by Multiplex, the new museum is more than three times the size of its predecessor, with eight new galleries, a 1,000 sqm special exhibitions gallery, multi-purpose learning studios, cafés and spaces for meetings and special events.
The museum’s interior features two primary circulation loops – one horizontal and one vertical – that bring together the refurbished historic buildings and new structures, while offering visitors multiple and accessible routes.
“After delivering the project on time for the WA state government, it’s a proud moment for the team to see the new WA Museum Boola Bardip open to the public,” says Multiplex regional managing director Chris Palandri.
Multiplex delivered the project in two stages, and also delivered the main fitout works for the exhibitions, which are now open to the public.
Around 3,300 people worked on the project and the build includes approximately 1,600 tonnes of structural steel, 12,000-plus cubic metres of concrete and more than 1,000 façade panels.
The heritage buildings on the site include the Jubilee, Beaufort, Hackett Hall and Geologists’ buildings, with the oldest building, the Old Gaol, dating back to the mid1800s.
Working within a protected heritage site increased the project’s complexity, including the contractor’s careful construction of a 17-metre structural steel cantilever above the heritage Hackett Hall.
Sustainability drove the construction process with more than 90 per cent of construction waste recycled and diverted from landfill. A central energy plant will enhance the energy efficiency of all buildings in the precinct.
“The museum was an incredibly complex project to construct. The engineering of the new building is challenging enough on its own, coupled with the complexities involved in protecting and preserving the heritage of the site. The end result has delivered something completely unique for the WA community to enjoy,” Palandri concludes.