Construction of Melbourne’s new art gallery The Fox: NGV Contemporary set to begin

Construction is set to begin next week on Melbourne’s new contemporary art and design gallery The Fox as part of a $1.7bn Arts Precinct transformation.

Melbourne’s new contemporary gallery and urban garden that will reshape the heart of the arts precinct is set to begin construction next week.

The Herald Sun can reveal that Lendlease has won the contract to build The Fox: NGV Contemporary as well as part of the deck structure for a new connecting garden called Laak Boorndap.

The design of the 30,000 square metre art gallery, which will sit behind the existing NGV and is the largest of its type in Australia, includes a sweeping rooftop terrace as well as new hospitality and events spaces.

The Fox: NGV Contemporary will begin construction in Southbank. Picture: Supplied

Laak Boorndap will be an 18,000 sqm garden with biodiverse planting, sculptures, and places designed for relaxation and rest.

The Lendlease contract to build The Fox is part of a wider $1.7bn Arts Precinct transformation, which also includes the redevelopment of the Arts Centre’s Theatres Building and is scheduled to open in 2028.

The Government says the ambitious design will create a continuous arts, civic and cultural precinct from Federation Square to Southbank.

The gallery includes a sweeping rooftop terrace as well as new hospitality and events spaces. Picture: Supplied

The gallery is set to be a “global destination for the arts”. Picture: Supplied

Creative Industries Minister, Colin Brooks, said the start of construction was an exciting milestone for the project, and it would include more than half a million hours for cadets, trainees and apprentices to get experience on a major piece of infrastructure.

“It’s fantastic to see work starting on site and the role Victorian construction workers, tradies, apprentices, trainees and cadets will play in bringing this city-shaping project to life,” he said.

“The NGV continues to demonstrate the extraordinary appetite for contemporary art in our state, with thousands flocking to the Yayoi Kusama exhibition every day.

The art gallery will span a total of 30,000 square metres. Picture: Supplied

The development will feature Laak Boorndap an 18,000 sqm garden with biodiverse planting. Picture: Supplied

“This new landmark gallery will open up even more opportunities and drawcard experiences for Victorians – and our visitors.”

Director of the NGV, Tony Ellwood, said The Fox would be “the premier institution in Australia for audiences to experience, learn and enjoy groundbreaking new work by contemporary practitioners in Victoria’s own purpose-built, state-of-the-art gallery”.

The gallery will be the largest of it’s kind in Australia. Picture: Supplied

Lendlease’s executive general manager for Victoria construction, Bill Alexandrakis, said the company’s experienced team would work alongside the project and design teams “to create a celebrated, city-shaping cultural landmark that will create a new global destination for the arts”.

To prepare for the new build, the project “deconstructed” the former CUB building in Southbank, with 95 per cent of materials reused and diverted from landfill.

Works inside the State Theatre also commenced last year, ahead of upgrades to the Theatres Building.

Originally published as Construction of Melbourne’s new art gallery The Fox: NGV Contemporary set to begin