Forrester Gallery extension

We built a three-storey extension to the rear of the Historic Place Category 1 listed Forrester Gallery, increasing the gallery’s exhibition, storage and education space.

The extension sits on piled foundations and concrete ground beams and slab, with a steel framed structure, a steel and concrete composite floor system, and Oamaru stone cladding. A full-height glazed atrium connects the extension with the existing building, creating a clear transition between old and new.

Careful structural integration and strict heritage controls were required to tie the extension into the original 1884 structure, with another listed building right next door that also needed to be considered. The constrained site required disciplined logistics, sequencing and coordination, with a Total Station used to check that every measurement was millimetre perfect.

Our team worked with the Council to value engineer the project, bolstering their contingency to ensure the project came in on budget. Our key suggestion was a more cost effective ceiling system. A federated BIM model came in handy for services coordination and clash detection, especially through the redesigned ceiling.

With the site a 90-minute drive from our Dunedin base, we didn’t have our usual network of local waste management partners. The Waitaki District Council facilities team, local contractors and the community proved more than willing to find new homes for any offcuts, helping us achieve an excellent 86% waste diversion rate.

Working alongside Council, the consultants and the wider project team was a genuinely collaborative experience, with everyone working together to deliver a facility the whole community can be proud of. The inaugural exhibition included the first 20 metres of the local tartan, which we donated to commemorate the project.