The finalists of the Adelaide Contemporary International Design competition were announced today by the Government of South Australia and collaborating groups: Arts South Australia, the Art Gallery of South Australia, and Malcolm Reading Consultants.

The open competition solicited expressions of interest from international architects to design the Adelaide Contemporary, which will house art from around the world in addition to works from the Government of South Australia’s extensive collection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island art. A core component of the government’s initiatives to transform Adelaide into a creative hub and tourist destination, the project includes a public sculpture park, art galleries, and education, research, and public engagement spaces. It will be located on the edge of the former Royal Adelaide Hospital site, adjacent to the Adelaide Botanic Garden. The project will complete Adelaide’s expanded North Terrace “cultural boulevard.” 

Out of the 107 teams (which represent 525 individual firms and five continents) to enter, the following six have been shortlisted:

• Adjaye Associates (London, UK) and BVN (Sydney, Australia)
• Bjarke Ingels Group (Copenhagen, Denmark) and JPE Design Studio (Adelaide, Australia)
• David Chipperfield Architects (London, UK) and SJB Architects (Sydney, Australia)
• Diller Scofidio + Renfro (New York, USA) and Woods Bagot (Adelaide, Australia)
• HASSELL (Melbourne, Australia) and SO-IL (New York, USA)
•  Khai Liew (Adelaide, Australia), Office of Ryue Nishizawa (Tokyo, Japan) and Durbach Block Jaggers (Sydney, Australia)

Each international firm must partner with an Australian practice for the second round. The teams will develop concept designs that will be revealed to the public in an April 2018 exhibition. The jury, chaired by Australian arts administrator Michael Lynch, will decide the winner in May 2018.