Six years in the making, and Canada's first national museum outside of Ottawa will open in Winnipeg this September. Members of the media got their last look inside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights before the site is closed while the exhibits are installed.

The designers and builders of the museum showed off their work Friday morning.

“We were still designing while parts were being built, and as you can see, it's a very complex building, so that in itself was complex,” said Scott Stirton, CEO of Smith Carter Architects and Engineers.

The $351 million project combines Tyndall stone and large glass panels to create a unique structure. The main angle of the design is to incorporate human rights.

A “Hall of Hope" illuminated by alabaster ramps links the exhibits. Other features include a rock "Garden of Contemplation," and 100-metre tower view from the top of the building.

The CMHR, will open Sept. 20, 2014. Upwards of 250,000 people are expected to visit the museum every year.

The edgy architecture meant traditional blueprints weren't enough, making this the first large-scale project in Canada to use 3D modelling.

“It really gives us the opportunity to build the building in a virtual state, then work through the problems before it goes out into the field,” said Sean Barnes, VP of PCL Constructors.

Even then there were hurdles, and added expenses. The building costs settled in July 2012, when the museum revised its capital budget to the current $351 million.

“The museum hit a funding crisis prior to that point because there was a need for some significant structural steel reinforcements that wasn't anticipated,” said spokesperson Maureen Fitzhenry.

The museum’s capital fund received a $35 million advance from the federal government, which the museum will repay from its operational budget appropriations over two years starting in 2018-2019.  

“So, we'll be re-paying that out of reductions in our operating budget,” said Fitzhenry.

With the approval of the federal government, the museum committed $10 million of its 2011-2012 operational budget to the capital fund.

The Friends of the CMHR increased its private sector commitments by securing a $35 million loan guaranteed by the Province of Manitoba. The Friends of CMHR committed to raising $150 million, and so far they have raised more than $142 million from 7,500 private donors.

This is in addition to government commitments of $100 million from the federal government, $40 million from the province, and $16 million from the City of Winnipeg.

So far, 11 galleries are finished and ready for exhibits. Crews plan to have them complete for a September opening. Then, the museum plans to do more fundraising to add a theatre and displays for a travelling exhibit.

Crews will now construct displays and place exhibits before the museum's scheduled opening on Sept. 20.

Take a look at our web gallery for pictures from inside the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.

-  With a report by Alesia Fieldberg