Sarjeant redevelopment: Earthquake strengthening complete at Sarjeant Gallery

The black granite cladding is being attached to the outside of the Sarjeant Gallery's new wing, Te Pataka o Sir Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa.

The Sarjeant Gallery Redevelopment Project is making steady progress towards its much-anticipated opening later this year, with seismic strengthening of the historic Sarjeant Gallery now complete.

This is a significant milestone for the redevelopment project, for which a key priority was to address structural and safety issues with the 104-year-old heritage building, a Whanganui icon and home to the gallery’s nationally significant art collection.

An innovative post-tensioned cable-strengthening system has now been completed within the building’s brick structure, between the external cladding of Ōamaru stone and the ornate interior plasterwork.

This involved inserting stainless steel bars through the existing outer layer of stone blocks from the roof to the basement with a concrete diaphragm on the roof and a concrete foundation in the basement. Brick ties stitch the interior layer of bricks to the outer masonry walls.

This system brings the building up to the required New Building Standard while still preserving and restoring the magnificent, architecturally designed gallery – a Category 1 heritage-listed building and national treasure.

Construction on both buildings – the heritage gallery and the new Te Pātaka o Sir Te Atawhai Archie John Taiaroa wing – is now complete to first fix.

“First fix” refers to all the internal work that happens between laying down the foundations and putting plaster on the internal walls.

There is now an extensive amount of work to do to complete the solid and decorative plastering of the heritage gallery walls, and this is already under way. It’s a time-consuming process that needs to be done with care, and attention to the original design.

Meanwhile, in the new wing, glazing is complete, installation of HVAC (air conditioning) plant and services is under way on the roof and the painting of interior partitioning walls is 90 per cent complete.

We are completing the design for the gallery’s cafe, for installation by the main contractor, and working through options for commercial arrangements for the cafe’s operation.

Installation of the granite facade of the new building has commenced. Keeping up with the programme schedule for the granite work and the solid plastering means finding sufficient local labour, and this is proving to be a little challenging.

If these works take longer than anticipated, there will be a flow-on effect for the project timeline.

With this in mind, we have revised the construction completion date to June 30, 2024 and have adjusted our cost forecast to a mid-range of $69,277,014, with the highest-risk scenario at $71,922,000. Current expenditure to date is sitting at $59,284,156.

Final commissioning and the return of staff and fittings to the gallery will take place over several months – ahead of the official opening in the last quarter of 2024.

With the gallery recently profiled as one of National Geographic’s top 20 “best cultural spots in the world for 2024″, the opening is sure to attract significant interest throughout a season of events and celebrations.

Contributions from central government, grants and private donors have met more than 77 per cent of the cost of the Sarjeant Gallery redevelopment. Fundraising for the project is ongoing.

Gaye Batty is the project director of the Sarjeant Gallery Redevelopment Project.