Collaboration at Its Core – NGV Contemporary Shortlist Announced

John Wardle Architects, Field, Angelo Candalepas and Associates, and Open Weave have been shortlisted in the NGV Contemporary Design Competition. These four leading architectural and multi-disciplinary teams will now progress to the final stage of conceptual development for the largest museum of contemporary art and design in Australia, NGV Contemporary.

Located in the heart of the reimagined Melbourne Arts Precinct in Southbank, the planned 10,000 square metres of large-scale and flexible gallery spaces builds upon NGV’s role in the promotion of local and international art and design at its existing galleries – NGV International and The Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square. It will also enable NGV to present works of a scale not currently possible at its existing sites. With a focus on contemporary art, design, fashion and architecture of local, national and international significance, the new museum promises to be an exciting addition to Victoria’s renowned arts sector.

Open to Australian teams exclusively, the competition enhances NGV’s commitment to championing Australian architecture and design. “This design competition offers an extraordinary opportunity to support our country’s local design and architecture sector,” says NGV Director Tony Ellwood. Each of the four shortlisted teams comprises a diverse array of design professionals including architects, interior designers, urban planners, design consultants, engineers and more, harnessed to conceptualise the complex and nuanced brief.

The John Wardle Architects team includes OCULUS, Pierce Widera, Searle x Waldron Architecture, Greenshoot Consulting, Hecker Guthrie, Hodyl & Co, Atelier Ten, WSP, Steensen Varming, Fabio Ongarato Design, Phillip Chun, L’Observatoire International and Mott MacDonald. Field’s team comprises Architectus, Edition Office, Durbach Block Jaggers, Openwork, Daniel Browning, Karen Milward, Lovell Chen, WSP, Finding Infinity, Surface Design, Speirs Major and Art Processors.

Angelo Candalepas and Associates has assembled Aspect Studios, Carr, Andy Fergus Design Strategy, BoardGrove Architects, Richard Stampton Architects, Steensen Varming, Mott MacDonald, TTW, Affinity Fire Engineering, Freeman Ryan Design, AX Interactive and Art of Fact. Open Weave is a collaboration between Grimshaw, Winwood Mckenzie, Baracco Wright, McGregor Coxall Australia, Foolscap, Relative Projects, 20-20 Studio, Flux Consultants, AECOM, Eckersley O’Callaghan, 2X4 Inc and Paul Memmott.

The shortlisted concepts were selected by the NGV Contemporary Design Competition Jury for their innovation, consideration of sustainability and connection to place, and the winning design team will be announced in early 2022.