The Art Gallery of NSW’s A$344 million Sydney Modern expansion is paused as the search for a construction company is reopened.
According to ABC, the contractor Lendlease has withdrawn its initial bid to construct the project due to concerns over the budget.
Lendlease was the last remaining bidder in the initial tender process and is reported to have submitted a new bid.
Sydney Modern expansion
The expansion, announced in 2013 and designed by SANAA, will double the gallery’s size. Initial plans were for the work to be completed in 2021 in time for the gallery’s 150th anniversary.
Initial plans included two World War II oil tanks re-purposed as contemporary art spaces.
The expanded Gallery campus will link up with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House, State Library of NSW, CBD and Woolloomooloo.
Tender process reopened
This is the second major project for Lendlease and the NSW government that is in limbo. ABC reported that Lendlease had been dropped from the Sydney Football Stadium redevelopment.
The tender process has now been re-opened and construction is planned to begin in 2019.
