Garry Smart, Director, PSA Project
Keeping the Geelong Arts Centre Little Malop Street Redevelopment project on track involves a lot of planning and in this edition of People of the Project, we meet Garry Smart, Director of PSA Project, a firm that works closely with Development Victoria on the planning, programming and progress of this major Victorian build.
“For me,” says Garry, “this building will be a landmark of Geelong that will be enjoyed for years to come. It is exciting to be able to be involved in such a building that will stand proudly in the waterfront city.”
Garry explains that his role can be broken into two phases: design and construction. So, well before the bulldozers arrived on site, Garry was working with the Project Team on developing a master plan that outlined the most efficient sequencing of works.
During the design phase there were many things that needed to be considered to ensure the smooth delivery of the construction phase. These included creating a programme that allowed Development Victoria to test the timing of their business case, as well as reviewing and providing feedback on tenders to assist the selection of the main contractor.
The construction phase, which the project is currently in, involves monitoring the progress of the build to ensure it stays on track to attain the desired results. “One of the biggest challenges we work on is keeping Geelong Arts Centre’s operations continuing while construction is occurring,” said Garry.
Garry says there are many features of this extraordinary building that visitors will enjoy, “There are so many special design moments in this building but if I had to choose just one for visitors to look out for, I’d choose the visual and audio artworks by the four First Nations artists – these are a unique feature of this building and a wonderful acknowledgement to our First Nations people.”
This project shows many people coming together to build an incredible performing arts centre for Geelong, and in Garry’s words, “I am extremely proud to help create a state-of-the-art facility that will be used for many years to come.”
The Geelong Arts Centre Little Malop Street Redevelopment is backed with a $140 million investment from the Victorian Government.