Sarjeant: New gallery wing boost for Whanganui tradies

McMillan & Lockwood Central Region General Manager Rob Pedersen and Sarjeant Gallery Project Director Gaye Batty discuss access to the site during construction.

The new Whanganui District Council voted last week to award the $20 million contract to construct the extension wing of the art gallery to McMillan & Lockwood.

The new wing, to be named Te Pataka o Sir Archie John Te Atawhai Taiaroa, will house new exhibition spaces, a retail shop, café, education studio and a state-of-the-art storage space for the Sarjeant Gallery's art collection.

The contract was awarded to McMillan & Lockwood for several reasons.

The company exhibited the best value, including being Manawatū based, and a commitment to cost minimisation throughout the project to ensure value for money.

The firm will be engaging local sub-contractors and tradies, which stimulates spending in the local economy. During the negotiation phase, McMillan & Lockwood were also willing to share and participate in the final detailed design of the existing Sarjeant Gallery building (early contractor involvement), which has provided valuable input around constructability, preferred methodology and procurement options.

The second stage of the contract to upgrade and refurbish the existing Sarjeant Gallery building will go to the council for approval, planned to be within the next two months once the detailed designs are finalised.

As a nationwide construction company, McMillan & Lockwood have completed construction of more than 400 major projects in New Zealand, including UCOL Whanganui and the refurbishment of Whanganui Hospital in 2008.

McMillan & Lockwood Central Region General Manager Rob Pedersen and Sarjeant Gallery Project Director Gaye Batty step out where the new wing will be located.