Christchurch Art Gallery


artgallerymain The new Christchurch Art Gallery completed in April 2003 was the first custom designed art museum built in New Zealand in 50 years, it has updated the existing inadequate Robert McDougall gallery providing four times the exhibition space, a capability to better accommodate visiting international exhibitions and an ability to display more of the large community owned permanent collection.

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The new gallery has quickly become a landmark building in the city. Clad with split face bluestone panels and a flowing glass and metal sculpture wall frontage with curved pools of water at its base. The building overlooks a large outdoor area including a sculpture garden, trees, water features and recreational space.

The gallery design involves innovative architectural, structural and services solutions, has a total internal floor area of 6,300m2 providing educational activity areas, reference and study libraries, a multi purpose auditorium, restaurant, merchandising facilities, storage, underground parking for 190 cars and 3,000m2 of flexible exhibition space in nine separate areas and on three levels.

Total project budget is $40 million.

The Team

Client Christchurch City Council
Quantity Surveying / Cost Control Rawlinsons
Project Managers Carson Group
Architects Buchan Group
Structural Engineers Holmes Consulting
Contractor C Lund & Son

Rawlinsons Involvement

Rawlinsons were an integral part of the Art Gallery project control group from the earliest stages with the Christchurch City Council and the Carson Group recognising that Rawlinsons skills and track record with budget and financial control were essential for the successful delivery of this iconic building.

Our involvement in the initial feasibility and planning stages encompassed establishing the budget and evaluation of the five competition short-listed designs with comparative cost estimating of sketch designs and continued with procurement advice, estimating, cost planning and value management advice during the design phase through to schedule preparation, evaluation of tenders, cashflow forecasting and financial administration and control of the contract during the tender and construction phases.