David Walsh, the Australian professional multimillionaire gambler, art collector, businessman and founder of Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), has announced his plans to build an elevated-five-star iconic hotel as an expansion of MONA in Berridale, Australia. The project is developed by an Australian architecture firm Fender Katsalidis Architects. 

The new hotel- called HOMO - composed of an acronym of HOtel MOna - will be developed as the next phase of growth for the museum and it will not only function as a luxury hotel, but also will include an art anti-casino, an amphitheatre, conference and retail spaces, a giant library, a playground and a new spa treatment centre.

It will be built from the top down on a suspension bridge and painted with the colour of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Dressed with an orange-coloured skeleton, the HOMO will include 172 rooms by proposing a number of special 'experience' rooms developed by a selection of internationally renowned artists. It is reported that an excavation of the site is 4.5 times larger than the existing museum’s excavation.

The HOMO's rooms will face the northeast will enjoy a view of Kunanyi/Mount Wellington, while rooms facing southeast will look up the river towards Claremont and Otago Bay.

"I liked building a museum that was in a sense critical of the museum industry … a piece of commentary," David Walsh said. "Now I am what I used to criticise. I didn’t see it coming," David Walsh told the Guardian newspaper. 

Library, part of the proposed HOMO development

"In all honesty, I would rather not do this sort of thing … I’ve now moved into a world that I don’t understand, and that’s the nature of risk and innovation, I hope … for example, I’ve been told not to say things, and now I don’t say them. That used to not happen," he continued.

"We’re going to charge you a fortune," he said. "You’ll pay because either you’re easily deluded, or because it’s spectacular," he explained.

The building will also consist of an art-of-the-state conference centre, a 1075 seat theatre, some extra gallery spaces, an extremely expensive health spa with a three-storey circular library to house David’s extensive collection of literature.

"This library could have the same impact as the present museum," said David Walsh. "I’ve been collecting documents, books, for a lot longer than I’ve been collecting art – I’ve got some really good stuff."

Amphitheatre, part of the proposed HOMO development

The mega-skeleton hotel will house an outdoor stage and amphitheatre with playground, which will be designed by textile artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam. A restaurant, conference centre and spa will also be situated on-site. A giant trampoline-y thing, woven or spun by a Canadian-Japanese artist Toshiko Horiuchi MacAdam is added to the children's playground. 

Atrium, part of the proposed HOMO development

David Walsh is also planning to add an art "anti-casino", which will be a private, high-limited and pokies-free that will challenge to art and design, but the details about this "anti-casino" are not revealed yet.

"Anti-casino", part of the proposed HOMO development

"My proposition is that art can never be compromised," he said, when announcing another new feature of the outdoor space: a children’s sculpture by Tom Otterness. "[Otterness’] career was incredibly compromised – when he was an arts student, he shot a dog and videod it, and thought that was art."

Some expansions for the MONA are still underway on the site. David Walsh will submit his application to Glenorchy City Council later this year, followed by extensive public consultation. If the plans are approved by the council, construction work is expected to take three years. It is expected to complete in 2022.  

All images © Fender Katsalidis Architects

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