RP Infrastructure

The NSW Ministry for the Arts procured the highly significant heritage carriage workshop and blacksmith shop buildings at Eveleigh North, behind Redfern Station, from the State Rail Authority of NSW with the aim to develop a contemporary performing arts centre as the first stage of an arts precinct.

Project Overview

The project required the inclusion of two fully flexible performance spaces for 800 and 450 patrons. The centre also required a foyer, box office, bar and front- and back-of-house amenities, rehearsal and spaces, training rooms, equipment storage, administration offices, a loading dock and car parking.

Our Role

RP Infrastructures’ initial feasibility options study identified performance purposes as the best use for the buildings. Our subsequent business plan and detailed feasibility for the performance centre included research into the contemporary performance sectors in NSW, Australia and internationally. RP Infrastructure then provided direction for the staged growth of the centre, defined an operations model, scoped the functional requirements and developed a detailed cost analysis for the first 10 years of operations. RP Infrastructure was further engaged to manage the design and construction phases.

Key Challenge

The project needed to be delivered in cooperation with three major government stakeholder groups – the then State Rail Authority, the Redfern Waterloo Authority and the client group Arts NSW. These groups had their own specific agendas for the project and had sometimes differing needs. RP Infrastructure chaired the Project Control Group meetings and facilitated the decision-making process between the stakeholders.