Architectus, Danish architects Henning Larsen, and international theatre designers ARUP will design the Canberra Theatre Centre redevelopment, the ACT Government announced today.

Architectus were responsible for the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) and the redevelopment of the heritage-listed State Library of Victoria. Henning Larsen designed the Harpa Concert Hall Reykjavik, Iceland, and the Royal Danish Opera, Copenhagen. Arup were the theatre designers for the Harpa Concert Hall, and were part of the design team for the Hedberg, Hobart.

“These internationally recognised architecture firms demonstrated they had the best plan to deliver a theatre centre that integrates with the existing landscape and future vision for a thriving Canberra Civic and Cultural District,” Chief Minister Andrew Barr and arts minister Tara Cheyne said.

• Three designers in running for Canberra Theatre project (24 November 2022)
• Canberra Theatre redevelopment update (10 November 2022)
• Arts capital or halls for hire? Drama over government’s new arts policy (29 July 2022)

The consortium is made up of local, national, and international specialists in innovative theatre and architectural design.

The Design Partner will establish a local office and partner with Canberra’s industry leaders.

The team’s winning tender included early preliminary designs that depict a new theatre building with a bold and sophisticated façade treatment that references Canberra’s formal modernist and brutalist landmarks.

The ACT Government thanked the three architect consortia who submitted a tender for the project in a very competitive process.

“The quality of submissions, care, and passion shown by each team to help us lead the design of a transformed Canberra Theatre Centre were outstanding,” Mr Barr and Ms Cheyne said.

Stakeholders and the community will be consulted later this year.

Design, consultation, and approval processes will continue into 2024, and will inform planning for the project’s construction phase.

Sign up for updates on the Canberra Theatre Redevelopment project at builtforcbr.act.gov.au