Burnie Cultural Precinct Architect Appointed

Published on 18 January 2022

Another key milestone in the Cultural Precinct project has been reached with the appointment of Xsquared Architects.

Work on draft architectural concept and design for the new Burnie Cultural Centre will now begin.

This follows an announcement of a new vision for Burnie's cultural precinct by Council in early 2021, where the city’s art gallery and museum would combine with its function centre to create a new cultural space.

The proposed new vision and model for culture and creativity in our city was presented to the community in the form of a business case prepared by Hirst Projects which was made available for community consultation in July 2021.

Community feedback was considered and an amended business case was endorsed by the Council at its August 2021 meeting.

An architectural brief was prepared and architects were invited to tender for professional services in October 2021.

Burnie City Council Deputy Mayor Giovanna Simpson said “I am excited to see us reach this next milestone in the project. The Cultural Precinct will be more than just a place. It will be a set of experiences that represent and engage the residents of Burnie, and those that work in and visit our city.

“We are excited to be partnering with Xsquared Architects on this project. Not only are they one of Tasmania’s leading architectural firms delivering projects local, nationally and internationally, but they are passionate about sustainability practices – which very much aligns with the Council’s commitment to environmental responsibility outlined in the four year Council Plan 2022-2025.

“Council have committed to ongoing consultation with the whole community in relation to the redevelopment of the cultural precinct and the development and implementation of a cultural strategy for Burnie.”

“The next round of community consultation will be undertaken upon completion of draft architectural concept and designs.”

“As an indicative timeframe, we anticipate that at this time, the overall refurbishment of the building will be completed in 2023. With further external precinct works such as plaza landscaping, links to the CBD and Library and external building upgrades to follow as separate phases of the project, as funding is made available.”

For more information about the Cultural Precinct project, including the Hirst business case, community consultation updates and key project milestones visit www.burnie.net/culturalprecinct