SAM's latest facade milestone

Mr Hoare said the building's four sides would eventually comprise L-shaped plates of different heights and metallic finishes: low-sheen zinc to the southern approach; matt soft-charcoal above the Wyndham St entry to the building; metallic mid-grey facing north to the park; and rich ochre-red corten steel facing the lake and river plain to the west.

Mr Hoare said the four facades should be completed over the next few months. He said it was an exciting moment in the construction of the $47 million five-storey building, which is on track to be completed by the end of the year.

"This is the step that marks a major milestone for external works and is important for the construction program, as it allows the interior fit-out to be completed,” Mr Hoare said.

He said the initial panels on the north facade offered a glimpse of the finished look of the building at the northern end of Victoria Park Lake.