Melbourne Arts Centre to undergo major transformation
An additional $241 million will go towards the Melbourne Arts Precinct Transformation project, which will see more than 11,000 jobs created over the life of the build.
The additional funding from the Victorian Government brings the total investment to $1.7 billion.
The upgrade will include two new restaurants and bars at the northern end of 18,000 square metres of new elevated public parkland connecting Hamer Hall to the new NGV Contemporary.
The State Theatre will undergo its most significant refurbishment since it was built – improving accessibility, making seating more comfortable and upgrading acoustics.
To ensure that the show can go on, the project will also upgrade back of house facilities, build new rehearsal spaces and create two new loading docks.
Technology at the theatre will be overhauled with new state-of-the-art lighting, sound system upgrades and new live streaming capabilities.
Works will also be carried out on the building’s uniquely engineered foundation and basement structure, upgrading decades-old corrosion prevention systems.