National Gallery of Australia capital works program
RPS’ project management team is overseeing a series of capital works projects at the National Gallery of Australia.
An extensive program of upgrades
Based in Canberra, the National Gallery is one of Australia’s leading visual arts institutions. It is currently undergoing a significant program of upgrades to improve and preserve the Gallery’s heritage building. The critical works include lighting, electrical, signage and mechanical infrastructure upgrades.
In 2021, the Gallery engaged RPS to assist with the delivery of the capital projects valued at over $87 million of works in various stages of planning, design, and delivery, with another $20 million in early planning.
RPS’ project managers are working in collaboration with various stakeholders and regulatory bodies to ensure the upgrades are undertaken with minimal impact to the Gallery’s public exhibition schedule.
Onsite at the Gallery
Taron Scholte (Senior Technician, National Gallery), with Tom Gilbert and Kacie O’Sullivan (RPS) inspect LED upgrades in the Gallery spaces.
And, Matthew Hanns (Senior Technician, National Gallery) and Dane Kosky (RPS) undertake inspections as part of upgrades to higher efficiency boiler units.
Image credit: courtesy of the National Gallery
RPS project managing phased upgrades
RPS is providing project management support across three phases of upgrades:
The first phase of strategic projects includes the replacement of critical equipment reaching ‘end of life’, such as the original dehumidifiers and boilers. It also includes the delivery and implementation of a new Building Management System, which aims to improve processes including temperature and humidity control to best conserve the art collections.
The second phase includes upgrading the Gallery’s lighting systems to a new, more efficient and more sustainable LED system. The project will not only enhance the visitor experience and the care of the collection, but also provide a more energy-efficient lighting system and reduce the Gallery’s carbon footprint.
The third phase includes a wide range of projects that focus on improving the National Gallery’s safety for staff and patrons, upgrading end-of-life engineering services, addressing high priority waterproofing issues, and rectification of damage sustained during hail events.
The RPS team has also been responsible for ensuring the Gallery’s heritage and moral rights obligations are managed as part of project planning and delivery, in addition to the standard project management activities such as management of contracts, procurement, schedules, and budgets.
RPS’s involvement in the National Gallery capital works upgrades is continuing, as the Gallery also builds an in-house capital works team, with construction activities expected to continue for several years to come.
