The Otago Settlers Museum has let a $350,000 contract for the construction of "new look" exhibition cases, which will play a key role in the museum's $38 million redevelopment.
Museum exhibitions team leader Jennifer Evans said the state-of-the-art cases would provide enhanced viewing of exhibits in galleries throughout much of the museum.
And their construction, which had already begun, was an exciting step forward for the overall redevelopment project, she said.
The redevelopment has included construction of a specialised storage building, and will free up a great deal of former museum storage space to use for artefact display purposes.
Dunedin business Zeal Steel Ltd has been awarded the contract to build 35 cases.
The overall museum redevelopment is due to be completed late this year.
Zeal Steel manager Lawrie Forbes, who co-owns the business with Craig McNaughton, said staff at the company and other subcontractors were "absolutely thrilled" to be working on the project, which would enable high quality viewing of the museum's historical treasures.
Mr Forbes was honoured to be helping to present to the public "part of Dunedin's history" in this way, but was also mindful the contract involved a big responsibility.
The new display cases would not only bring the audience close to museum treasures but will also provide strong, if unobtrusive, protection.
The cases, which would be assembled on site, would incorporate nearly 10 tonnes of glass, about three tonnes of aluminium and about two and a-half tonnes of steel.
One of the individual cases would weigh about a tonne, with some others weighing about 200kg each.
Ms Evans said the 35 cases would appear at the museum between mid next month and the end of June.
They were funded through a $578,000 grant which the Lottery Grants Board had made to the museum late last year.
Additional cases, also funded by the Lottery grant, would also be required, including to display artefacts in the museum's new temporary exhibition gallery, in the former bus station garage area, at the south end of the museum complex, Ms Evans said.
