West Gippsland Arts Centre
Baw Baw Shire Council
Warragul VIC, in Gunaikurnai country
2018
$11.8m contract value
The West Gippsland Arts Centre (WGAC) redevelopment has renewed the fine 1980s sculptural building with expanded foyer areas, functional and infrastructure improvements and a substantial new civic forecourt.
The project increased the theatre capacity from 500 to 750 through new balcony seating.
Demolition of a disused building enabled the foyer façade to be made transparent to the new forecourt, improving address and entry opportunities. The new café and bar embrace the edge of the forecourt, providing much needed social space to animate the centre during the day.
WGAC has become a major focal point for community and regional economic development.
Photos: Dianna Snape and James Newman
“‘They are very customer focused, their work is responsive to our needs and they show an excellent understanding of these, including an appreciation of the budget constraints.
They are innovative in their design solutions and they show a commitment to the project and go well ‘above and beyond’. We got a premium, very high-quality result from the work especially considering the limitations of our budget. This was a result of creative solutions that gave maximum impact from very focused design treatments and smart materials choices. Most important to our project was integration of the new ‘upgrade’ with respectful treatment of the existing architecture and this was managed extremely well by WRA.’
— Rob Robson, Manager, West Gippsland Arts Centre
and former VAPAC President ”
