Queensland Art Gallery Annual Report 2002-03

QUEENSLAND GALLERY OF MODERN ART In May 2000, the Queensland Government announced the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art as part of the Government's Millennium Arts at the Queensland Cultural Centre (MA-QCC) Project. The two-stage Architect Selection Competition was staged during 2001-02. The construction of the second site is due for completion in late 2005. With the opening of the new building, the Queensland Art Gallery will become the second largest public art museum in Australia. Design development Following the announcement of the international Architect Selection Competition winners in April, Architectus + Davenport Campbell were formally commissioned by the Queensland Government on 19 July 2002 to design the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. This coincided with the exhibition of the five shortlisted finalists' entries at the Queensland Art Gallery. The Architect Selection Competitions for the MA-QCC Project won the gold award in the marketing communication section of the Public Relations Institute of Australia's Queensland State Awards for Excellence on 5 October 2002. On 19 October 2002, Lindsay and Kerry Clare, the principal architects with Architectus, delivered the Gertrude Langer Lecture entitled 'Tempered Urbanism - Architecture from Region to City'. The Clares discussed the influence of their projects in regional areas on their later urban projects, including the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art. Following the architects' formal commissioning, work proceeded on the schematic design of the Gallery, in consultation with the Board of Trustees, senior staff and officers from Arts Queensland and the Department of Public Works. This work saw the development of substantial refinements to the Gallery's design, including the lowering of collection storage below the Gallery's main roofline. 10 Site infrastructure Significant advances were also made in the schematic design of the site infrastructure, including the resolution of a number of outstanding issues such as optimum traffic strategies for the MA-QCC precinct, reconciliation of different building levels, the location of the respective building footprints, central energy plant options, the definition of the site infrastructure works and the site's boundaries, determining appropriate flood levels based on advice from the Brisbane City Council, and car parking numbers. Following the resolution of these issues, the Project Steering Committee approved the architectural team of Donovan Hill + Peddle Thorp to design and document the site infrastructure. On the completion of the schematic designs for the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, the redevelopment of the State Library of Queensland and the site infrastructure works, a large-scale model of the proposed buildings was designed to complement an earlier model of the original Queensland Cultural Centre complex. The model was unveiled for public comment by the Minister for the Arts, the Honourable Matt Foley, MP, at the launch of the Impact Assessment Study in April 2003. The model will become the centrepiece of a public information facility, once construction work has commenced in 2004. Community consultation Consultation with community groups was ongoing, including the establishment of five reference groups by Arts Queensland. The purpose of this consultation is to gain feedback and advice, and to exchange information throughout the design and documentation process. The groups include the Indigenous Community, the General Community, Equity and Access, Local Business and Transport. Impact Assessment Study The Government released the Impact Assessment Study for the MA-QCC Project for public comment on 9 April 2003. This study forms an integral part of the Project's community consultation strategy. The Study reviewed the likely impacts resulting from the construction, operation and maintenance of the proposed development, and concluded there were no social, environmental, technical or cultural issues that would prevent the project from proceeding. The call for public comments closed on 16 May 2003. A total of 30 public submissions were received, with 24 concerned exclusively with cycling issues. Other submissions raised the issues of the homeless in the surrounding areas, the Indigenous community's needs, and the importance of a proper traffic management plan during the construction phase. The final Impact Assessment Study was submitted to the Minister for Public Works, the Honourable Robert Schwarten, MP, in June for eventual designation of the site as community infrastructure, under the Integrated Planning Act 1997 (Qld). Managing contractors' tender On 2 April 2003, the Project's Steering Committee endorsed a modified, single managing contractor for the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art, the State Library Redevelopment and the site infrastructure works. The contract subsequently adopted a fixed, guaranteed construction sum. On 19 May 2003, four managing contracting firms were formally invited to submit tenders to provide design management services, construction documentation management services and construction management services in relation to the MA-QCC Project. The four firms were Baulderstone Hornibrook Queensland Pty Ltd, Bevis Lend Lease Pty Ltd, Leighton Contractors Pty Ltd and Multiplex Constructions (Qld) Pty Ltd. Tenders closed on 17 June 2003, and the Queensland Government will announce the successful tender for the Project's managing contract in July 2003. Tenders were also called on 4 June for the demolition of the buildings on site. Six tenders were received, and Bellwood Contracting Pty Ltd was subsequently announced as the successful contractor. Demolition will commence in mid July and be complete by mid August.