The Victorian Government and the National Gallery of Victoria today launched a design competition to select an Australian architectural team to design the new purpose-built, twenty-first century gallery, NGV Contemporary.
Located at 77 Southbank Boulevard, Melbourne, the new gallery will be dedicated to showcasing contemporary art, design, fashion and architecture of local, national and international significance in the heart of a transformed Melbourne Arts Precinct. Once completed, the gallery will span 30,000 square metres, making it the largest public gallery of contemporary art and design in Australia.
Building on the growth in audiences attending ground-breaking exhibitions and installations of contemporary art, design and architecture, NGV Contemporary will elevate Melbourne’s reputation as a thriving and dynamic destination for art, design and architecture in our region. The NGV Contemporary Design Competition seeks visionary, sustainable and dynamic design approaches for a landmark building that celebrates the central role of art and design in contemporary life and culture.
In an unprecedented move for a competition of this scale and civic profile, eligibility to enter the competition is open exclusively to Australian architectural teams, offering an unparalleled platform to showcase Australia’s world-leading design and architecture industries.
NGV Contemporary will connect to the Southbank neighbourhood and St Kilda Road through an expansive 18,000 square metres of new elevated public gardens.
A bird’s eye view of the Melbourne Arts Precinct from Southbank Boulevard – Image © HASSELL + SO-IL 
The new 18,000 square metre public garden facing south – Image © HASSELL + SO-IL 
NGV Contemporary viewed from the new public garden – Image © HASSELL + SO-IL
In turn, the NGV Contemporary Design Competition presents an extraordinary city-changing opportunity to envision the ways in which NGV Contemporary will connect architecturally to the wider Melbourne Arts Precinct and unite Melbourne’s creative heart, joining north to south, and reimagining the very fabric of the city.
Registration for the NGV Contemporary Design Competition is now open for Australian Architects, Architectural Companies and Architectural Partnerships. Registration is a prerequisite to participating in the competition. Collaborative and multidisciplinary teams with a breadth of experience, knowledge and skills are strongly encouraged to apply. Source and images Courtesy of NGV Contemporary.