Dunedin firm wins design contract for museum

Dunedin firm McCoy & Wixon Architects has won the architectural design contract for the $24.6 million redevelopment of the Southland Museum and Art Gallery.

Museum trust board chairman and Invercargill city councillor Darren Ludlow confirmed the Dunedin firm had been picked ahead of Invercargill's McCulloch Architects, which would now act as McCoy and Wixon's local liaison.

Cr Ludlow was unable to say how much McCoy & Wixon would be paid. The firm would get a percentage of the overall project cost and the overall cost would be clearer when the plans were finalised.

The percentage figure was also unclear this week, with Cr Ludlow calling it a contract matter, so unlikely to be revealed.

McCoy & Wixon director Hamish Wixon said he was ecstatic and looking forward to working on the project.

"We really enjoyed working on the Otago Museum and look forward to building on that knowledge and bringing something fresh to Southland." He was also looking forward to working with McCulloch Architects.

Many of the large-scale projects undertaken in New Zealand were done as joint ventures and it was good to have strong local expertise, he said.

McCulloch Architects director John McCulloch said his firm had worked with McCoy & Wixon before and it would be great to work with it again.

"You need more than one point of view to keep the whole design process going. It can get quite complicated so it is good to have various approaches." "The whole office is excited about the project and that enthusiasm is continuing." Both companies presented their designs to the museum trust board on May 22. The board chose the winner on June 18.

McCoy & Wixon's experience with work on the Otago Museum upgrade had really shone through, Cr Ludlow said.

The winning design was a simple concept with a detailed interior that set it apart from the competition.

Cr Ludlow declined to reveal anything more about the design but confirmed museum staff were involved in the selection process.

The design would be available to the public within the next six weeks, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News