Auckland Art Gallery

Project snapshot

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki is due for major restoration and expansion work, which will transform the building into a world class cultural facility for Aucklanders and visitors alike.

The Auckland Art Gallery.

In preparation for construction, council contractors will uplift and relocate six cypress trees from the gallery forecourt and dig a trench in Albert Park to carry out work trimming back tree roots from a Himalayan cedar at the rear of the gallery. The work will take place between 28 July and 8 August.

The council is awaiting full resource consent from the court before major development work can begin. In the meantime, the court has given consent for the council to carry out the tree works, as the work needs to be completed in the winter months.

Already, the council has removed three art works from the main gallery forecourt to secure storage facilities off-site in preparation for construction starting. These art works are: Opened Stone by Hiroaki Ueda, Sappho by Aleko Kyriakos and Double L Excentric Gyratory by George Rickey.

After the project is completed early in 2011, Auckland City Council's signature gallery will be bigger - half as big again - with much more area for showcasing world-class exhibitions. It will have improved lighting and sound, a more environmentally-friendly design, and become a showpiece for more local and international collections.

Other new features include:

glazed surfaces for controlled natural light
an inviting new Kitchener Street main entrance
earthquake-proofing
dedicated education, children and family spaces
better links with Albert Park and Khartoum Place.

How this will affect you

While improvements are made in the Main Gallery, exhibitions, education and public programmes continue as usual at the New Gallery, on the corner of Lorne Street and Wellesley Street, just across the road.

There are also a number of privately owned galleries in the area, particularly along Kitchener and Lorne Streets, which offer people the opportunity to view and experience art.

For more information about the project, visit www.aucklandartgallery.govt.nz, or phone (64 9) 3077700.

Cost

The cost of the upgrade is $113 million, which is being funded by three key parties. Central government is contributing $30 million over four years, Auckland City Council is contributing $48.1 million and the Auckland Art Gallery Foundation has committed to raising $33.4 million, of which $15.5 million has already been pledged.

Why the changes

The Auckland Art Gallery needs to bring itself up to agreed international standards for exhibition and storage. At present it can only display about 3-4 per cent of its major collection of 14,000 international artworks at any one time. The gallery is often unable to accept large exhibits due to constraints in the scale and flexibility of its current space. The renovations are expected to more than double the existing floor area.

Other benefits include:

a ceremonial entrance on the northern side
a bigger gallery shop and café
a landscaped pedestrian link between Kitchener St and Albert Park
more purpose-built function facilities for after-hours events.

Background

The Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tamaki's restoration and expansion has involved considerable planning and preparation.

A feasibility study was completed in 2003 and architects appointed in 2004. In July 2005, the initial design concepts were launched, and, in early 2006, resource consents were lodged as required under the Resource Management Act.

Independent commissioners approved the resource consent application, which was subsequently appealed to the Environment Court. The court did not uphold any of the issues raised by the appellants and praised the integration of the gallery extension with Albert Park. However, in its interim decision, the court said that the council needed to re-examine a component of the roof design.

In December 2007, the Environment Court approved the altered roof design, allowing construction to start in 2008.

Who's behind the improvements

Auckland based architects Archimedia and Sydney's Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (FJMT) have joined forces with Auckland City Council to design one of the largest projects of its kind in New Zealand. Archimedia and FJMT have already partnered on The University of Auckland's landmark new business school and they also have an enviable track record of sprucing up heritage sensitive buildings.

More information about the architects:

Have your say

If we haven't answered your query in this project snapshot, or maybe you'd just like to give us feedback on the changes, simply drop us a note at gallery@aucklandcity.govt.nz