Grafton Regional Gallery has won the Ministers Award at the 2022 NSW IPWEA (Institute of Public Works Engineering Australasia)Engineering Excellence Awards which recognise excellence of Local Government and Public Works projects. The award was presented for the gallery's recent refurbishment, which was the first large scale project to use Clarence Valley Council's new Project Management Framework. The project was a collaboration between Clarence Valley Council, Complete Urban, Public Works Advisory and O'Donnell & Hanlon funded by Create NSW as part of the Regional Culture Plan. The $7.6 million in funding was the second highest amount provided in the state under the plan. The gallery reopened on time and on budget in early 2021 - a remarkable achievement given the ongoing Covid restrictions throughout its construction. Gallery director Niomi Sands, who led Council's project management team with Manager Open Spaces and Facilities Peter Birch, said the collaborative process and long term sustainability were key features of the award-winning design. "This was the first large scale project to use Council's new project management framework, and it proves it works," Ms Sands said. "One of the key differences was we were interested in quality stakeholder engagement, which meant that because we stuck to the plan, we came in on budget and within an acceptable timeframe. "We looked at the project as a collaboration. Complete Urban worked with us throughout the project to create the design. "We took along term perspective on how we can be as sustainable as possible, using solar, harvesting water for the toilets, and using the most efficient air conditioning possible. "A lot of the planning was aimed at ensuring the building has a long lifespan. The building also protects our beautiful collection on the new second floor, which was designed in consideration of major flood events."
 As a winning project the Gallery redevelopment will now be put forward for consideration for the National Excellence Awards at the IPWEA Conference in 2024. Council's new mayor Ian Tiley praised the previous council for supporting the project. "I congratulate the elected members of the previous council for backing this great initiative," Cr Tiley said. "It has not only improved what was already a great community asset, but assured Grafton's status as a regional cultural hub long into the future and contributes to our commitment towards net zero emissions." Click here for more information about the gallery and current exhibitions.
 |
