Welcome to CentreStage - An exhibit of designs for Western Australia's new state-of-the-art performance venue

In June 2005 the Minister for Culture and the Arts Sheila McHale launched CentreStage – an international competition for the design of a new performing arts venue.

The venue to be built in the Perth Cultural Centre on the corner of William and Roe Streets Northbridge, is the first large-scale, purpose built performing arts venue to be constructed in the city centre in more than 30 years.

The call to architects worldwide received an initial response of 137 registrations, with 40 firms submitting their conceptual designs in Stage 1 of the competition.

A jury panel comprising Professor Geoffrey London, WA Government Architect; Professor Adèle Naudé Santos, Dean of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Professor Leon van Schaik, Innovation Professor at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology; Mr Gus Ferguson, Director of Ferguson Architects (Perth); Michael Lynch, Chief Executive, South Bank Centre (London); and Mr Alastair Bryant, Director General, Department of Culture and the Arts; deliberated over the 40 designs and selected a short list of five.

In November 2005 the jury met again, this time to choose the winner from the schematic designs received in Stage 2 of the competition. This was followed by an announcement by the Minister of the successful firm – Kerry Hill Architects – who was awarded the contract for the design of the new performing art venue.

CentreStage was an all round success with all entries demonstrating architectural innovation and design excellence. The venue is expected to be completed end of 2008. We invite you to view all of the entries received in the competition.

Enter the Virtual Design Exhibition

Back to the CentreStage website

We welcome your feeback about the competition and/or designs submitted.