The West Australian Art Gallery

Art meets function – an impressive solution

The West Australian Art Gallery is located in Northbridge and has a retail store within the building.

This project had a particularly tight time schedule, as the entire design, manufacturing and installation process had to be completed within three weeks for its official opening.

Issues and Challenges

Diverse Shopfitters were invited to tender on the refurbishments for the retail store at the entrance of the gallery. This project had a particularly tight time schedule, as the entire design, manufacturing and installation process had to be completed within three weeks for its official opening. This project posed a number of logistical challenges. The Art Gallery is located in the city and transport, delivery and loading areas were very restricted. Diverse Shopfitters’ highly effective and comprehensive project management approach was instrumental in meeting the required deadline and budget.

Solution

Diverse Shopfitters were able to work within the restrictions of the project. The staff had to employ a number of innovative strategies to meet the logistical constraints. The Fast-track system was employed to meet the strict timelines. Using this unique process, the templates were laid on-site, allowing electricians and other sub-trades to undertake their work while the fixtures and other modules were manufactured and assembled off-site. The materials fixtures were supplied by Corian and manufactured in Melamine. The façade was constructed to appear as it was made from one piece of material. During the installation, the Diverse Shopfitters team helped the Art Gallery staff to relocate their retail store to the foyer of the gallery to allow them to continue trading as normal.

Benefits

The completed project was delivered before the deadline, allowing the Art Gallery to conduct their official opening at the agreed time. Diverse Shopfitters’ off-site manufacturing and assembly process minimised disruption, which allowed the retail store to continue trading during the installation process. Given the high-traffic nature of the Art Gallery’s retail operations, the emphasis was to create a durable and versatile solution that complemented the aesthetics of the overall building and its interiors. The result of the project was an aesthetically-pleasing retail presence that was also designed for optimal workflow efficiency.