Len Lye Centre

The Len Lye Centre in New Plymouth is New Zealand’s first purpose-built museum dedicated to a single artist. Designed by Patterson Associates, the striking stainless-steel façade mirrors the sky and city around it, creating a constantly changing public artwork. The project was central to strengthening New Plymouth’s identity as a cultural destination.

Clelands was engaged as head contractor to deliver the technically demanding build. Our team worked closely with architects and engineers to transform the ambitious design into reality. The project involved advanced construction techniques, including precision forming of the curved stainless-steel cladding and meticulous detailing to achieve seamless reflections.

The Len Lye Centre is artistically, spiritually and physically brilliant. The architect Andrew Patterson and contractors Clelands Construction and Rivet delivered on the dream. They have actually done what they said they would do. A simple but rare skill.
John Sergeant, Opinion Columnist
Type
Commercial
Function
Art Gallery
Construction Date
2015
Location
New Plymouth
Awards
It has been celebrated for both its design and its contribution to the arts, winning the Creative New Zealand Excellence Award for Best Creative Place at the LGNZ Excellence Awards and named a finalist at the World Architecture Festival Awards.
The stainless-steel façade captures the changing light and sky, creating a living artwork that honours Len Lye’s vision. Inside, 14-metre-high precast concrete columns form a dramatic colonnade, an engineering achievement in both scale and detail.

The Process

Building the Len Lye Centre called for precision and innovation. The stainless-steel façade was designed to act like a theatre curtain, reflecting light and movement in tribute to Len Lye’s art. Each panel was specially made, curved with millimetre accuracy, and installed using Taranaki’s strong tradition of steel craftsmanship.

Inside, twenty precast concrete columns, each 14 metres tall, were lifted into place as single units. Their distinctive crinkle-cut profiles form a dramatic colonnade and were a major engineering achievement. This work required careful transport, accurate placement, and close coordination with specialist suppliers.

The design was inspired by classical temples, reinterpreted with Pacific influences. Visitors move through ramped entrances and vestibules into the main gallery, with education spaces, archives, and collection storage all carefully integrated.

The Centre was also linked to the existing Govett-Brewster Art Gallery. This meant strengthening the old cinema building, upgrading its services, and aligning it with the new structure while achieving museum-grade standards.

Clelands managed the project on a tight central city site, ensuring safety and minimising disruption. By coordinating specialist trades and carefully sequencing the build, we delivered a complex and highly acclaimed building to the highest standard.

This project was really about the art of construction. It was technically challenging and difficult to build, but highly fulfilling.
Martin Stephens, then Director, Clelands Construction
Gallery space
Specialist lighting and acoustic design create museum-grade conditions for showcasing Len Lye’s collection.

Connection to Govett-Brewster
The new Centre is seamlessly linked to the Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, uniting old and new in a continuous visitor experience.