The demolition of the Southland Museum and Art Gallery building is nearing completion, with work expected to be complete within the coming weeks.

Deconstruction of the pyramid building, which started in May, has seen the complete removal of roofing panels and the pyramid structure, as well as near-complete removal of the brick buildings underneath.

Senior Project Manager Haydyn Taylor said the team were focusing on crushing and removing concrete on the west side of the site, as well as tidying the site for the new museum construction to begin.

“We’re still on track for completion in August, and it’s been an interesting process watching the building come down so far,” he said.

“We have been able to carefully salvage much of the old building’s materials, which we aim to recycle or reuse. The original 1940 Building Naming lintel from the Southland Museum has been carefully removed and relocated to the Tisbury storage facility for safekeeping.”

Next steps for the project were to reveal the updated building design for Te Unua Museum of Southland, which was due in late July, Taylor said.

To follow the progress of the museum project, visit project1225.co.nz