Eromanga Natural History Museum takes strides to completion
Quilpie Shire Council and Outback Gondwana Foundation recently hosted an Acknowledgment of Funding Event for Eromanga Natural History Museum.
The Eromanga Natural History Museum houses a fascinating and highly significant paleontological collection from South West Queensland. In 2018, Architectus was appointed to design the first stage of a new facility to share the Museum’s activities and collection with the public and to provide research facilities for staff and visiting researchers.
The celebratory event acknowledged the funding received from Building Better Regions Fund – Round 2, Building Our Regions, Growing Tourism Infrastructure Fund, Quilpie Shire Council and Outback Gondwana Foundation. Architectus Associate, Stephanie Donigi attended the event along with honoured guests Michael Healy, Assistant Minister for Tourism Industry Development Queensland, Daniel Gschwind, CEO, Queensland Tourism Industry Council, Denise Brown, CEO, Outback Queensland, and Stuart Mackenzie, Mayor, Quilpie Shire Council.
The Eromanga Natural History Museum sits in Boonthamurra Country and houses a fascinating collection of Australia’s prehistory. In 2018, Architectus was appointed to design the first stages of the new museum complex. The design responds to the client’s vision for a contemporary concrete building with enduring qualities, a building that embraces the aspiration to become a natural history museum of international standing.
Stephanie Donigi brought extensive experience to the project, in particular her learnings from working on the PNG National Museum & Art Gallery. Stephanie understood the importance of designing and documenting remote buildings as a way of ensuring that construction would not be hindered by remote access, especially when trades needed to revisit the site on multiple occasions. The approach also involved developing a close working relationship with the contractor so that any issues raised on site could be dealt with efficiently while maintaining the design intent. The project builders, New State Builders, are proud of their work, and the project provided locals with the opportunity to upskill.
“The founders were thrilled when they walked through the completed space for the first time; they were emotional seeing their dream become a physical reality. They’ve contributed to their remote community’s cultural and economic fabric. And helping them achieve this is profoundly rewarding” said Stephanie Donigi.
The Eromanga Natural History Museum is a simple yet elegant design of enduring quality. It is a confident concrete form that sits comfortably in its surrounding landscape. The design of the building enhances the visitor experience and provides a supportive and inspiring work environment for staff and volunteers.
Architectus is proud to be helping the Museum realise its dream of becoming a state-of-the-art natural history museum with the future development of the main gallery space.
Learn more about the project here.
