Australian architect appointed to design New Zealand art museum

FJC Studio (formerly FJMT Studio) and New Zealand firms Evatt Martin Architects and Design Tribe have been appointed to design a new art museum in Invercargill at the southern tip of New Zealand's South Island.

The $39.4 million project will create a new 3,550-square-metre facility to replace the existing Southland Museum and Art Gallery Niho o te Taniwha in Queens Park.

"FJC Studio has won an impressive amount of architectural awards in their time. Their many notable designs include the Auckland Art Gallery, Auckland War Memorial Museum and the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney," said Invercargill City Council program director Lee Butcher.

"We are absolutely confident they will deliver Invercargill an architecturally impressive building. Based on the extensive work they have already done, we can expect a modern and visually appealing museum that will make a great addition to our city."

The museum was originally built in 1940 and has had several additions to its structure, including a 1988 steel-framed pyramid that forms the exterior of the current building. The pyramid's structure references the triangular patterns of tāniko, a Māori weaving method.

The existing museum is also home to a sanctuary for the lizard-like tuatara, a reptile endemic to New Zealand.

A new home for the tuatara will be constructed as part of the redevelopment, as will a storage facility for the existing museum's collections.

"We are absolutely thrilled to have been selected as the architects for the new museum," said Evatt Martin principal Neil Martin, on behalf of the project team.

"We are looking forward to spending a lot more time in and around the region, working together with the team and community on this significant project."