A $12 million government project to build a conservatory at the Australian National Botanic Gardens is likely to be delayed, after the contracted builder went into voluntary administration.
Canberra firm Project Coordination was appointed to build the 17-metre-tall "floating cube" in 2021.
To be called Ian Potter National Conservatory, the building will display the largest collection of Australian tropical plants in the world and will also act as a research facility.
Glass and concrete will be used to give the appearance of a see-through box floating above the ground.
The project was expected to be completed in late-2022 but COVID-19 and heavy rainfall had delayed the build.
The conservatory was most recently on track to open this June and hundreds of plants had already been flown into Canberra from around Australia.
Further delays can now be expected after Project Coordination entered voluntary administration in March, after 50 years of operation in the ACT.
The company is estimated to owe more than $20 million to about 200 creditors.
Parks Australia, the federal government department that manages the Botanic Gardens, is in contact with administrators RSM Australia, a spokesperson confirmed.
"Construction has been under way since mid-2021 and the project is over half way to completion," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson would not confirm how long the project is expected to be delayed or if a new builder would be appointed.
However it understood volunteers at the gardens were told the conservatory would be "delayed considerably".
The project was mostly funded by the federal government as well as a $1.9 million grant from The Ian Potter Foundation.
It was the largest donation ever received by the Australian National Botanic Gardens in its 50-year history.
More Canberra projects affected
The conservatory was one of 14 projects Project Coordination was working on at the time of its collapse.
Ten of those were in the ACT and the remaining four in NSW.
The company was also completing a noise remediation project at the Nishi building in NewActon.
A post on the builder's now deactivated website described the project as "technically difficult and challenging" and involved the construction of a new roof above the existing structure and installation of noise-reducing insulation.
The group was also part way through expansion works at Gungahlin College and was building a townhouse development in Narrabundah.
Previously completed projects include the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Hindu temple in Taylor, the new National Disability Insurance Agency office in Deakin and the National Arboretum visitors' centre more than a decade ago.
Project Coordination is among a series of high-profile Canberra building companies that have collapsed in recent weeks.
Cubitt's Granny Flats and Home Extensions, Voyager Projects and Rork Projects are also among the list of failed builders.
The spate of insolvencies has sparked widespread concern among the industry.
The Master Builders Association of the ACT will meet with ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr on Tuesday to discuss the state of the industry.
